Abstract

152 Journal of Moral Education Volume 13 Number 3, October 1984 Television as a Facilitator of Good Behaviour amongst Children Barrie Gunter Introduction Television is the main source of information and entertainment for many people. From an early age children may develop specific patterns of watching television for two to four hours a day. There can be little doubt that television is an important element in the lives of many individuals and also that it may have some influence on the way they think (or at least on the things they think about) and act. The most controversial and widely discussed influence of television is that concerned with the impact of televised portrayals of violence. There can be no denying that violence is a common feature of television programming. Reports of violence occur daily on television news and portrayals of violence appear to be an almost essential ingredient of many television dramas (Halloran and Croll, 1971; Gerbner and Gross, 1976; Gerbner et a/., 1979). As levels of violent crime and civil disturbances are reportedly ever-increasing, the examples of violence which television brings into nearly every home every week have become a source of public concern. More research has been