What Makes Preschoolers Listen to Narrative Audio Tapes?

DOI: 10.1026/1617-6383.18.1.9 Abstract. Most communication studies on children and media have focused solely on television. Other popular media products such as narrative audio tapes have been neglected. The present article addresses factors that influence preschoolers’ selective exposure to these tapes. In line with past research, the emotional attractiveness of a story’s protagonist and some formal design elements of the product are regarded as determinants of children’s frequency and persistence of using a given tape. An experimental diary study with 79 preschoolers revealed that both factors do in fact influence children’s usage of the tape. The resulting implications for fundamental and applied research on children and media are discussed.