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Guides students through an extensive body of research on the effects of mass media in order to provide them with an in-depth understanding of how the media influences individuals and society.

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Media Effects provides students with an in-depth understanding of how the media are constantly influencing individuals and society.

W. James Potter guides readers through the extensive body of research on the effects of mass media by organizing the book around two Media Effects Templates-the first examines media influences on individuals and the second looks at media influences on larger social structures and institutions. By foregrounding the different types of effects upon individuals and institutions-influences on behavior, attitudes, and beliefs, for example-Potter helps students to understand what the effects of media are, how they manifest themselves, and the factors that that are likely to bring these effects into being. Throughout the book, Potter encourages students to analyze their own experiences to look for evidence of these effects in their own lives.

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PART I: ORGANIZING THINKING ABOUT MEDIA EFFECTS
1. Why Study Media Effects?
2. Defining Key Ideas
3. What is a Media Effect?
4. Media Influence
5. Media Theories
PART II. TYPES OF MASS MEDIA EFFECTS ON INDIVIDUALS
6. Physiological Effects
7. Cognitive Effects
8. Belief Effects
9. Attitude Effects
10. Affective Effects
11. Behaviorial Effects
PART III. TYPES OF MACRO-LEVEL EFFECTS
12. Macro Level Effects on the Public
13. Macro Level Effects - Institutions
14. Macro Level Effects - Society, Culture, and Mass Media
IV: THE BIG PICTURE
15. Big Picture
16. Springboard

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Potter, W. James<p><b><span>W. James Potter, </span></b><span>professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, holds one PhD in Communication Studies and another in Instructional Technology. He has been teaching media courses for more than two decades in the areas of effects on individuals and society, content narratives, structure and economics of media industries, advertising, journalism, programming, and production. He has served as editor of the <i>Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media </i>and is the author of many journal articles and books, including the following: <i>Media Effects,</i><i>The 11 Myths of Media Violence, Becoming a Strategic Thinker: Developing Skills for Success</i>, <i>On Media Violence, Theory of Media Literacy: A Cognitive Approach, </i>and <i>How to Publish Your Communication Research </i>(with Alison Alexander). </span></p><p> </p>

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