A cognitive psychology of mass communication (4th ed)

With this fourth edition, author Richard J. Harris continues his examination of how our experiences with media affect the way we acquire knowledge about the world and how this knowledge creates consequences for attitudes and behavior.

This edition includes updates reflecting today's popular television shows, the widespread use of the Internet, and the latest changes that telecommunications technology has brought.

Harris has reorganized the content and developed two new chapters - one on children and media, including children's prosocial television, advertising to children, and media literacy; and the other on values and prosocial media, including family values, religion, social marketing, and entertainment-education programming.

Material on music, a genre of media increasingly popular and influential, has been included, as has the stereotyping of mental illness and therapists and male body-image media issues.

Harris has also added a new section on advertising on the Internet, in classrooms, and other unconventional places, as well as extensive new material on press coverage of the U.S. Presidential election and its aftermath, and thorough coverage of the Internet and other computer-mediated communication.

New boxes include updated material and reference to many new research studies that have been conducted since the last edition.

An engaging and highly readable text, this classroom resource serves as an invaluable guide to the influences of media for students in mass communication, cognitive science, and social psychology.