Television Exposure and the Public's Perceptions of Physicians

Past fictional television has tended to portray doctors in an extremely positive manner, while more recent fictional programming appears to portray physicians less positively. Based on Pfau, Mullen, and Garrow's (1995) suggestion that exposure to television's newer medical shows may lead to more negative feelings toward doctors, the present study examined the relationship between exposure to these and other fictional and non- fictional genres and perceptions of physicians. Results indicate negative relationships between exposure to prime-time doctor shows and perceptions, supporting Pfau et al.'s prediction. Exposure to television news magazines, network news, and talk shows also predicted perceptions of physicians.