Understanding Media Psychology

Gayle S. Stever is Professor of Psychology for Empire State College of the State University of New York, USA. She works in the areas of developmental psychology, media psychology, and fan studies. Her writing has centered around celebrity–audience relationships, the nature of attachment both within and outside of a media context, evolutionary psychology as it relates to media, and mixed-methods research. David C. Giles is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Winchester, UK. He explores the impact of media on human behavior with a particular interest in celebrity–audience relationships, the dynamics of online interaction, qualitative research methods, and psychological issues around artistic and cultural activities. J. David Cohen is a Visitng Instructor in Psychology for Empire State College of the State University of New York, USA. He passionately pursues how media, technology, celebrity, and storytelling impact humans. Specific areas of interest include entertainment media, marketing and persuasion, video games, and mediated violence. Mary E. Myers is program coordinator for the Doctor of Strategic Communications program at Regent University, Virginia, USA. She has developed and teaches in a unique applied strategic communication doctoral program. Her research work primarily centers on the discovery of an early educational radio broadcaster; she also explores parental attachment, social media, and crisis communication.

Preface

Acknowledgments






Media and Media Psychology
Gayle S. Stever




Key Theories and Concepts from Media Psychology
Gayle S. Stever




Research Methods
Gayle S. Stever




Positive Psychology, Moral Reasoning, and Prosocial Behavior
Gayle S. Stever




Social Justice and the Media: Gender, Class, and Disability
Gayle S. Stever




Social Justice and the Media: Race, Ethnicity, and Religion
Gayle S. Stever




Aliens Eating Reese’s: Media Influence and Advertising
J. David Cohen




Propaganda, Fake News, and Deepfaking
Mary E. Myers




Processes of Audience Involvement
Gayle S. Stever




Dark Media: Violence, Pornography, and Addiction
J. David Cohen




Join the Adventure: The Psychology of Gaming
J. David Cohen




The Social Nature of Media
Gayle S. Stever




The Turbulent 20s: Covid-19 and the Media
Gayle S. Stever & J. David Cohen




The Future of Media

David C. Giles

Index