Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look at the Research » (1st Edition)

Steven J. Kirsh is a Professor of Psychology at the State University of New York at Geneseo.  He received his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University. During his youth, he reports spending many hours (and dollars) in the video arcades of Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Professor Kirsh's primary program of research today focuses on the influence of media violence such as found in comic books and video games on social information processing, i.e., attention to, memory for, and interpretation of information relevant to social relationships. He has published multiple scientific articles and chapters and given presentations on the subject.  Recent research projects include the effects of violent media consumption on emotion recognition and the influence of violent video game play on emotional Stroop interference.  Professor Kirsh has also published research on parent-child attachment relationships and the teaching of psychology.  He is on the advisory board for Annual Editions: Human Development and serves as a reviewer for numerous journals.  Professor Kirsh currently teaches courses on Child Development, Introductory Psychology, and Media Violence.

"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, University of Toledo

Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence provides a comprehensive review and critique of the literature related to media violence in all its forms during childhood and adolescence.  Special attention is paid to evaluating the role of the development processes in media violence research and to stressing the importance of methodology in understanding that research.  The developmental analysis taken by the author allows for the identification of age-related gaps in the literature and helps students to become critical consumers of research.  The book provides the most comprehensive overview available of the effects of media violence on children and adolescents.  

Key Features:  

• 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
• Coversmultiple forms of media violence (e.g., animated violence, sports violence, dramatic violence, gaming violence) to broaden the scope of discussion
• Discusses and critiques the five major theories utilized to explain the impact of media violence on children and adolescents
• Places media violence in the context of other risk factors for aggression (e.g., peers, parenting, personality)
• Includes chapter-opening introductions (written engagingly) to draw in readers and to set the stage for the content to come
• Extends the discussion beyond explicit media violence to address the potential benefits and harm associated with nonviolent media consumption  

PowerPoint slides for this book are available to adopters by contacting kirsh@geneseo.edu.