Daniel R. Anderson, Professor Emeritus of Psychology

Department of Psychology

Tobin Hall

University of Massachusetts

Amherst, MA 01003

Phone: 413-545-2069

FAX: 413-545-0996

Email: anderson@psych.umass.edu

Education:

B.S., Psychology (Honors), 1966,

University of Wisconsin/Madison.

A.M., Psychology, 1968, Brown University.

Ph.D., Psychology, 1971, Brown University.

Research Interests

Although retired from teaching, I remain active in research and consultation. My research focuses on children and television, particularly the cognitive and educational aspects. My published work concerns attention, comprehension, viewing behavior, and the long term impact of television on development. My current research interests include toddler understanding of television, the impact of television on parent-child interactions, and the effects of adult background television on infant and toddler behavior.

Recent Publications

Kirkorian, H.L., Wartella, E., Anderson, D.R. (2008). Media and young children’s learning. Future of Children, 18, 63-86.

Schmidt, M.E., Pempek, T.A., Kirkorian, H.L., Lund, A.F. & Anderson, D.R. (2008). The effects of background television on the toy play behavior of very young children. Child Development, 79, 1137-1151.

Kirkorian, H.L. & Anderson, D.R. (2008). Television and learning. In S.B. Neuman (Ed.), Educating the other America: Top tackle poverty, literacy, and achievement in our schools (pp. 301-318). Baltimore: Brookes.

Kirkorian, H.L. & Anderson, D.R. (2008). Learning from educational media. In S.L. Calvert & B.J. Wilson (Eds.), The handbook of children, media, and development (pp. 188-213). West Sussex, UK: Blackwell.

Linebarger, D.L., Schmitt, K.L., Huston, A.C. & Anderson, D.R. (2008). Fernsehen in der frühen Kindheit und seine kognitiven Entwicklungsfolgen in der Adoleszenz. In A. Schorr (Ed.), Jugendmedien-forschung: Forschungsprogramme, synopse, perspectiven (pp. 41-61). Wiesbaden, Germany: Verlag.

Kirkorian, H.L., Pempek, T.A., Murphy, L.A., Schmidt, M.E., & Anderson, D.R. (2009). The impact of background television on parent-child interaction. Child Development, 80, 1350-1359.

Anderson, D.R. & Hanson, K.G. (2009). Children, media, and methodology. American Behavioral Scientist, 52, 1204-1219.

Anderson, D.R. & Hanson, K.G. (2010). From blooming, buzzing confusion to media literacy: Early development of television viewing. Developmental Review, 30, 239-255.

Pempek, T.A., Kirkorian, H.L., Richards, J.E., Anderson, D.R., Lund, A.F., & Stevens, M. (2010). Video comprehensibility and attention in very young children. Developmental Psychology, 46, 1283-1293.

Pempek, T.A., Demers, L.B., Hanson, K.G., Kirkorian, H.L., & Anderson, D.R. (2011). The impact of infant-directed videos on parent-child interactions. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 32, 10-19.

Kirkorian, H.L., Anderson, D.R., & Keen, R. (2012). Age differences in online processing of video: An eye movement study. Child Development, 83, 497-507.

Lavigne, H.J. & Anderson, D.R. (2012). Television and children’s knowledge. In A.M. Pinkham, T. Kaefer & S.B. Neuman (Eds.), Knowledge development in early childhood: Sources of learning and classroom implications (pp. 109-128). New York: Guilford.

Demers, L.B., Hanson, K.G., Kirkorian, H.L., Pempek, T.A., & Anderson, D.R. (2013). Infant gaze following during parent-infant coviewing of videos. Child Development. 54, 591-603.

Anderson, D.R., Lavigne, H.J. & Hanson, K.G. (2013). The educational impact of television: Understanding television’s potential and limitations. In A.N. Valdivia & E. Scharrer (Eds.), The international encyclopedia of media studies. Vol. 5: Media effects / Media Psychology (pp. 635-656). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Anderson, D.R. & Hanson, K.G. (2013). What researchers have learned about toddlers and television. Zero to Three, 33, 4-10.

See Full Publication List Below

Consulting

I am frequently asked to consult on the development of children’s television programs, and other electronic media including videos, CD-ROMs, and web sites. I also advise on applied research, strategic planning, and policy issues related to children’s media and am on several national advisory boards.

I was involved in the development of the following television programs for children: Allegra’s Window, Gullah Gullah Island, Bear in the Big Blue House, Blue’s Clues, Dora the Explorer and am in the credits for these programs. I was also an advisor to Captain Kangaroo, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Sesame Street, Fimbles (BBC), Go, Diego, Go, It’s a Big Big World, and Super Why..

Full Client List

Grants, Research Contracts, Honors

Over the years my research has been supported by government research agencies, private foundations, and industry. I have received national and university honors.

Full List of Funders and Honors

Publication List

Anderson, D. R. (1972). The effects of prior training on the incidental discriminative learning of children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 14, 416-426.

Kemler, D. G. and Anderson, D. R. (1972). The breadth of attention in learning: A new one-look model. British Journal of Statistical and Mathematical Psychology, 25, 131-150.

Shepp, B. E., Kemler, D. G., and Anderson, D. R. (1972). Selective attention and the breadth of learning: An extension of the one-look model. Psychological Review, 79, 317-328.

Anderson, D. R., Kemler, D. G., and Shepp, B. E. (1973). Selective attention and dimensional learning: A logical analysis of two-stage attention theories. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 2, 273-275.

Anderson, D. R. and Well, A. D. (1975). Hale and Stevenson's failure to find a developmental trend in the effects of distraction: A floor effect. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 20, 363-365.

Clement, M. A. and Anderson, D. R. (1975). Strategies in learning redundant relevant cues in concept identification. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 1, 209-214.

Strutt, G. F., Anderson, D. R., and Well, A. D. (1975). A developmental study of the effects of irrelevant information on speeded classification. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 20, 127-135.

Anderson, D. R. and Levin, S. R. (1976). Young children's attention to Sesame Street. Child Development, 47, 806-811.

Levin, S. R. and Anderson, D. R. (1976). The development of attention. Journal of Communication, 26, 126-135.

Anderson, D. R., Levin, S. R., and Lorch, E. P. (1977). The effects of television program pacing on the behavior of preschool children. AV Communication Review, 25, 159‑166.

Anderson, D. R. (1978). Children and television: A Lesser attempt. Review of H. Lesser's Television and the preschool child. Contemporary Psychology, 23, 409-410.

Anderson, D. R., Alwitt, L. F., Lorch, E. P., and Levin, S. R. (1979). Watching children watch television. In G. Hale and M. Lewis (Eds.), Attention and cognitive development. New York: Plenum.

Lorch, E. P., Anderson, D. R., and Levin, S. R. (1979). The relationship of visual attention and comprehension of television by preschool children. Child Development, 50, 722-727.

Dowd, J. M., Clifton, R. K., Anderson, D. R., and Eichelman, W. H. (1980). Children perceive large-disparity random dot stereograms more rapidly than adults. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 29, 1-11.

Alwitt, L. F., Anderson, D. R., Lorch, E. P., and Levin, S. R. (1980). Preschool children's visual attention to attributes of television. Human Communication Research, 7, 52-67.

Well, A. D., Lorch, E. P., and Anderson, D. R. (1980). Developmental trends in distractibility: Is absolute or proportional decrement the appropriate measure of inference? Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 30, 109-124.

Anderson, D. R., Lorch, E. P., Field, D. E., & Sanders, J. (1981). The effect of television program comprehensibility on preschool children's visual attention to television. Child Development, 52, 151-157.

Anderson, D. R., Lorch, E. P., Smith, R. Bradford, R. & Levin, S. R. (1981). The effects of peer presence on preschool children's television viewing behavior. Developmental Psychology, 17, 446-453.

Anderson, D. R. (1981). The future of television research. Review of Withey, R. P. & Abeles, S. B. (Eds.), Television and social behavior: Beyond violence and children. In Contemporary Psychology, 26, 474-475.

Anderson, D. R. (1981). An era of social policy research on children and television. Review of Palmer, E. P. & Dorr, A. (Eds.), Children and the faces of television. In Contemporary Psychology, 26, 874-875.

Ross, L., Anderson, D. R., and Wisocki, P. A. (1982). Adult television viewing and sex-role attitudes. Sex Roles, 8, 589-592.

Anderson, D. R. & Bryant, J. (1983). Research on television viewing: The state of the art. In J. Bryant & D. R. Anderson (Eds.), Children's understanding of TV: Research on attention and comprehension. New York: Academic Press.

Anderson, D. R. & Lorch, E. P. (1983). Looking at television: Action or reaction? In J. Bryant & D. R. Anderson (Eds.), Children's understanding of TV: Research on attention and comprehension. New York: Academic Press.

Bryant, J. & Anderson, D. R. (Eds.). (1983). Children's understanding of TV: Research on attention and comprehension. New York: Academic Press.

Anderson, D. R. & Field, D. E. (1983). Children's attention to television. Implications for production. In M. Meyer (Ed.), Children and the formal features of television. Munich: Saur.

Anderson, D. R. & Smith, R. (1984). Young children's television viewing: The problem of cognitive continuity. In F. Morrison, C. Lord, & D. Keating (Eds.), Advances in applied developmental psychology. New York: Academic Press.

Lorch, E. P., Anderson, D. R., & Well, A. D. (1984). The effects of irrelevant stimuli on speeded classification: Reduction of interference due to habituation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 10, 850-864.

Anderson, D.R. (1985). The influence of television on children’s attentional abilities. New York: Children’s Television Workshop.

Anderson, D. R. (1985). On-line cognitive processing of television. In A. Mitchell & L. Alwitt (Eds.), Psychological processes and advertising

effects: Theory, research and application. Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum.

Field, D. E. & Anderson, D. R. (1985). Instruction and modality effects on children's television comprehension and attention. Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 91-100.

Nathan, J. G., Anderson, D. R., Field, D. E., & Collins, P. A. (1985). Television viewing at home: Distances and viewing angles of children and adults. Human Factors, 27, 467-476.

Smith, R., Anderson, D. R. & Fischer, C. (1985). Young children's comprehension of montage. Child Development, 56, 962-971.

Anderson, D. R., Field, D. E., Collins, P. A., Lorch, E. P. & Nathan, J. G. (1985). Estimates of young children's time with television: A methodological comparison of parent reports with time-lapse video home observation. Child Development, 56, 1345-1357.

Gibbons, J., Anderson, D. R., Smith, R. N., Field, D. E. & Fischer, C. (1986). Young children's recall and reconstruction of audio and audiovisual narratives. Child Development, 57, 1014-1023.

Anderson, D. R., Lorch, E. P., Collins, P. A., Field, D. E., & Nathan, J. G. (1986). Television viewing at home: Age trends in visual attention and time with TV. Child Development, 57, 1024-1033.

Anderson, D. R., Choi, H. P., & Lorch, E. P. (1987). Attentional inertia reduces distractibility during young children's television viewing. Child Development, 58, 798-806.

Anderson, D. R., & Collins, P. A. (1988). The influence on children's education: The effects of television on cognitive development. Washington, D.C.: U. S. Department of Education.

Anderson, D. R., & Collins, P. A. (1989). Does TV make kids stupid? Boston Globe, January 15, pages A21; A23.

Anderson, D. R. (1989). Television and children: Not necessarily bad news. The Brown University Child Behavior and Development Letter, 5(4), 1-3.

Anderson, D. R. (1990). How TV influences your kids. TV Guide, 38(9), 24-25.

Anderson, D. R. (1990). Cognitive effects of Sesame Street. In Sesame Street research: A 20th anniversary symposium. New York: Children's Television Workshop (pp. 20-24).

Anderson, D. R., & Burns, J. (1991). Paying attention to television. In D. Zillman & J. Bryant (Eds.), Responding to the screen: Perception and reaction processes. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Pp. 3-26.

Anderson, D.R. & Field, D.E. (1991). Online and offline assessment of the television audience. In D. Zillman & J. Bryant (Eds.), Responding to the screen: Perception and reaction processes (pp. 199-216). Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum.

Burns, J. J., & Anderson, D. R. (1991). Cognition and watching television. In D. Tupper & K. Cicerone (Eds.), Neuropsychology of everyday life: Issues in development and rehabilitation. Boston: Kluwer. pp. 93-108.

Choi, H.P. & Anderson, D.R. (1991). A temporal analysis of toy play and distractibility in young children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 52, 41-69.

Anderson, D.R. (1991). Review of Television and the quality of life: How viewing shapes everyday experience. By R. Kubey & M. Csikszentmihalyi. In Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 35, 253-255.

Reeves, B. & Anderson, D.R. (1992). Media studies and psychology. Communication Research, 18, 595-598.

Anderson, D.R. (1992). Review of Literacy in the television age: The myth of the TV effect. By S.B. Neuman. In Child Development Abstracts & Bibliography, 66, 86-87.

Burns, J.J. & Anderson, D.R. (1993). Attentional inertia and recognition memory in adult television viewing. Communication Research, 20, 777-799.

Luecke-Aleksa, D., Anderson, D.R., Collins, P.A. & Schmitt, K.L. (1995). Gender constancy and television viewing. Developmental Psychology, 31, 773-780.

Anderson, D.R., Collins, P.A., Schmitt, K.L. & Jacobvitz, R.S. (1996). Stressful life events and television viewing. Communication Research, 23, 243-260.

Anderson, D.R. (1998). Educational television is not an oxymoron. Annals of Public Policy Research, 557, 24-38.

Anderson, D.R., Huston, A.C., Wright, J.C. & Collins, P.A. (1998). Initial findings on the long term impact of Sesame Street and educational television for children: The Recontact Study. In R. Noll & M. Price (Eds.), A communications cornucopia: Markle Foundation essays on information policy (pp. 279-296). Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution.

Anderson, D.R., Huston, A.C., Wright, J.C., Schmitt, K.L., Collins, P.A. & Linebarger, D.L. (1998). Kinderfernsehen und Schulleistung (Children’s Television and Academic Achievement). Televizion, 2, 21-24.

Wright, J.C., Anderson, D.R., Huston, A.C., Collins, P.A., Schmitt, K.L. & Linebarger, D.L. (1999). Early viewing of educational television programs: The short- and long-term effects on schooling. Insights, 2, 5-8.

Crawley, A.M., Anderson, D.R., Wilder, A., Williams, M. & Santomero, A. (1999). Effects of repeated exposures to a single episode of the television program Blue’s Clues on the viewing behaviors and comprehension of preschool children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91. 630-637.

Schmitt, K.L., Anderson, D.R. & Collins, P.A. (1999). Form and content: Looking at visual features of television. Developmental Psychology, 35, 1156-1167.

Huston, A.C., Anderson, D.R., Wright, J.C., Linebarger, D. & Schmitt, K.L. (2001). Sesame Street viewers as adolescents: The recontact study. In S. Fisch & R. Truglio (Eds.), G is for growing: Thirty years of research on Sesame Street (pp. 131-143). Mahwah, NJ.: Erlbaum.

Anderson, D.R. (2002). Children’s attention to television. Encyclopedia of Communication and Information. New York: Macmillan Reference.

Anderson, D.R., Huston, A.C., Schmitt, K.L., Linebarger, D.L. & Wright, J.C. (2001). Early childhood television viewing and adolescent behavior: The Recontact Study. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. 68(1), Serial No. 264, 1-143.

Schmitt, K.L. & Anderson, D.R. (2002). Television and reality: Toddlers’ use of visual information from video to guide behavior. Media Psychology, 4, 51-76.

Crawley, A.M., Anderson, D.R., Santomero, A., Wilder, A., Williams, M., Evans, M.K. & Bryant, J. (2002). Do children learn how to watch television? The impact of extensive experience with Blue’s Clues on preschool children’s television viewing behavior. Journal of Communication, 52, 264-280.

Anderson, D.R. & Evans, M.K. (2001). Peril and potential of media for toddlers. Zero to Three, 22(2), 10-16.

Schmitt, K.L., Woolf, K.D. & Anderson, D.R. (2003). Viewing the viewers: Viewing behaviors by children and adults during television programs and commercials. Journal of Communication. 53, 265-281.

Anderson, D.R. (2003). The Children’s Television Act: A public policy that benefits children (Commentary). Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 24, 337-340.

Anderson, D.R. & Evans, M.K. (2003). The impact of the Internet on children: Lessons from television. In J. Turow & A. Kavanaugh (Eds.), The wired homestead (pp. 73-92). Cambridge: MIT Press.

Anderson, D.R. (2004). Watching children watch television and the creation of Blue’s Clues. In H. Hendershot (Ed.), Nickelodeon nation: The history, politics, and economics of America’s only TV channel for kids (pp. 241-268). New York: New York University Press.

Anderson, D.R. (2004). Neighbors forever. Newsday, April 14.

Richards, J.E. & Anderson, D.R. (2004). Attentional inertia in children’s extended looking at television. In R.V. Kail (Ed.), Advances in child development and behavior (Vol. 32 pp. 163-212), Amsterdam: Academic Press.

Anderson, D.R., Byrne, P., Crowley, A., Fransch, A.T., Good, B.J., Gupta, S., Kalache, A., Qiuxia, M.L., Lowe, S.M., Mendoza-Denton, R. & Ramakrishna, J. (2004). The health repercussions of stigma. Pfizer Journal, 5 (1), 4-40.

Anderson, D.R. & Pempek, T.A. (2005). Television and very young children. American Behavioral Scientist, 48, 505-522.

Fisch, S., Kirkorian, H.L. & Anderson, D.R. (2005). Transfer of learning in informal education: The case of television. In Mestre, J. (Ed.), Transfer of Learning from a Modern Multidisciplinary Perspective (pp. 371-393). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing..

Anderson, D.R., Bryant, J., Murray, J.P., Rich, M., Rivkin, M., & Zillmann, D. (2006). Brain imaging – An introduction to a new approach to studying media processes and effects. Media Psychology, 8, 1-6.

Anderson, D.R., Fite, K.V., Petrovich, N., & Hirsch, J. (2006). Cortical activation while watching video montage: An fMRI study. Media Psychology, 8, 7-24.

Anderson, D.R. & Kirkorian, H.L. (2006). Attention and television. In J. Bryant & P. Vorderer (Eds.), The psychology of entertainment (pp. 35-54). Mahway, NJ: Erlbaum.

Institute of Medicine (2006). Food marketing to children and youth: Threat or opportunity? Washington, DC: National Academies. (I was a member of the IOM committee that wrote this book).

Blass, E.M., Anderson, D.R., Kirkorian, H.L., Pempek, T.A., Price, I., & Koleini, M.F. (2006). On the road to obesity: Television viewing increases intake of high-density food. Physiology & Behavior, 88, 597-604.

Anderson, D.R. (2007). A neuroscience of children and media? Journal of Children and Media, 1, 77-85.

Evans, M.K. & Anderson, D.R. (2007). The impact of television on cognitive development and educational achievement. In J. Murray, N. Pecora & E. Wartella (Eds), Fifty years of children’s television (pp. 65-84). Erlbaum.

Schmidt, M.E., Crawley-Davis, A.M. & Anderson, D.R. (2007). Two-year-olds’ object retrieval based on television: Testing a perceptual account. Media Psychology, 9, 389-410.

Kirkorian, H.L., Wartella, E., Anderson, D.R. (2008). Media and young children’s learning. Future of Children, 18, 63-86.

Kirkorian, H.L., Pempek, T.A., Murphy, L.A., Schmidt, M.E., & Anderson, D.R. (2009). The impact of background television on parent-child interaction. Child Development, 80, 1350-1359.

Anderson, D.R. & Hanson, K.G. (2009). Children, media, and methodology. American Behavioral Scientist, 52, 1204-1219.

Anderson, D.R. & Hanson, K.G. (2010). From blooming, buzzing confusion to media literacy: Early development of television viewing. Developmental Review, 30, 239-255.

Kirkorian, H.L., Anderson, D.R., & Keen, R. (2012). Age differences in online processing of video: An eye movement study. Child Development, 83, 497-507.

Demers, L.B., Hanson, K.G., Kirkorian, H.L., Pempek, T.A., & Anderson, D.R. (2013). Infant gaze following during parent-infant coviewing of videos. Child Development. 54, 591-603.

Anderson, D.R. & Hanson, K.G. (2013). What researchers have learned about toddlers and television. Zero to Three, 33, 4-10.

Full Client List

Review panels on behavioral research, National Institute of Mental Health.

Columbia Broadcasting System, format development for Captain Kangaroo.

Children's Television Workshop and Sesame Workshop formative research for Sesame Street, research literature reviews, summative research design, strategic planning.

Grant and manuscript reviews for National Science Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health, and various academic journals.

Leo Burnett, USA, general consulting on children's cognitive processing of television.

General Mills, general consulting on television viewing.

Academic Press editorial consulting.

Advanced Television Research Project, M.I.T. Consulting on research design.

Patterson, Belknap, Webb and Tyler. Expert witness consulting.

National Broadcasting Corporation. General consulting on television viewing behavior.

Educational Development Center, Inc. Research design.

Member, Advisory Panel, Children's Advertising Review Unit, Council of Better Business Bureaus.

Review Panel on behavioral research, National Institute of Aging.

Swarthmore College, Honors Examiner

Invited testimony before U.S. House and Senate subcommittees concerning children's television for the Children's Television Act of 1990 and other issues concerning children’s media.

Hill, Holaday, General consulting on television viewing behavior.

Co-editor, special issue on cognitive processing of audiovisual media, Communication Research.

Member, research advisory panel, Nielsen Media Research.

Nickelodeon, program development for Nick Jr, research design.

Member of Advisory Council on Excellence in Children's Television, Annenberg Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Member of the Institutional Review Board for the use of human subjects in research, Amherst College.

Sony Wonder, children's Internet site design

Jim Henson Productions, children's TV program curriculum design.

Editorial Board, Media Psychology

Reviewer for Carnegie Corporation of New York

Universal Pictures Video Productions, preschool video advice

DMA Animation, program development consultation

Member, National Advisory Board, PBS Ready to Learn

Member, National Advisory Board, Children’s Digital Media Center

Novel Entertainment

Editorial Board, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

Create Film & TV

Play is Learning Council, Fisher-Price

Member, Committee on Food Marketing and the Diets of Children and Youth, Institute of Medicine, National Academies of Science

Shadow Projects

Beyond the Blue, TV program consultation.

Review panel, Technology in Education, U.S. Department of Education

Review panel, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Westat, Inc.

Disney

Full List of Funders and Honors

1966-1970 Public Health Service Predoctoral Fellowships

1971-1972 Grant from U.S. Office of Education for studies in attention and learning, $27,000.

1972 Summer Fellowship, National Science Foundation

1977-1979 Contracts with Children's Television Workshop for formative research for Sesame Street. Total, $32,000.

1973-1986 Grants from National Science Foundation for studies of children's television viewing behaviors. Total, $545,000.

1977-1978 With A. D. Well, grant for studies on development of attention from National Institute of Mental Health. $5000.

1977-1982 Research Scientist Development Award (Type II) from National Institute of Mental Health.

1978-1989 Grants from National Institute of Mental Health for a field study of preschool children's home television viewing behavior, $785,000.

1979-1983 Grant from National Science Foundation for Child Study Center, with M. Daehler and N. Myers, $150,000.

1983 Grant from John and Mary Markle Foundation for Microcomputer equipment, $20,000.

1986 Grant from National Association of Broadcasters, Analysis of viewer exiting during TV programs, $5,000.

1987-1992 Grant for predoctoral and postdoctoral training in the Division of Cognitive, Developmental, and Educational Psychology from the National Institute of Mental Health, $550,000.

1987 Biomedical Research Support Grant, University of Massachusetts, Television viewing by children with attention deficit disorder, $5,000.

1989-1993 Grant from Spencer Foundation, Descriptive Analysis of Children's Television Viewing Behavior, $245,000.

1993-1997 Grants from the Markle Foundation, Long Term Impact of Television on Educational Achievement, $357,000.

1996-1997 Research contract from Nickelodeon, Impact on viewer behavior of repeated viewing of a single episode of a curriculum-based preschool TV program, $15,300.

1998 Travel grant from the Annenberg Public Policy Foundation for attending the Second World Summit on Television and Children, London, March, 1998.

1998-1999 Research contract from Nickelodeon concerning TV viewing behaviors of experienced versus inexperienced viewers of Blue’s Clues, $23,000.

2001-2004 Grant from National Science Foundation, Impact of television on very young children, $282,160.

2003 Most Important Applied/Public Policy Research Award, International Communication Association

2004 Academic Outreach Award, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

2005 Research contract from Sesame Workshop concerning pilot research, $20,000.