ABSTRACT
As we have seen already, television programmes can be divided up into various categories or types, some of which are watched more often, and by larger numbers of viewers, than others. Furthermore, patterns of television viewing and programme preferences are linked to the demographic and family characteristics of audience members. Thus, some young people exhibit a taste for one type of programme, and other young people show preferences for another sort.1 Although these relationships are interesting for what they show about the pattern of television-watching behaviour and the character of programme tastes across mass audiences, they do not reveal much about the reasons why people selectively choose to watch one type of programme in preference to another, or why they become ‘hooked’ on a particular series. Are there psychological reasons why some programmes are preferred by certain people? Do particular programmes satisfy special needs for individual viewers?
