ABSTRACT
Television viewing has evolved into the most time-consuming leisure activity of American youth and, as such, has been the topic of much scientific inquiry. As can be seen in the preceding chapters of this text and in numerous other texts (see Brown, 1976; Bryant & Anderson, 1983; Clifford, Gunter, & McAleer, 1995; Greenberg, 1980; Van Evra, 1998), literally thousands of studies have examined the content of television programs, the effect that different types of content has on child viewers, and the manner by which children process television information. The question of what types of children are most influenced by television is a recurrent theme in the scientific literature, particularly since Schramm, Lyle, and Parker's (1961) much cited conclusion that "for some children, under some conditions, some television is harmful" (p. 1, italics added). Until quite recently, however, virtually all of the research has focused on average or "normal" children rather than on the special populations for which television viewing and the impact of that viewing, under some conditions, is most significant.
