Essential reading: Children and television - Barrie Gunter, Jill McAleer (Children and Television - Barrie Gunter, Jill McAleer)

Member Name: stmatth

Product:	Children and Television - Barrie Gunter, Jill McAleer
Date:	16/08/00 (135 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written, solid scientific research

Disadvantages: None

Does TV make children violent, or antisocial? Very often people - in particular parents - discuss these questions in emotional and heated debates, unaware of the psychological research in this area. However, often opinions based purely on strong emotions may lead astray, and if you really want to know which aspects of TV are harmful or beneficial, then a knowledge of the scientific research is essential. The book "Children and TV" by Barrie Gunter and Jill McAleer provides exactly this, and it does so in a very readable and easily understandable style, without oversimplifying the facts.
It is well organised in chapters that discuss one particular question like "Does TV influence aggressive behaviour?", so you don't have to read it from beginning to end, but rather pick the questions that you are most interested in. Mind you, not for every question raised there is a clear and straightforward answer, sometimes the answer will be different from what one naively expects, and sometimes the research has not given any answer at all. In general, even small children are not passive recipients of whatever is being presented on TV, but viewing is an active process where one's previous knowledge, attitudes and cognitive abilities shape to a certain degree actively what you understand - unfortunately this review is too short to give more details (read the book!).
Although the book is written in a clear and concise manner, don't expect always easy reading. The subject is complex, with sometimes conflicting evidence, so it requires some active effort: I found myself reading a few pages, thinking about them, going back to previous parts, comparing different chapters - in short, a very stimulating experience. I feel that the authors have succeeded in making a complex matter accessible to a wide audience of non-specialists.
The book will give you a clearer understanding of the effect of TV on children, based on sound scientific research, a
nd it will give you an indication what to look out for if you are worried about the influence of TV. Even for people without children it is highly interesting reading: Haven't we all been children, and isn't TV still an important part of our everyday life?

Children and Television
Barrie Gunter, Jill McAleer
Paperback - 280 pages (January 1997)
Routledge, an imprint of Taylor & Francis Books Ltd; ISBN: 0415144523
£13.99

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