Some people don’t talk during the show, and when it is done they can go wash the dishes, Smith said. I listen to their reflections what they do and who they speak to when they are watching.

Jason Reed, a junior in political science from Robinson, participated in the study.

He said he always watches the show because it makes him laugh.

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We talked for over an hour about my favorite character, Kramer, and about different stories in the show and how the ideas come out of other shows, Reed said.

Smith said she is researching ways people make sense of television (ethnomethodology).

She said she is not trying to promote the show, although she is a fan.

I started watching the show spring of 1992, but I did not go out of my way to watch it until I came here, Smith said. Now I am a regular and I have to tape.

People tell me I can’t do my dissertation on Seinfeld. They downgrade it (because it) is not a part of the academic community, Smith said.

In addition to examining the way people understand television, Smith said she is looking at research procedures, including the use of the Internet for conducting studies.

Lenore Langsdorf, a speech communication professor, said she thinks Smith is at the forefront of a fascinating study.

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She is right in with a lot of our current research. The kind of work she is doing is interesting, Langsdorf said. She talks about how we make sense of TV. There is an increasing amount of research on the influence of television experience and how it relates to everyday experiences.