ABSTRACT
IT is logical to assume that the impact of a media message on achild will depend on his or her understanding of it. It is thisassumption that underlies the considerable work on children's processes of comprehending television (Christenson, 1983; Comstock, Chaffee, Katzman, McCombs, & Roberts, 1978; National Institute of Mental Health, 1982). However, comprehension is not a single process; there are many different types and levels. This chapter deals with one of those types, specifically, the ability or tendency to view a program and extract from it an underlying moral or lesson. The findings presented here are relevant not only to our understanding of how children interpret television programs but also, by implication, to our picture of television's role in the acquisition of social norms and mores.
