ABSTRACT
When television was first introduced, questions were asked about the extent to which time spent viewing television displaced other activities (e.g., reading, playing, and talking with family members) (Furu, 1962; Himmelweit, Oppenheim, & Vince, 1958; Schramm, Lyle, & Parker, 1961). More recent attention has focused on television as a potential socializer of children (Leifer, Gordon, & Graves, 1974; Stein & Friedrich, 1975). The primary evidence for the socialization power of television concerns the relationship between televised violence and subsequent viewer aggression (see Comstock, 1975; Liebert, Neale, & Davidson, 1973; Surgeon General's Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior, 1972). As a consequence of the investigation of the impact of televised violence, researchers have further documented the medium's capacity to influence positive social behaviors, such as sharing, self-control, and positive interpersonal interaction (Coates, Pusser, & Goodman, 1976; Leifer, 1974; Paulson, McDonald, & Whittemore, 1972; Shirley, 1974).
