n the relatively ambiguous and complex presentation of motivation cues on television. Furthermore, motive cues are often separated in time from the behaviors they elicit. There is evidence that when motives for actions are very explicitly stated and occur contiguous to the actions they elicit, even children as young as seven or eight can recognize them (Berndt and Berndt, 1975). The manner in which these social cues are portrayed, then, may be important for children's understanding of characters and their actions. In summary, research on children's understanding of television characters suggests that during the elementary school years children have difficulty understanding characters' motivations for actions. Kindergartners seem to be the most deficient at this; high school children the most adept. By fifth grade there is evidence, however, that children begin to describe motivations for why characters behave as they do (Wartella and Alexander, 1977); recognize motive cues in multiple-choice tests about a given television program (Leifer and Roberts, 1972); and offer explanations of motives when describing television plotlines (Collins et al., 1974). However, there may not be developmental differences in the underlying dimensions or traits children use to compare one television character with another, according to Reeves' (1979) research. Unfortunately, we have relatively little knowledge regarding the effects of various kinds of television production techniques or the audio-visual symbol system on children's comprehension of television messages. While systematic research in this area is only beginning, there are some preliminary indications of age-related growth in children's understanding of filmic techniques. This research will be considered next. Children's understanding of audio-visual techniques. Various sorts of production techniques, such as cuts, zooms, pans, and montage, are routinely used in television programs. Research on c...
