Synopses & Reviews
The foremost experts in the field of media violence research present a broad range of approaches and findings to confirm what has long been suspected: media violence has profoundly negative effects on children. The contributors share concise and readable summaries of the most recent research—along with research conducted over the past 40 years—regarding the effects of violence in various media, including: television, film, video games, music, and the Internet.
Scientifically documented negative effects on children include the aggressor effect, the victim effect, the bystander effect, and the appetite effect. Future steps to reduce the danger of media violence are also presented. This cross-disciplinary approach to media violence offers readers the most complete, up-to-date, and holistic understanding of the topic. Gentile and his contributors also examine and debunk long-held misconceptions about media violence, explaining the specific nature and unquestionable power of the negative effects.
Review
Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.Choice
Synopsis
The foremost experts in the field of media violence research present a broad range of approaches and findings to confirm what has long been suspected: media violence has profoundly negative effects on children. The contributors share concise and readable summaries of the most recent research--along with research conducted over the past 40 years--regarding the effects of violence in various media, including television, film, video games, music, and the Internet.
Synopsis
Experts present a broad range of approaches and findings to confirm that media violence has profoundly negative effects on children.
About the Author
DOUGLAS A. GENTILE is Director of Research for the National Institute on Media and the Family. A developmental psychologist, he is also a faculty member in the Psychology Department at Iowa State University.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Proliferation of Media Violence and Its Economic Underpinnings
Developmental Approaches to Understanding Media Effects on Individuals
Media Effects on Societies and Communities
Television Violence
The Role of Theory in the Study of Media Violence: The General Aggression Model
The Case against the Case against Media Violence
Violent Video Games: The Newest Media Violence Hazard
The Effects of Violent Music on Children and Adolescents
Children's and Adolescents' Exposure to Different Kinds of Media Violence: Recurring Choices and Recurring Themes
Media and Fear in Children and Adolescents
The Contribution of Meta-Analysis to the Controversy over Television Violence and Aggression
The Road to the V-Chip: Television Violence and Public Policy
The Frontiers of Media Research