Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-251) and index.

Setting the stage: why this book is needed -- A short history of the concept of effects: the people who raised concerns about the media's putative effect on society -- The epistemology of media effects: the way different scholars view the world in which they live often predicts the initial approach they take to doing research -- The social scientific "theory" that never quite fit: why the media violence/social aggression theory isn't compatible with the rest of behavioral science theory (or with common sense) -- Is it just science? Or is it ideology as well? -- The world according to causationists: what the world would be like if the causationists were right -- The biggest cultural variable of all: the Child Careful! and watch out for the children -- The role of psychopathology in the media violence/aggression equation: a return to psychological and cultural conditionals as boundaries for assessing media effects -- The attempt to make an ideology a science: when well-meaning people try to "science-ize" an ideology, confusion and foggy thinking reign -- To legislate or not to legislate against media violence: what policy makers need to know -- References -- Index.