Sandra L. Calvert & Barbara J. Wilson 
The Handbook of Children, Media, and Development 

The Handbook of Children, Media and Development brings
together an interdisciplinary group of experts in the fields of
developmental psychology, developmental science, communication, and
medicine to provide an authoritative, comprehensive look at the
empirical research on media and media policies within the
field.



* 25 newly-commissioned essays bring new research to the
forefront, especially on digital media, developmental research, and
public policy debates

* Includes helpful introductions to each section, a theoretical
overview of the field, and a final chapter that offers a vision of
future research

* Contributors include key, international authorities in the
field

Table of Content

Notes on Editors and Contributors.

Foreword (Aletha C. Huston).

Acknowledgments.

Introduction: Media and Children’s Development (Sandra
L. Calvert and Barbara J. Wilson).

Part I: Historical, Conceptual, and Financial Underpinnings
of Media.

1 Historical and Recurring Concerns about Children’s Use of the
Mass Media (Ellen Wartella and Michael Robb).

2 Business Models for Children’s Media (Alice Cahn,
Terry Kalagian, and Catherine Lyon).

Part II: Media Access and Differential Use Patterns.

3 Media Use Across Childhood: Access, Time, and Content
(Ronda Scantlin).

4 Children, Race, Ethnicity, and Media (Bradley S. Greenberg
and Dana E. Mastro).

5 Gender, Media Use, and Effects (Stacey J. T. Hust and Jane
D. Brown).

6 Media and the Family (Alison Alexander).

Part III: Cognitive Effects of Media: How and What Children
Learn.

7 Attention and Learning from Media during Infancy and Early
Childhood (Rachel Barr).

8 Media Symbol Systems and Cognitive Processes (Kaveri
Subrahmanyam and Patricia Greenfield).

9 Learning from Educational Media (Heather L. Kirkorian and
Daniel R. Anderson).

10 News, Reality Shows, and Children’s Fears: Examining Content
Patterns, Theories, and Negative Effects (Stacy L. Smith,
Katherine M. Pieper, and Emily J. Moyer-Guse).

Part IV: Social Effects of Media.

11 Media Violence and Aggression in Youth (Barbara J.
Wilson).

12 Prosocial Effects of Media Exposure (Marie-Louise Mares,
Edward Palmer, and Tia Sullivan).

13 Make-Believe Play, Imagination, and Creativity: Links to
Children’s Media Exposure (Dorothy G. Singer and Jerome L.
Singer).

14 Parasocial and Online Social Relationships (Cynthia
Hoffner).

15 Fear Responses to Media Entertainment (Patti M. Valkenburg
and Moniek Buijzen).

Part V: Health Effects of Media.

16 Media Use and Childhood Obesity (Elizabeth A. Vandewater
and Hope M. Cummings).

17 Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders (Kristen Harrison
and Veronica Hefner).

18 Media and Advertising Effects (Brian Young).

19 Adolescents and Media Messages about Tobacco, Alcohol, and
Drugs (Dina L. G. Borzekowski and Victor C.
Strasburger).

Part VI: Media Policy and Interventions.

20 The Children’s Television Act (Sandra L.
Calvert).

21 Regulating the Media: Sexually Explicit Content (Joah G.
Iannotta).

22 Media-Related Policies of Professional Health Organizations
(Marie Evans Schmidt, David S. Bickham, Amy Branner, and Michael
Rich).

23 The Rating Systems for Media Products (Douglas A.
Gentile0.

24 Parent and School Interventions: Mediation and Media Literacy
(Jennifer L. Chakroff and Amy I. Nathanson).

Author Index.

Subject Index.

About the author

Sandra L. Calvert, the Director of the Children’s
Digital Media Center, is a Professor of Psychology at Georgetown
University. A fellow of the American Psychological Association, she
has consulted for Nickelodeon Online, Sesame Workplace, Blue’s
Clues, and Sega of America, to influence the development of
children’s television programs, Internet software, and video games.
She is author of Children’s Journeys through the Information
Age (1999), and co-editor of Children in the Digital Age:
Influences of Electronic Media on Development (2002).

Barbara J. Wilson is a Professor and Head of the
Department of Speech Communication at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. She is co-author of Children, Adolescents, and
the Media (2002) and three book volumes of the National
Television Violence Study (1997-1998).