"Classification of Educational Radio Research" (January 1, 1941)

radio offering of broadcasters in constructive ways. They can use the findings of research on content-preferences in several ways. If it is found that the adult audience shows consistent preferences for, say, news commentaries and humorous variety programs, this fact should affect the administrative group's sponsoring and publicizing of programs. Such a finding surely does not justify the development of programs featuring academic discussions of the great Greek philosophies or of astronomy. (5) The preferences of young people as between different types of radio production must be studied extensively if civic groups are to make responsible recommendations concerning programs that children can like. It may be that the preferences of many young people for programs judged objectionable is not due to their content but to the interesting way they are produced. Re¬ search can decide this question: recommendations by civic groups made in the absence of this research are merely the opinions of pressure groups, (6) Civic groups concerned with the listening habits of children will want to know if listening to one program influences the youngsters to -listen to others of the same type . or if they become quickly satiated and turn to other types. Such "effect studies on preferences" are not now available, but the schedule of broadcasting for children can probably be improved by studying information on this point. We rarely know in advance if repetition serves to get something into the youngster’s system or whether it serves to get something out of his system. Some will say he is developing the habit of listening to programs of a given type, others will say he is getting rid of some kind of frustration in a harm¬ less way. Many of the programs widely listened to by youngsters depict killings and tortures, many describe as a hero someone who has powers not possessed by anyone else, some consistently present members of other races as inhuman cri¬ minals and agents of the police as heroes. It may be, as some think, that these programs debauch young people into permanently vicious attitudes and habits of thought. On the other hand, it may be that some such period of permissible fantasy is needed by many youngsters and their other, more constructive efforts Would be blocked if these destructive impulses were not given some free play. Research can supply information on these points, and civic groups can use this information to help decide their policy with respect to these programs. ( 7 ) Civic groups are concerned with the possibility that destructive trains of thought and action may be stimulated in youngsters by some of the radio programs they listen to. A few studies have implied that children in juvenile court frequently admit the influence of gangster radio productions on their actions. Much more research is needed before it can be taken as proven, however, that these youngsters would not have been found delinquent had no such programs been on the air. Miss Ethel Ghanas found that delinquent and non¬ deliquent boys living in so-called delinquency areas have about the same types of radio preferences, crime and mystery programs being the major interest of both groups. These programs are noticeably less popular with children coming from middleclass areas. It may well be, however, that such programs provide a valuable substitute for other destructive activity, and civic groups should not recommend, without further research, that these programs have predominantly pernicious influence. -11-