A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication [Hardcover]

Richard Jackson Harris (Author), Fred Sanborn (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805846603 | ISBN-13: 978-0805846607 | Publication Date: May 14, 2004 | Edition: 4

With this fourth edition of A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication, author Richard Jackson Harris continues his examination of how our experiences with media affect the way we acquire knowledge about the world, and how this knowledge creates

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 4 edition (May 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805846603
• ISBN-13: 978-0805846607
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,119,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any mass communication scholar, July 10, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication (Hardcover)

This is one of the best texts on the effects, either real or imagined, of mass communication on its consumers. Texts on research can be hard to get through. However, Richard Jackson Harris takes years of scholarly writings from the classic "Bobo Doll Study" to the latest in mass communication research and provides the reader with one of the most objective, comprehensive, witty and easy-to-read texts this subject.

For any mass communication scholar or practitioner, this is an absolute must read. I have written several research papers throughout college and graduate school, and this book was an indespensible tool. If communication is your thing, get it now!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A useful introduction to media psychology, February 23, 2006

By 

David R. Ewoldsen "David Ewoldsen" (Columbus Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication (Hardcover)

This is the 4th edition of this volume. Harris provides a nice overview to media psychology. I think the book is mistitled because it does not really deal with cognitive psychology (as a cognitive psychologist would define it). For example, there is limited discussion of factors influencing attention to TV or the cognitive representation of media stories or even how media stories are comprehended. Rather, the book really looks at social psychological approaches to the media (e.g., models of advertising effectiveness, motivations for watching TV, effects of TV violence etc). The volume is an excellent introduction to what is often referred to as media psychology, but I do think it is mistitled. Also, there are topics that are missing from the volume. For example, there is a growing research literature on factors influencing the entertainment value of a TV show or movie and that literature is not discussed in this book. I do use it as a textbook in a undergraduate seminar I teach and the students generally enjoy the book, but it is a textbook, but it does an excellent job at introducing readers to the psychological study of the media.