The Psychology of Entertainment Media

Shrum (marketing, U. of Texas at San Antonio) assembles 12 essays that examine how entertainment media (including video and other digital games in this edition) affects its viewers, in both intended and unintended ways, and the psychological processes that underlie these effects, with a focus on persuasion. Scholars of marketing, psychology, communications, business, and advertising from North America, Europe, and Australia consider how entertainment or narrative information is processed, whether it is different from the processing of promotional or rhetorical information, and what the consequences of these differences are on their persuasive impact. They first consider the intended impact of product placements and discuss product integration, the psychological processes underlying placement effects and implications for public policy, and effects on children, then the unintended effects of TV program narratives, the effects of complete immersion into the world of the story, the power of social imagery, the impact of alcohol messages, the effects of idealized portrayals of women on self-esteem and self-worth, and the effects of violence on viewer aggression. Annotation �穢2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)