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Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence
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Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence
A Critical Look at the Research

Second Edition


August 2011 | 408 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
This revised text provides updates that reflect new findings in the field of media violence research during childhood and adolescence. Throughout the book, special attention is paid to evaluating the role of developmental processes and to stressing the importance of methodology in understanding media violence research. Findings have been divided into two main areas: aggressive behavior and aggression-related constructs (e.g., emotions, cognitions, arousal) to help clarify media violence-related effects on youth.

 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Part I: Understanding Aggression
 
Chapter 1. Media Violence: History and Key Issues
Concerns About Media Violence Throughout History

 
Aggressive Behavior and Aggression-Related Constructs

 
Answering Questions So New Questions Can Be Raised

 
Preview of Coming Attractions

 
 
Chapter 2. Aggressive Behavior Across Development
Developmental Change in Aggression

 
Individual Variation in Aggressive Behavior

 
Sex Differences in Aggressive Behavior Across Development

 
Excessive Aggression in Youth

 
 
Chapter 3. Theories of Aggression
Domain-Specific Theories of Aggression

 
Integrative Theory

 
 
Chapter 4. Violent Media Consumption Across Childhood and Adolescence
Investigating Media Consumption Across Development

 
Patterns of General Media Consumption

 
What We Know About Violent Media Consumption

 
Reasons for Consuming Violent Media

 
 
Part II: Effects of Specific Forms of Violent Media on Youth
 
Chapter 5. Can Youth Benefit From Violent Media Consumption?
Research Related to the Benefits of Media Violence Consumption

 
 
Chapter 6. Sports Violence and Aggression
Aggression in Sport

 
Modeling Aggression and Its Consequences

 
Factors That Influence Imitative Behavior in Youth

 
Sports Violence and Aggression in Youth

 
Laying the Smackdown on Sports Entertainment

 
 
Chapter 7. Comic Books, Literature, and War Toys
Comic Book Violence

 
Violence in Literature and Its Relationship to Aggression and Fear

 
War Toys and Aggression

 
 
Chapter 8. Cartoon Violence
Cartoons: A Brief Historical Overview

 
Violence in Cartoons

 
Cartoon Violence and Aggression

 
 
Chapter 9. Violence in Music and Music Videos
Historical Overview

 
Violent Lyrics

 
Backward Masking and Satanic Messages

 
The Effects of Music Violence on Aggression

 
Violent Music Videos and Aggression

 
 
Chapter 10. Live-Action Television and Movie Violence
Violence in Movies

 
Violence on Television

 
Factors That Influence the Perception of Live-Action Violence

 
Television Violence and Aggressive Behavior

 
The Effect of Television Violence on Aggression-Related Constructs

 
Desensitization

 
Television Violence and Fear

 
 
Chapter 11. The Effects of Violent Video Games and Internet Aggression on Youth
Characteristics of Violent Video Games

 
The Effects of Violent Video Games on Youth as a Function of Video Game Era and Game Type

 
Internet Aggression

 
 
Part III. Media Violence and the Concept of Risk
 
Chapter 12. Aggression: Risk and Protective Factors
Beans and Aggression

 
Risk Factors for Aggression: Child Characteristics

 
Risk Factors for Aggression: Environmental Characteristics

 
Aggression: Protective Factors

 
On the Importance of Risk and Protective Factors in Media Violence Research

 
 
Chapter 13. Media Violence Effects: Magnitude and Mitigation
Meta-Analysis

 
Violent Media Effect Sizes in the Context of Other Risk Factors for Aggression

 
Moderators of Media Violence Effects

 
Which Media Have the Most Negative Impact on Youth?

 
Reducing the Effects of Media Violence Consumption Through Mediation

 
 
Chapter 14. Media Violence and Public Policy
Legislating Media Violence: Is There Really a Need?

 
A Brief Look at Policy Making

 
Violent Media and Current Policy

 
 
References
 
Author Index
 
Subject Index

“This is an outstanding book. Key strengths are professional and comprehensive treatment of the literature and reader accessibility. I am a mass communication scholar, and with the aid of Kirsh's text I feel I have a psychologist in the classroom with me. I have adopted this book for my course several times and will continue to do so in the future. Please let me summarize the above review in three words. "This book rocks!" Thank you for this great addition to the literature.”

Don Diefenbach
University of North Carolina at Asheville

“It is an excellent book which my students lilted a lot. It is a very good intro into the domain of media violence research for anyone who wants an accessible yet comprehensive coverage of the area. I will certainly continue using the book for my courses and look forward to the new edition.”

Barbara Krahe
University of Potsdam, Germany

"Kirsh strikes a good balance between breadth and depth, presenting a concise yet holistic review of the media violence literature. The book does a great job of integrating diverse findings and providing a deeper understanding of processes underlying media violence effects that can benefit both psychologists and a general audience."

Craig A. Anderson;
Prot, Sara, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol 57(14), 2012
-- Myths and facts about youth and violent media.

"Since Steven Kirsh pays attention to introduce all necessary methodological aspects as well as discuss the different aspects of media violence research in detail, this book can be used as a textbook in undergraduate as well as graduate courses. However this book is not limited to the context of the university, but also a helpful resource for teachers and parents. They can easily understand the mechanism by which violent media influences children."

Robert Busching
University of Potsdam
The Bulletin of the International Society for Research on Agression, Vol 34, No 1 June 2012

A fascinating book: very comprehensive in scope dealing with a wide range of issues and debates. I was especially impressed by the sections exploring different forms of media such as comics and the internet and the debates around public policy and risk.

Mr Dave Merryweather
Dep't of Social Work, Policy and Justice, Liverpool Hope University
June 16, 2014
Key features

New to this Edition:

  • "Developmental Points of Interest" section in each chapter places the empirical findings, underlying theory, and suggestions for future research, in the context of developmental change.
  • "Questions for Discussion" provides instructors with questions designed to stimulate thoughtful classroom discussions related to media violence research and offers students the opportunity to digest the material further.
  • "Research in Focus" sections highlight key data and statistics related to the science of studying media violence.
  • Hundreds of NEW references make the text current and relevant, supplying students with the latest in media violence and aggression-related research.
Features and Benefits:
  • Takes a developmental perspective and utilizes three themes throughout the text: critical assessment of research; the importance of development in evaluating research; and identifying the next step in the research process.
  • Covers multiple forms of media violence (e.g., animated violence, sports violence, dramatic violence, gaming violence) to broaden the scope of the discussion for students to consider.
  • Discusses and critiques the major theories used to explain the impact of media violence on children and adolescents.
  • Addresses media violence in the context of other risk factors for aggression such as peers, parenting, and personality.
  • Includes engaging chapter-opening introductions to draw in readers and to set the objectives for the content they'll learn in that chapter.

For instructors

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