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

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.

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.