A study examined differences in television viewing behaviors and attitudes across age groups of children in their home environment. Personal interviews were conducted with 162 children, ages 5 to 12, in a midwestern elementary school. The interview assessed home environment (1) television viewing relationships, including viewing companion and parental control; (2) television viewing behaviors, including level of exposure and favorite programs; and (3) television attitudes, including television affinity and perceived realism. The results indicated that siblings were the principal viewing companions across all age groups, while a substantial number of children also watched with their parents. A greater percentage of younger than older children were told by someone at home how much television they could watch. The number of television programs viewed during the day previous to the interview was not significantly different across age groups. The frequency of preferences for cartoons and children's programs decreased with age increments, while the frequency of preferences for comedies and adult drama and adventure programs increased with age increments. Younger children felt that television played a more important role in their lives than did the middle or older groups of children, and the younger children perceived television content to represent reality more directly than did the middle and older groups of children. The findings suggest that what children watch on television and how they perceive television and its content, are very much related to the early stages of a child's cognitive development. (HTH)