tates and Salomon (1979) in Israel tend to support this interpretation. They find that variations in the use of formal features such as zooms, fades, and pacing affect comprehension of the program. Huston-Stein (1977), for instance, is currently examining the effects of various auditory features which have been found to affect attention on comprehension of the program. Also, Singer and Singer (1979), in reporting current research, argue that some of the production techniques used to capture children's attention such as fast pace may actually hinder young children's learning from television and in the classroom. The precise nature of children's understanding of various kinds of production techniques has not been detailed. There is some evidence that at least major change points in the structure of television programs are processed by children as early as third grade, even where fancy camera techniques may not be understood. Wartella (1978), for example, reports an examination of the size of units children use to "chunk" a television narrative into different happenings in the program. She found that third graders used smaller units to divide the stream of behavior in the narrative portrayal than did ninth graders or adults. However, major break points in the action, or changes in the direction of the behavior stream, noted by ninth graders and adults were also noted by the third graders. These third graders appeared to have learned at least the basic changes in audio-visuals, such as the use of cuts, to indicate changes in direction of theme development. Salomon (1979) examined how the symbol system of television may act to "supplant" the child's level of cognitive skills to "cultivate" the development of mental skills. In his research, Salomon has examined the impact of various kinds of camera techniques on comprehension and their relationship to the development of mental skills. For instance, he examined the role of the zoom as a camera...
