Media violence and aggression : science and ideology

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Title:

Author:

Grimes, Tom, 1951-

ISBN:

9781412914406

9781412914413

Personal Author:

Grimes, Tom, 1951-

Publication Information:

Thousand Oaks : Sage Publications, c2008.

Physical Description:

xi, 268 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.

Contents:

Setting the stage: why this book is needed -- A short history of the concept of effects: the people who raised concerns about the media's putative effect on society -- The epistemology of media effects: the way different scholars view the world in which they live often predicts the initial approach they take to doing research -- The social scientific "theory" that never quite fit: why the media violence/social aggression theory isn't compatible with the rest of behavioral science theory (or with common sense) -- Is it just science? Or is it ideology as well? -- The world according to causationists: what the world would be like if the causationists were right -- The biggest cultural variable of all: the Child Careful! and watch out for the children -- The role of psychopathology in the media violence/aggression equation: a return to psychological and cultural conditionals as boundaries for assessing media effects -- The attempt to make an ideology a science: when well-meaning people try to "science-ize" an ideology, confusion and foggy thinking reign -- To legislate or not to legislate against media violence: what policy makers need to know -- References -- Index.

Subject Term:

Violence in mass media.

Added Author:

Anderson, James A. (James Arthur), 1939-

Bergen, Lori A., 1958-

Electronic Access:

Table of contents only http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0716/2007014778.html

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168023681303	303.6 G862M 2008	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

"Media Violence and Aggression is a thoughtful and sophisticated work that dismantles the core assumptions of the media violence hypothesis piece by piece...This book makes several core contributions to the discussion on media violence effects above those seen in other critical works."--Christopher J. Ferguson, PsycCRITIQUESThe authors of Media Violence and Aggression: Science and Ideology, Tom Grimes, James A. Anderson, and Lori Bergen, are determined to leave no stone unturned, no perspectives unexplored, no names left unnamed of those in the field with whom, on both empirical and theoretical grounds, they strenuously disagree. It is an engaging book that needed to be and is up close and personal. In so doing, they have produced what may be the most comprehensive critique and rebuttal to date of the omnipresent media-violence and aggression argument." --JOURNAL OF MEDIA PSYCHOLOGYMedia Violence and Aggression: Science and Ideology provides a multimethod critique of the media violence/social aggression myth. It provides policy makers and students with information to understand why the violence/media aggression hypothesis does not explain or predict how most people react to what they see and hear in the media. Authors Tom Grimes, James A. Anderson, and Lori Bergen take the reader through a history of media effects research, pointing out where that research has made claims that go beyond empirical evidence.

Key Features

Dispels the media violence/social aggression myth : Through a multiple method analysis of the myth, the authors provide empirical evidence for their decoupling of media violence from social aggression. Illustrates how much of the media violence/social aggression equation derives from ideology : Taking a different perspective from most other books on media violence, this text shows how very easy--how almost imperceptible--it is to adopt an ideological perspective. Shows how the media violence/social aggression hypothesis conflicts with a range of established social science theory : The book examines why theories generated by media violence/social aggression advocates aren′t compatible with other social science theories that explain human behavior (and why they must be compatible in order to achieve validity). Considers media effects for the general population and psychologically unwell people : The book explains that the clinical population′s reactions to media violence are often improperly presumed to be the reaction of the general, psychologically well population. Argues that certain science practitioners view children as more psychologically vulnerable to media violence than they actually are : Children are surely more vulnerable to many social and environmental influences than adults, but the degree of media vulnerability is often overstated. Speaks directly to policy makers : This book helps policy makers sort through both the nature of the evidence they are presented with and the risks that such evidence poses to the public.

Intended Audience

This is an ideal text for graduate courses such as Mass Communication Theory, Media and Society, Media Effects, and Research Methods in Media in the departments of communication, media studies, journalism, sociology, cultural studies, and political science. It is also vital reading for scholars, researcher, and policy makers interested in media effects.