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Maccoby found:
- 78% of participants indicated no conversation occurred during the viewing of a television program.
- 60% of participants indicated no activity was engaged in during the viewing of a television program.
The television atmosphere in most households is one of quiet absorption on the part of family members who are present. The nature of the family social life during a program could be described as “parallel” rather than interactive, and the set does seem quite clearly to dominate family life when it is on.
Maccoby, E.E. (1951). Television: Its impact on school children. Public Opinion Quarterly, 15, 423-444.