Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence

Steven J. Kirsh is a Professor of Psychology at The State University of New York at Geneseo. During his youth, he reports spending many hours, and dollars, in the video arcades of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Professor Kirsh’s primary areas of research focus on the influence of violent media consumption on emotion recognition and social information processing. He has published Media and Youth: A Developmental Perspective (2010) and coauthored the most recent edition of Psychology for Living: Adjustment, Growth, and Behavior Today (2011), as well as numerous scientific articles and book chapters. Professor Kirsh currently teaches courses in the areas of child development, introductory psychology, research methods, and media violence.

“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.”

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorPart I: Understanding AggressionChapter 1. Media Violence: History and Key IssuesConcerns About Media Violence Throughout HistoryAggressive Behavior and Aggression-Related ConstructsAnswering Questions So New Questions Can Be RaisedPreview of Coming AttractionsChapter 2. Aggressive Behavior Across DevelopmentDevelopmental Change in AggressionIndividual Variation in Aggressive BehaviorSex Differences in Aggressive Behavior Across DevelopmentExcessive Aggression in YouthChapter 3. Theories of AggressionDomain-Specific Theories of AggressionIntegrative TheoryChapter 4. Violent Media Consumption Across Childhood and AdolescenceInvestigating Media Consumption Across DevelopmentPatterns of General Media ConsumptionWhat We Know About Violent Media ConsumptionReasons for Consuming Violent MediaPart II: Effects of Specific Forms of Violent Media on YouthChapter 5. Can Youth Benefit From Violent Media Consumption?Research Related to the Benefits of Media Violence ConsumptionChapter 6. Sports Violence and AggressionAggression in SportModeling Aggression and Its ConsequencesFactors That Influence Imitative Behavior in YouthSports Violence and Aggression in YouthLaying the Smackdown on Sports EntertainmentChapter 7. Comic Books, Literature, and War ToysComic Book ViolenceViolence in Literature and Its Relationship to Aggression and FearWar Toys and AggressionChapter 8. Cartoon ViolenceCartoons: A Brief Historical OverviewViolence in CartoonsCartoon Violence and AggressionChapter 9. Violence in Music and Music VideosHistorical OverviewViolent LyricsBackward Masking and Satanic MessagesThe Effects of Music Violence on AggressionViolent Music Videos and AggressionChapter 10. Live-Action Television and Movie ViolenceViolence in MoviesViolence on TelevisionFactors That Influence the Perception of Live-Action ViolenceTelevision Violence and Aggressive BehaviorThe Effect of Television Violence on Aggression-Related ConstructsDesensitizationTelevision Violence and FearChapter 11. The Effects of Violent Video Games and Internet Aggression on YouthCharacteristics of Violent Video GamesThe Effects of Violent Video Games on Youth as a Function of Video Game Era and Game TypeInternet AggressionPart III. Media Violence and the Concept of RiskChapter 12. Aggression: Risk and Protective FactorsBeans and AggressionRisk Factors for Aggression: Child CharacteristicsRisk Factors for Aggression: Environmental CharacteristicsAggression: Protective FactorsOn the Importance of Risk and Protective Factors in Media Violence ResearchChapter 13. Media Violence Effects: Magnitude and MitigationMeta-AnalysisViolent Media Effect Sizes in the Context of Other Risk Factors for AggressionModerators of Media Violence EffectsWhich Media Have the Most Negative Impact on Youth?Reducing the Effects of Media Violence Consumption Through MediationChapter 14. Media Violence and Public PolicyLegislating Media Violence: Is There Really a Need?A Brief Look at Policy MakingViolent Media and Current PolicyReferencesAuthor IndexSubject Index