Recent literature on television and behavior is reviewed, synthesized, and assessed in this report, the first of two volumes. Questions of television's impact on viewer functioning are addressed for the general reader, for the purpose of elucidating research findings and their implications for public health and future research. The focus of this report is on public health generally, not just on children and adolescents. Issues discussed include cognitive and emotional aspects of television viewing, television and violence, television as it relates to socialization and viewer's conceptions of social reality, television's influences on physical and mental health, and television as an American institution. Literature reviews commissioned on specific topics from 24 researchers are integrated and assessed. A list of these papers and their authors is provided in appendix B. This volume and its companion offer an update and elaboration of information presented in the 1972 Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Television and Behavior which assessed the effects of televised violence on children and youth and called for research on the relationship of television to the psychological growth and development of children. (LMM)