Media Violence and Children
A Complete Guide for Parents and Professionals
Description
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 profound 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.
Table of Contents
The Proliferation of Media Violence and Its Economic Underpinnings (Bruce D. Bartholow, Karen E. Dill, Kathryn B. Anderson, and James J. Lindsay)
Media Effects on Societies and Communities (Tannis M. MacBeth)
Television Violence (Victor C. Strasburger and Barbara J. Wilson)
The Role of Theory in the Study of Media Violence: The General Aggression Model (Nicholas L. Carnagey and Craig A. Anderson)
The Case against the Case against Media Violence (L. Rowell Huesmann and Laramie D. Taylor)
Children's and Adolescents' Exposure to Different Kinds of Media Violence: Recurring Choices and Recurring Themes (Jennifer A. Kotler and Sandra L. Calvert)
Media and Fear in Children and Adolescents (Joanne Cantor)
The Contribution of Meta-Analysis to the Controversy over Television Violence and Aggression (George Comstock and Erica Scharrer)
The Road to the V-Chip: Television Violence and Public Policy (Dale Kunkel)
The Frontiers of Media Research (W. James Potter)
Endorsement From Senator Paul Simon
Director, Public Policy Institute:
Firmly, undramatically, this solid book step-by-step reaches the powerful conclusion that we are harming our society. This is one of those rare books which has the potential to change our future.
Endorsement From Michael Rich, MD, MPH
Director, Center on Media and Child Health
Children's Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School:
The most current and comprehensive overview of this complex and concerning issue for children and their parents. If we, as a society, can learn from these leaders in the field and act on what we learn, we can better protect the health and safety of our children, and secure the future of our society as it negotiates the Information Age.
Endorsement from David Walsh, Ph.D.
President, National Institute on Media and the Family, Minneapolis
It seems like everyone has an opinion on media violence. Some think that violence on the screen has no effect at all on our kids. Others believe that it is behind school violence, bullying and a widespread "culture of disrespect." The debates over media violence are often based on opinion or personal experience. What is needed is a thorough examination of what we know from research. Dr. Gentile has provided just that resource. Scientists have been studying the impact of screen violence on children since the 1950s. Hundreds of studies have been completed and this book does an excellent job of synthesizing the results. Dr. Gentile enlisted the top researchers in the field, and each provides concise and readable summaries. This book is an excellent resource for parents, policy makers and academics who want to know what the science says about the effects of violence in television, movies, video games, music, and the Internet. Students and researchers will find the fifty five pages of references an invaluable resource.
This book makes an important contribution to the growing dialog about media violence. After reading this collection of chapters by the leading thinkers in the field, it is clear that violence on the screens does have an effects on our kids. We need to use this information to educate parents about the importance of supervising the viewing habits of children and youth. I recommend it highly.
Details
Praeger Publishers, 11/2003
344 pages, figures, tables
Hardcover, 6 1/8" x 9 1/4"
 $62.95 |
