A study tested the validity of two active TV viewing constructs that predicted the effects of content and degree of active viewing on a television viewer's perception of a mean world. Random digit dialing produced interviews with 163 subjects who were asked separate questions about their prime time and daytime viewing to determine their level of attention and their outlook on the world. Results indicated the best model for daytime viewers, but also provided a good model for evening viewing by persons who watch only evening TV and for those who watch TV at both times of the day. Although the prediction that more active viewers of prime time TV would be less likely to be cultivated by that time's content was supported, this model did not hold for persons who also watch daytime TV, perhaps because of the small size of the sample or because the mix of contents mitigates the effects of prime time TV's greater amounts of violence. World view may also be the cause, not the effect, of certain viewing habits. Public affairs TV viewing also affected viewer outlook strongly. Finally, these results suggest that a finer delineation of TV viewing types might prove useful to future research. (JL)