Table of Contents

Understanding Aggression
Chapter 1: There and Back Again: A Media Violence Tale
A Look Through the Violent Sands of Time
Evaluating the Evidence for Evil Influences
Aggressive Behavior and Aggression-Related Constructs
Answering Questions so New Questions Can be Raised
Preview of Coming Attractions
Summary
Chapter 2: Exposing The Beast Within: Aggressive Behavior Across Development
Normative Development and Individual Variation
The Developmental Pathway from Anger to Conflict to Aggression
Correlation
Individual Variation in Aggressive Behavior
Sex Differences in Aggressive Behavior across Development
Aggressive Behavior in the Context of Development
Excessive Aggression in Youth
Summary
Chapter 3: Understanding The Beast Within: Theories Of Aggressive Behavior
Understanding Theories
Theories of Aggression
Theories of Aggression and Developmental Considerations
Summary
Chapter 4: Dining On Death And Destruction: The How Much And Why Of Violent Media Consumption
Media Violence Consumption across Development
Patterns of Violent Media Consumption
Reasons for Consuming Violent Entertainment
The Importance of Understanding Why Youth Consume Violent Media
Violent Media Consumption as a Function of Development
Summary
Effects of Specific Forms of Violent Media on Youth
Chapter 5: Violent Media And The Need To Be Strong And Powerful
Historical Proponents of Media Violence
The So-Called Modern Day Benefits of Media Violence
Anecdotal Evidence: Is it Scientific?
Evaluating the Empirical Evidence Presented by Jones
A Final Dagger into the Heart of Sexy Vampire Slayers
Summary
Chapter 6: Watching The Playful Beast: Sports Violence And Aggression
Aggression in Modern Sport
There was no “Second Spitter” Hidden in a Grassy Knoll for Roberto Alomar
Modeling Aggression and Its Consequences
Laying the Smack Down on Sports Entertainment
Factors that Influence Imitative Behavior in Youth
Effects of Watching Aggressive Behavior on Youth Aggression During Sport
Summary
Chapter 7: Violence-Laden Imagination: Comic Books, Fiction, And Toys
Comic Book Violence
Violence in Literature and Youthful Fear and Aggression
War Toys and Aggression
Summary
Chapter 8: Animating The Beast: Cartoon Violence
Cartoons: A Brief Historical Overview
Violence in Cartoons
Cartoons and Aggressive Behavior: The Evidence
Summary
Chapter 9: Listening To The Beast: Violence In Music And Music Videos
Historical Overview
The Targets of Modern-Day Research on Music Violence
The Popularity of Music
The Lyrical Content of Heavy Metal and Rap
On Hearing things that Cannot Be Heard
Rockin’ and a Rollin’ and a Fightin’
Sex, Violence, and Video Tape
Summary
Chapter 10: Watching The Beast: Live-Action Television And Movie Violence
Violence on Television
Differences between Movies and Television
The Context of Aggression and its Importance to Television Violence
The Effects of Television Violence on Aggressive Behavior
The Effect of Television Violence on Aggression-Related Constructs
Desensitization
Summary
Chapter 11: Playing With The Beast: Violent Video Games
The Popularity of Violent Video Games
Teaching Kids to Kill
Video Game Eras and Video Game Violence
Types of Violent Video Games
The Effects of Violent Video Games on Youth as a Function of Video Game Era and Game Type
Summary
Media Violence and the Concept of Risk
Chapter 12: Risk And Protective Factors
Beans and Aggression
Child Characteristics that are Risk Factors for Aggression
Environmental Risk Factors
Protective Factors from Aggression
On the Importance of Risk and Protective Factors in Media Violence Research
Summary
Chapter 13: The Threat Of Media Violence: Assessing Its Magnitude And Reducing Its Effects
Sizing it all Up
Meta-Analysis
Video Games: The Baddest of the Bad?
Placing The Effect Sizes For Violent Media In The Context Of Other Risk Factors For Aggression
Media Violence Exposure and Moderators
Reducing the Effects of Media Violence Consumption Through Mediation
Summary
Chapter 14: Policy, Violent Entertainment, And Youth
Legislating Media Violence, Is There Really a Need?
A Brief Look at Policy Making
Violent Entertainment and Current Policy
Media Violence Policy: A Look to the Future
Summary
Nonviolent Media and Youth
Chapter 15: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly: The Effects Of Nonviolent Media On Children And Adolescents
Defining the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Summary

About the Author

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.

Reviews

"I liked this manuscript tremendously….I thought the author took on the daunting task of summarizing the research on the impact of violent media on children elegantly and compellingly.  He walked the very difficult line of concisely summarizing what we know and what we don′t know about violent media content on children with enough breadth and depth to expose the important issues about the veracity of the findings  I liked his writing style, which was informal but not too colloquial, and I loved the time he took to stop and define difficult methodological and statistical concepts within his descriptions of the research….Yet another reason I′m a fan of this book is I didn′t get the sense the author had an axe to grind.  That is, he did a wonderful job of responsibly and reasonably reporting what we know about the connections between media violence and a variety of poor outcomes in children.  He did a very thorough job, touching upon all the important issues that I could see, and he did it without getting on a ′soap box′ and descending into opinion and punditry.."
*Elizabeth A. Vandewater*

"This is a very interesting book that addresses an important issue, the influence of media violence on children and adolescents.  The book is suitable for use in an advanced undergraduate class or in a specialized graduate seminar devoted to studies of media and children.  The author has assembled a broad range of research resources and commentaries on the topic and seems knowledgeable about the issues and concerns in the field."
*John P. Murray*

"The book is exceedingly well written.  It is clear, engaging, and readable.  This is a substantial accomplishment and I believe it is one of the main strengths of the manuscript."
*Glenn G. Sparks*

"Such a book is timely and fills an important niche for professionals in the field and for instruction….Particularly appealing is the fact that it takes a broad view of the entire media violence literature."
*Craig Anderson*

"Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence:  A Critical Look at the Research is a state of the art assessment of this complex issue. Providing both historical and theoretical context, Dr. Kirsh expertly guides the reader through the maze of myth and scientific evidence on media violence effects on children and youth.  Eminently readable, this book is an essential resource for anyone who wants to understand the scientific methodology, results, and policy implications of media violence research."
*Jeanne B. Funk*

"This book, written for those who can read and think at the college graduate level, leaves the reader with enough sophistication to resist the temptation to oversimplify the subject while using his or her new understanding to discuss the matter as an expert. . . I would gladly put Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence in the hands of every school superintendent, policy maker, principal, and politician I could. . . The latest edition of Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence is a must-read for every graduate student in a clinical psychology program as well as every clinician and potential media consultant in the behavioral sciences."
*Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books*

"College-level collections strong in media history as well as education studies will find plenty to like with Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look at the Research. Video games are included in chapters which will appeal to undergraduates and graduate students in a range of courses."
*Midwest Book Review*

"Kirsh has produced a very logical and systematic approach to examining research concerning children, aggressive behavior, and the influence of media violence."
*Criminal Justice Review*