Children and Television

A worthwhile effort. --The Hindustan Times "Children and Television provides a detailed description of the patterns of representation of different groups on children′s television programs (including commercial broadcast, public broadcast, and cable) and their potential consequences for the development of people′s worldviews. . . . Children and Television is a readable and interesting introduction to research on children and television by scholars in a variety of social science disciplines as well as media professions." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media "There is much in this collection of 22 essays which will be of interest to anyone concerned with understanding children′s interaction with television." --Media Development "The issues addressed in Children and Television, are of critical importance to us at PBS. Congratulations on completing this thoughtful work. We are forwarding copies to those public television programs that on occasion review books or address these topics in their programming. . . . Works like Children and Television provide useful food for thought for those of us who care about children, whether as parents, citizens, educators or media professionals." --Jennifer Lawson, Executive Vice President, National Programming and Promotion Services, PBS "A thought provoking publication." --Educational Media International "This is an impressive and wide-ranging collection, especially given current policy discussions about enforcement of the Children′s Television Act." --Communication Booknotes Today, children grow up in a media-driven society. While children of every generation face new demands and difficulties, the media explosion represents special challenges because television now plays a role in the child′s socialization process. Set within a multicultural context, Gordon L. Berry and Joy Keiko Asamen explore how television influences our children. Children and Television identifies the social and cultural impact of television on the psychosocial development of children who are growing up in an ever-changing, multicultural world. A thought-provoking and challenging book, it analyzes major media organizations and projects policies, practices, and research directions for the future. Contributors discuss various forms of television and its effect on attention, comprehension, and behavior; television′s effects on imaginative and creative capabilities of children; and the medium′s influence on the socialization of youth. They also cover the cultural content of Saturday morning television; the portrayal of major ethnic and racial minority populations in the United States and the effects these portrayals have on children′s attitudes toward these populations; and the portrayal of women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

Dr. Asamen received her doctorate in educational psychology, specializing in counseling psychology. She came to Pepperdine University after five years in psychiatric research at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Brentwood and the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. Her teaching interests are in areas of research methods and data analysis. She is a licensed psychologist in California.