ABSTRACT
Mass communication technologies permeate the homes of American families today. The average child in this country lives in a household with three television sets, three tape players, three radios, two VCRs, two CD players, one video game player, and one computer (Roberts, Foehr, Rideout, & Brodie, 1999). Moreover, children spend almost 61/2 hr each day using these media (Woodard & Gridina, 2000). In many American homes, the television occupies a central space in the main gathering area, often accompanied by a surround-sound system and other technologies to heighten the quality and realism of the viewing experience.
