Description
Book SynopsisExperiencing fear in front of the screen is a common phenomenon in childhood, and a focus of public concern. Yet, research has encountered ethical and methodological challenges and has focused largely on the effects of watching disturbing news. In this innovative book, this universal experience is investigated in depth via two complementary studies: 1) a retrospective study of experiences related by 626 undergraduate students from eight countries; and 2) a study of the current nightmares induced by watching television of 510 children in five countries. The results presented in this book highlight the most common elements of fear in front of the screen more generally, followed by a focused analysis of the unique features of fear that characterize different developmental stages: pre-school, middle childhood, pre-teens and teenagers. The rich descriptions distinguish between the negative experiences of fear versus the positive experiences of thrill, and explores gender and cultural differences. Finally, the book offers implications for media producers and policy makers as well as for parents and educators.
Trade ReviewFear in Front of the Screen is a comprehensive review of both the literature on media induced fear in childhood as well as a report of original cross-cultural research with children and adolescents. The authors adopt a developmental approach to what elicits fear reactions to media portrayals at different ages and how children and adolescents cope with fear and thrill inducing media experiences. The combination of survey and qualitative research offers a rich description of the phenomena and a thoughtful and well substantiated set of recommendations for how to aid children when they are frightened. This is a terrific book and I highly recommend it to students of children and media research. -- Ellen Wartella, Northwestern School of Communication
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1.The Seven Elements of Fear 2.Impacts and Coping Strategies with the Fear 3.What Frightens Pre-schoolers From Bambi to the Simpsons 4.What is Frightening in Middle Childhood? From Jaws to news 5.What Frightens Pre-teens and Teenagers From Chucky to Sixth Sense 6.The Eight Themes of Nightmares 7.Thrill: When Fear Becomes Fun 8.Gender Differences in Fear Experiences 9.Culture Differences in Fear Experiences 10.Conclusions and Implications for the Wellbeing of Children References Appendices: A. Fear and Thrill Experiences from TV: Sample and Method of a Retrospective Study: B. Children’s Nightmares from TV: Sample and Method Index: Programs Cited
