Larry GrossThomas, Sari T2023-05-222015-02-2619772015-02-26https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/27457This investigation concerns the relationship between the veteran, female, daytime serial viewer and the soap operas she views. More specifically, I will be interested in two general issues: Through the use of open-ended interviews with viewers, I will first be investigating "uses and gratifications," i.e., the purposes served by the soap opera .for the viewer. Second, I will examine how the soap opera is treated by viewers as real or fictional. These two main issues, "uses and gratifications" and the reality/fiction question, will not be considered as being entirely independent of each other. In other words, I will examine whether a viewer's treatment of soap operas as either real or fictional can be related to the purposes served by the serials for her. In connection with these issues, I will explore how the age and educational levels of the viewer relate to her soap opera viewing behavior.CommunicationDissertation/Thesis