This study, the first phase of a 2-year longitudinal investigation of television-viewing patterns of preschool children, examines family characteristics, parent/child interactive patterns, and aspects of the home environment associated with young children's television viewing. Participating were a group of 320 children within 3 months of their third or fifth birthdays at the onset of the study in 1981. Data were collected from subjects' parents, who were asked to keep a diary of all television viewing by family members during 1 week out of every 6 months. The first diaries were collected in April of 1981 for half of the sample; for the other half, diaries were collected in October of 1981. From 1 to 3 months before the initial diary was collected, parents were interviewed, and children were administered the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Scale. In general, results indicated that heavy viewers of television at both ages had relatively uneducated mothers, had cable television available in their home, did not go to preschool, had parents who did not regulate viewing, and were heavily focused on television in their conversation and play. (MP)