Dennis K. Davis

From the boob tube to the black box: Television news comprehension from an information processing perspective

This paper reviews research on learning from television news and develops a theoretical framework which can guide future research. Two models of memory and understanding are considered in detail: episodic memory and semantic network models. Guidelines are offered for research based on both of these models.

Families and Television An Application of Frame Analysis Theory

Recent research on childrens use of television is reviewed and an innovative perspective based on Goffmans frame analysis theory is presented. Three developmental stages closely related to television use are differentiated using frame analysis theory. Current research findings are reinterpreted to develop and support our perspective. The implications of our theory for structuring future research on the use of television are considered.

The Audience of Public Television: Did Watergate Make a Difference?.

This study assesses the effect on the audience, programming, and finances which resulted from covering the Watergate hearings.

Impact of Media

Dennis K. Davis and Stanley J. Baran, Mass Communication and Everyday Life: A Perspective on Theory and Effects (Belmont, Ca.: Wadsworth Publishing, 1981—

Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment and Future

7.95, paper) James B.LOmert Does Mass Communication Change Public Opinion After All? A New Approach to Effects Analysis (Chicago: Nelson-Hall Publishers, 1981—

Culture, Society and the Media.

17.95/8.95) Annual Report 1978/79. 1979/80 of the John and Mary R. Markle Foundation (50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10020—free on request, paper) Emile McAnany, Jorge Schnitman, and Noreene Janus, eds. Communication and Social Structure: Critical Studies in Mass Media Research (New York: Praeger Special Studies, 1981—price not known)