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This study is a content analysis of sexual incidents in prime time television programming aired during the fall of 1990. This research replicates the content analysis of Sapolsky and Tabarlet (1991), while offering several methodological advances: the Fox network is included, in addition to programs on ABC, CBS and NBC; the context of sexual incidents is analyzed; multiple episodes of each program are coded and compared to find out if presentations of sexuality vary over time; and programs broadcast during network ratings "sweeps" are compared to non-sweeps programs to test the assumption that sweeps programs contain more sexuality. / In addition, this study considers two theories that may explain the possible effects of televised sexuality. Cultivation Analysis contends that viewers of television, over time, come to see television as a real and accurate reflection of the world. Sexual socialization, based on Social Learning Theory, argues that children and adolescents will tend to imitate the activities they see on television. Socialization into dating and sexual responsibility behaviors is thus affected by what is available on television. / The study found that the number of sexual incidents on prime time television has fallen significantly since the study of Sapolsky and Tabarlet (1991), and that programs broadcast during the fall, 1990 ratings sweeps period did not have significantly more sexual content than those broadcast before and after the sweeps. In addition, no significant difference was found between the amount of visual portrayals and sexual language on the Fox network and the amount on ABC, CBS and NBC. However, Fox programs did have significantly more innuendo and suggestiveness. Analysis of the programs by scene showed that some visual behaviors such as kissing and verbal references such as verbal innuendo tend to occur many times per scene, while other behaviors such as implied intercourse happen only once per scene. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-04, Section: A, page: 1138. / Major Professor: Barry S. Sapolsky. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The effect of television on the behavior of its viewers is an area of interest in communication theory. This study focuses on the effect of television and psychosocial factors on adolescents' expectations to drink. / The incidence of adolescent drinking is rising and there is a possibility proposed relationship, two theories were probed. The theories are: the Theory of Reasoned Action and Cultivation Effects. / An elaborated version of the Theory of Reasoned Action proposes a relationship between an adolescent's expectation to consume alcoholic beverages and the adolescent's behavioral and normative beliefs. / Cultivation effects reasons that there is a relationship between the amount of television watched and the beliefs viewers have about the "real" beliefs about the world. Hence, the more a viewer watches television, the more likely his/her beliefs about the world are influenced by television's symbols and messages. / The findings revealed television is not a statistically significant predictor of cultivated beliefs about drinking. Additionally, television cultivated beliefs about the consumption of alcoholic beverages are not significantly influential in predicting adolescents' expectations to drink. Furthermore, self-efficacy beliefs and noncultivated behavioral beliefs are significant predictors of adolescents' expectations to drink alcoholic beverages. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-12, Section: A, page: 4296. / Major Professor: Gary R. Heald. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

Electronic bulletin boards have become more popular with the advent of low cost computers, easily available communication channels, and large network systems. With its public posting of messages, relatively large audiences can read and provide immediate feedback. Network organization provides a hierarchical system to give users access to thousands with like interests across the country, or even the world. / A random sample of bulletin board users was selected from the two major national bulletin board services, CompuServe$\sp\circler$ and Prodigy$\sp\circler,$ and interviewed asynchronously, on-line, using electronic mail. / This study characterized this bulletin board audience focusing on the issues of (1) adoption--what characteristics bulletin board users possess, and (2) social impacts--how bulletin board adoption affects the use of other communication media. / Results of the on-line survey supported adoption hypotheses suggesting bulletin board users are higher educated, more wealthy, and work in more prestigious occupations the average American. Rejected was a similar lower age hypothesis. Open-ended responses to the question "why use boards?" were content analyzed, with selections made to categories in five areas showing a typology of use for this medium. Hypotheses suggesting a reduction of consumption of the media television, books, telephone use, and personal letter writing were supported. Rejected were suggestions of lower magazine reading, face-to-face conversations, and other on-line communication. / The findings also showed significant differences in the CompuServe and Prodigy systems along several of the above variables, in addition to quantity of use, message rate, and family usage patterns. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-09, Section: A, page: 3029. / Major Professor: C. Edward Wotring. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 35-02, Section: A, page: 1286. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1974.

Considering news as a product of the complex interplay of the dominant political power, as a social construction of reality, and as a significant cultural form, this study analyzes coverage of the Beijing pro-democracy movement in 1989 across five newspapers. The five papers under study were The New York Times, People's Daily of mainland China, The Times of London, Sing Tao Daily of Hong Kong, and United Daily News of Taiwan. The period of observation was from April 18 to June 15, 1989. The first three paragraphs of news stories related to the Beijing pro-democracy movement in the five newspapers were coded and analyzed. / The content analysis results revealed that thematic emphasis of the Beijing movement was similar across the five newspapers. Pro-democracy movement, government/party, local/foreign reactions, and military/police were the leading themes across the papers. However, the Beijing story presented by the five papers varied noticeably in tone, especially between the national and international coverage. Treating The New York Times and The Times of London as foreign papers, United Daily News and Sing Tao Daily as papers of mixed domestic and foreign characters due to Hong Kong and Taiwan's political and cultural ties to China, and People's Daily as an exclusively national publication, three versions of the Beijing story were revealed. In fact, each paper reflected its society's concern and presented its own meaning of the story. Similar patterns of reporting in the emphasis of broad news themes across the five countries appeared to be the product of the universal journalistic practices. Differences in the portrayal of the Beijing movement and the Chinese authority seemed attributable to government influence and sociopolitical conditions existing in the countries at the time the event occurred. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-11, Section: A, page: 3341. / Major Professor: John K. Mayo. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

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