Explores whether exposure to televised fictional depictions of realistic life-threatening events (fires, drownings) affects children's risk-related assessments that could influence longer-term responses. Finds that children exposed to a particular threat rated similar events more likely to occur in their own lives, considered potential…

Parents of preschool, first- and fourth-grade children were surveyed regarding media presentations that caused fear in their children. Results demonstrate that theories of cognitive development may provide an explanatory and predictive framework for understanding children's fears. (PD)

This book addresses possible negative effects of children's viewing of inappropriate media content and how parents can respond. The discussion of children's responses to frightening mass media is based on the findings of controlled research but also includes real-life examples, many presented in a child's or parent's own words. Following an…

Examines the influence of prior information on children's emotional responses to a frightening program. Finds that forewarning of the threat increased anticipatory fear but did not affect emotional responses, and that prior knowledge of the happy outcome reduced anticipatory fear but had an inconsistent effect on fear during the threatening scene.…

Describes a study of the reactions of 5- to 7- and 9- to 11-year-old children to frightening films. Reports that prior knowledge of happy outcomes for such films reduces enjoyment, as do unresolved endings. Suggests that the ability to enjoy fear-inducing media increases with age. (SG)

Subjects, ages 3 to 5 and 9 to 11, were shown a videotape that presented either a frightening stimulus directly or a character's fearful response to a threatening stimulus that was suggested rather than shown directly. Both self-reported emotional reactions and physiological responses were consistent with a cognitive-developmental view of the…

Confirmed expectations that emotional reactions to the movie, "The Day After," would increase with age. Found also that nonpermissive parents (those who had prevented a child from viewing the movie) were more likely than permissive parents to have been upset by the movie. (PD)

Describes a study which used the heart rate of subjects as the measure of physiological arousal to assess the effect of forewarning on emotional reactions and physiological responses to a frightening television film. Results indicate that although forewarning did not significantly affect anxiety, it did promote more intense fright and upset. (MBR)

An experiment examined whether children of different developmental stages expressed different levels of fear while viewing episodes of the television program, "The Incredible Hulk." Preoperational (3 to 5 years old) and concrete operational (9 to 11 years old) children were shown short videotaped segments taken from the program. Using…

This paper focuses on the reasons why media violence research is often misunderstood. First, it explains the methodological limitations of studying media violence and argues that these limitations are similar to those accepted in medical research. Second, it explores the role of emotional response that media violence can produce and possible…

Describes a study comparing the way cognitive manipulations affected the emotional responses of preschool and elementary school children to a frightening film, i.e., telling children the presentation is not real, and role-taking. Emotional responses of 9- to 11-year-olds were modified by instructional sets while 3- to 5-year-olds' responses were…