Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV

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SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Asamen, Joy, and Gordon Berry, eds. Research Paradigms, Television, and Social Behavior. Sage Publications, 1998.

Cantor, Joanne. Mommy, I'm Scared: How TV and Movies Frighten Children and What We Can Do to Protect Them. Harcourt Brace, 1998.

Carlsson, C., and C. Von Felitzen, eds. Children and Media Violence: Yearbook from the UNESCO International Clearinghouse on Children and Violence on the Screen. Nordicom: Goteborg University, 1998.

Condry, John. The Psychology of Television. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 1989.

Cress, Joseph, and Burt Berlowe. Peaceful Parenting in a Violent World. Perspective Publications, 1995.

Crudele, John, and Richard Erickson. Making Sense of Adolescence: How to Parent from the Heart. John Crudele Productions, 1995.

DeGaetano, Gloria. Media Smarts for Young Folks. Train of Thought Publishing, 1999.

DeGaetano, Gloria. Television and the Lives of Our Children. Train of Thought Publishing, 1998.

DeGaetano, Gloria and K. Bander. Screen Smarts: A Family Guide to Media Literacy. Houghton Mifflin, 1996.

Duhon-Sells, Rose, ed. Dealing with Youth Violence: What Schools and Communities Need to Know. National Education Services, 1995.

Eron, Leonard, et al. Reason to Hope: A Psychosocial Perspective on Violence and Youth. American Psychological Association, 1994.

Federman, Joel. Television Violence Study, vol. 3. University of California, 1998.

Fried, Suellen, and Paula Fried. Bullies and Victims: Helping Your Child Through the Schoolyard Battlefield. M. Evans and Company, 1996.

Garbarino, James. Raising Children in a Socially Toxic Environment. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1995.

Garbarino, James, et al. Children in Danger: Coping with the Consequences of Community Violence. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1992.

Grossman, Dave. On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society. Little, Brown & Co, 1996.

Gullotta, T., et al., eds. Delinquent Violent Youth: Theory and Interventions. Sage Publications, 1998.

Healy, Jane M. Endangered Minds: Why Our Kids Don't Think and What to Do About It. Simon and Schuster, 1991.

Healy, Jane M. Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children's Minds-for Better and Worse. Simon and Schuster, 1998.

Josephson, Wendy. Television Violence: A Review of the Effects on Children of Different Ages. Ottawa: National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, 1995.

Kotulak, Ronald. Inside the Brain: Revolutionary Discoveries of How the Mind Works. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1996.

Levin, Diane. Remote Control Childhood? Combating the Hazards of a Media Culture. National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1998.

Levin, Diane. Teaching Young Children in Violent Times: Building a Peaceable Classroom. Educators for Social Responsibility, 1994.

Levine, James. Getting Men Involved: Strategies for Early Childhood Programs. Scholastic, 1994.

Levine, Madeline. Viewing Violence: How Media Violence Affects Your Child's and Adolescent's Development. Doubleday, 1996.

Medved, Michael. Hollywood vs. America: Popular Culture and the War on Traditional Values. HarperCollins, 1992.

Provenzo, Eugene. Video Kids. Harvard University Press, 1991.

Slaby, R. Early Violence Prevention: Tools for Teaching Young Children. National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1995.

Walsh, David. Selling Out America's Children: How America Puts Profits Before Values -- and What Parents Can Do. Fairview Press, 1994.

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INDEX

Page numbers in italics indicate figures.

abuse. See child abuse; domestic violence
Acquired Violence Immune System
Deficiency Syndrome (AVIDS),
64
action figures, 39, 51, 53, 80-81
addiction, video game, 68-70
adolescents. See teenagers
African-American youth murder victims,
17
age
American cultural insensitivity to
appropriate viewing fare, 34-37
appropriate television news viewing,
96-97
movie rating system, 109
prime years for violent criminal
acts, 16
See also preschoolers; teenagers
aggravated assault. See assault
aggression, 7, 133, 134
brain activity and, 58-64, 89
and decreased prefrontal cortex
activity, 58
heroic fantasies of, 55
studies of increased levels of,
26-32
video game arousal effects, 70-71
See also assault rates; violent
crime
Allen, Steve, 116
American Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry
(AACAP), 127-28
American Academy of Pediatrics,
The (AAP), 87, 125-26, 134
American Medical Association, The
(AMA), 123-24, 133
American Psychological Association
(APA), 124-25, 134-35
Americans for Responsible Television,
147
America Online, 18
animal behavior, 47-48
animal mutilation, 7, 18
anxiety, 35, 36
arcade games. See video and computer
games
Arkansas. See Jonesboro (Ark.) middle
school shootings
Army, U.S.
combat simulator usage, 4-5, 74
Medical Service Corps, 14
arrest rates
violent crime, 18, 19
assault rates, 11, 12, 15
comparison of murder, assault, and
imprisonment (1957-97), 13
international per-<:apita rate
increase (1977-93), 10-11
Atrium Society Publications, 147-48
Australia, 10
AVIDS. See Acquired Violence
Immune System Deficiency Syndrome

Batman movies, 35
behavior problems, 10, 56, 59, 61, 88
Belgium, 10-11
Belson, William, 62
Ben Hur (movie), 85
Bennett, William J., 116
Boston (Mass.) crime deterrents, 16
boys. See males
brain activity, 58-64
language skills as violence
inhibitor, 89-90
violence-provoked cognitive confusion,
55
violent imagery as overstimulant,
59
brain stem reactivity, 59
Bruner, Jerome, 52
Bullitt (movie), 34
bullying, 18, 56
Burke, Edmund, 33
Bush, George, 39-40

cable television violence, 42, 44
Canada, 11, 134
Canadians Concerned About Violence
in Entertainment
(C-CAVE), 148
Cantor, Joanne, 36
Capcom, 80, 81
Carneal, Michael, 4, 61, 75-76,
111, 112
CarnEvil (video game), 79
Carter, jimmy, 116
cartoon violence, 34-35, 37, 49
toy counterparts, 39
Case, Stephen M., 18
CBS television, 133
Center for Media Literacy, 148-49
Center for Media and Public Affairs,
37-38, 135
Center for Successful Parenting,
149-50
Center for the Study and Prevention
of Violence, 149
Centerwall, Brandon, 31-32, 134
Chicago (111.) child murder-victim
potential, 17
child abuse, 15, 57, 59
exposure to screen violence as,
49-50, 57
sexual, 18
child development
and brain activity stimulation,
58-64
impact of violent imagery on,
53-58
literacy skills-building and, 89-92
reduced viewing rules and, 87-88
"Children and Media Violence: A
Yearbook from the UNESCO
International Clearinghouse on
Children and Violence on the
Screen, " 45, 135-36
Children's Television Act of 1990,
39-40
chronology of media violence finding,
statements, and actions
(1952-99), 132-36
civil litigation. See lawsuits
classical conditioning, 63, 64
Clinton, Bill, 1, 7, 104-5, 109, 136
CNN Newsroom and World View
(television program), 97
"Code of Conduct, " 116
cognition. See brain activity
Colorado. See Littleton (Colo.) high
school shootings
Columbine High School. See Littleton
(Colo.) high school shootmgs
commercials, television, 45
Committee for Children, 150
compassion, 61
computers
placement in home, 88
reduced use-time rules, 87
See also video and computer
games; World Wide Web
Comstock, George, 44
conditioning, 48, 63, 64, 73. See
also desensitization
Congress, U.S., 39-41
hearings on television violence,
26-28, 39, 132
violence-restrictive legislative initiatives,
107-8
conversational skills, 90-92
crime. See assault rates; law enforcement;
violent crime
Cultural Environment Movement
(CEM), 150-51
Cuomo, Mario, 116
Cypress Hill (rap group), 79

Death Wish (movie), 34
Denmark, 11
desensitization, 2-3, 26
cultural, 32-37
of young children, 7, 60-64
development, child. See child development
Dewey, John, 49
Dick Tracy (movie), 34
Die-Hard 2 (movie), 85
DiIulio, John J., 15
Diller, Barry, 41
Disney Company, 105, 113
domestic violence, 12, 56-57, 59
Doom (video game), 67, 83
Littleton perpetrators' practice in,
101, 77
as mechanical training simulator,
71-72, 77
drug abuse, 15
Duck Hunt (video game), 74
Duke Nukem (video game), 67, 78,
80

educational television, 98
Education Department, U.S., 135
Eggs of Steel (video game), 80
ego development, 56
Ellerbee, Linda, 97
E-mail campaigns, anti-media violence,
115-16
empathy, 61
Endangered Minds (Healey), 68-69
England. See Great Britain
environmental influences, 49-53
Eron, Leonard, 29, 133
Exorcist, The (movie), 36

Falklands War, 48, 74
fantasy, 54-55
Fathers' Network, 151
FATS (Fire Arms Training Simulator),
74
FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation),
11, 12, 48
FCC (Federal Communications
Commission), 39, 115
address and telephone number,
145
rating system investigation, 111
fears, children's, 26, 35-37
feelings, articulation of, 90
females
arrest rate for violent crimes, 20
video game use, 68
fight or flight response, 59
films. See movies; television
firearms. See guns
Fire Arms Training Simulator
(FATS), 74
First Amendment, 1, 40, 105, 111,
112
"First Person Shooter" video games,
71, 78, 79, 81
Ford, Gerald R., 116
Fowler, Mark, 39
France, 11
Franks, Marty, 43-44
free speech. See First Amendment
French Connection, The (movie), 34
Fresh (movie), 95
FTC (Federal Trade Commission),
104-5

gaming industry. See video games
gangs, 12, 16, 17
Gerbner, George, 37
G.I. Joe (cartoon), 34-35, 40
girls. See females
Golden, Andrew, 61
government officials, list of, 145
G-rated movies, 45
Great Britain, 11, 35
Greece, 10
Greenfield, Patricia, 67
Griffith, Paddy, 48
GrowSmartBrains, 151-52
Guncon, 74
guns, 16, 17, 21
marksmanship simulators, 4-5,
71-80, 112
Gunsmoke (television program), 27

Hall, Stephen, 36
Harris, Eric, 9, 21, 77, 101
Harter, Russell, 91
Healey, Jane, 68-69
Health and Human Services Department,
U.S., 135
Heavy Freight Films, 152
heroes, screen, 51, 52, 56, 57
Hitman (book), 111
Holmes, Richard, 48
home video games. See video and
computer games
homicide. See murders
horror movies, 36, 93
House of Representatives, U.S.,
hearings on television violence,
132
House of the Dead (video game), 79
Huesmann, L. Rowell, 29, 133
Hungary, 11
Hustler (magazine), 108
Hyde, Henry, 107
hyperactivity, 59, 88
hypervigilancy, 59-60
identification, 53-58

id Software, 112
imagination, 61
imitation, 51-52
identification and, 53-58
imprisonment. See incarceration
impulsive behavior, 59, 61, 89
incarceration, 17
rate comparisons, 13, 15
indicator species, 17
insensitivity. See desensitization
Institute on Violence and Destructive
Behavior, 152-53
interactive video games. See video
and computer games
Internet. See World Wide Web
InterPol, 10
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
(movie), 36

Jackson, Beverly Robertson,
100-101
James, Jennifer, 114
James Bond, Jr. (television program),
40
Japan, 11
Jetsons, The (cartoon), 40
Jonesboro (Ark.) middle school
shootings, 2, 3, 22, 61, 76-77
Journal of the American Medical
Association, 32, 134
joystick, similarity to pistol grip,
79
Judd, Naomi, 116
Justice Department, U.S., 104-5,
111, 135

Kennard, Bill, 115
Kentucky. See Paducah (Ky.) school
shootings
Kingpin: Life of Crime (video game),
79, 81
Klebold, Dylan, 9, 21, 77, 101
Krueger, Freddy (movie character),
55

language skills, 89-92
Laugh-In (television program), 44
law enforcement, 4, 48
anticrime measures, 16
training simulators, 73, 74, 75
See also incarceration
laws. See legislation
lawsuits
first-known against television network,
133
against media and video game
manufacturers, 75, 110, 111
product liability, 113
learning problems, 56, 88
Leave It to Beaver (television program),
40
legislation
Children's Television Act, 39-40
media violence-restriction initiatives,
107-10
Levin, Diane, 18
Lieberman, Joseph, 107-8
Lindsey, Robert, 81
Lion and the Lamb Project, 153
listening skills, 92
literacy skills, 89-92
litigation. See lawsuits
Littleton (Colo.) high school shootings,
2, 6-7, 22, 104
characteristics of perpetrators, 9,
21, 77, 101
youth reactions to, 18, 63
Lowenstein, Doug, 80

MACS (Multipurpose Arcade Combat
Simulator), 74
males
juvenile violent crime arrest rate,
19
study of teenage exposure to television
violence, 62
study of video game reactions, 68,
71
Marine Corps, U.S., 77
Marine Doom simulator, 77
marksmanship practice, video games
as, 4-5, 72-74
Marshall, S. L. A., 48
Masked Rider (television program),
52
Mason City, Iowa, 109
Matrix, The (movie), 34
McCain, John, 107-8
Media Awareness Network,
153-54
Media Education Foundation,
154-55
media literacy organizations, list of,
147-58
Mediascope, Inc., 42, 66, 155
media violence, 3-4
behavioral links with, 7, 10,
24-26
damaging and potentially good
effects of, 6-8
definition of, 121-22
increased levels of graphic imagery
in, 22
list of prevention organizations,
147-58
production techniques, 92-94
regulatory approaches, 104-18
research studies findings, 24-26,
29-32, 42-45
See also movies; television; video
and computer games
MediaWise, 155-56
medical technology, 14
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
(television program), 52-53
military psychology, 2, 48, 63
military simulators, 4-5, 72, 73, 74,
77
Miller, Mark Crispin, 34
Minow, Newton N., 134
"vast wasteland" speech, 38, 39,
132
Mommy, I'm Scared: How TV and
Movies Frighten Children and
What We Can Do to Protect
Them (Cantor), 36
Mortal Kombat (video game), 67,
71, 80
Mothers Against Violence in America
(MAVIA), 156
movies
as aggression stimulators, 7
cognitive confusion from, 55
desensitization to violence from,
33-34
fearful reactions to, 35-36, 55
listing of major studios, 141-42
listing of theater exhibitors, 143
parental guidance on, 85, 93, 95
rating system, 34, 45, 109, 143
rating system initiatives, 107-10
sensational vs. sensitive violence
portrayals in, 94-96
"slasher" genre effects, 22, 83, 110
murder, 6, 11, 12, 16, 31
comparison with assault and violent
crime rates (1957-97),
12-14, 13
military psychology studies, 48
urban youth liability to, 17
video game practice-stimulus,
76-77
See also school shootings
Murrow, Edward R., 27

National Alliance for Non-Violent
Programming (NANP), 156-57
National Association of Broadcasters
(NAB)
Mark Fowler's speech to, 39
Newton Minow's "vast wasteland"
speech to, 38, 132
National Association for the Education
of Young Children
(NAEYC), 126-27
National Cable Television Association
(NCT A), 42
National Centers for Disease Control,
violence research program,
31-32
National Coalition on Television
Violence (NCTV), 157
National Commission on the Causes
and Prevention of Violence,
133
National Council for Families and
Television, 135
National Funding Collaborative on
Violence Prevention, 9
National Institute of Mental Health,
report on link between television
violence and aggressive
behavior, 29, 133
National Institute on Media and the
Family, 157-58
National Parent/Teacher Association
(National PTA), 128-31, 133,
134
National Television Violence Study
(NTVS), 42-43, 44, 70, 135
Natural Born Killers (movie), 33,
106
NC-17-rated movies, 45
Netherlands, 11
New Zealand, 10
Nick News (television program), 197
Nightmare on Elm Street, A (movie),
55
nightmares, 35, 36
noradrenaline levels, 58, 61
Norway, 10

007 Golden Eye (video game), 71
operant conditioning, 73
organizations, media literacy and
prevention, 157-58

Pac-Man (video game), 65
Paducah (Ky.) school shootings, 4,
22, 61, 75-76
lawsuits, 75, 110, 111
parental recourses, 82-118
alternate quality entertainment
choices, 98-99
approaches to television news violence,
96-98
banned use of violent video
games, 99-100
consistent viewing-time rule
enforcement, 87-89
discussions with children, 85-86,
92-96, 100-101
guidelines of responsibilities,
83-87
language and reading skills
encouragement, 89-92
list of action resources, 137-46
list of watch-dog organizations,
147-58
litigation, 75, 110, 111, 113
movie viewing with children, 85, 95
national-level measures, 106-18
peer pressure confrontation,
101-3
as process, 84-86
Pastore, John, 28
Patton (movie), 85
PC Gamer (magazine), 93
Peckinpah, Sam, 34
peer pressure, parental confrontation
with, 101-3
Perry, Bruce, 89-90
PG-rated movies, 34, 45
PG-13-rated movies, 109
physiological arousal, video games
and, 71
play, imitation of screen violence,
51-52
PlayStation 2, 4
police. See law enforcement
Pong (video game), 65
pornography industry, 8
Postal (video game), 67, 78, 106
post-traumatic stress disorder, 36
Poussaint, Alvin, 49-50
poverty, 15
Powell, Colin, 116
power issues, 85-86
Power Rangers, 34, 52-53
prefrontal cortex activity, 58, 89
preschoolers, 7, 96-97
cartoon violence exposure, 49
credulity of, 55
cultural desensitivity and viewing
habits of, 34-35
imitative behavior, 54, 56
as television merchandising targets,
51
production techniques, 92-94
PTA. See National Parent/Teacher
Association
Pulp Fiction (movie), 34
punishments, 29-30, 133

Quake (video game), 79

racism, 14, 15
rape, 11, 12
rating systems
Clinton on enforcement of, 109
FCC investigation of, 111
industry organizations, 143
legislative initiatives, 107-8
movie, 34, 45, 109, 143
television, 44, 88-89
video games, 80, 143
reading
to children, 90
skills as violence inhibitor, 89-90
Redneck Rampage (video game),
78-79, 81
Richmond (Va.) crime deterrents, 16
robberies, 11, 12
role models, television characters as,
49
Roots (television program), 54
R-rated movies, 45, 109

Salazar, Ken, 109
Schafer, Wesley, 76
school shootings, 2-3
Jonesboro (Ark.), 2, 76-77
Littleton (Colo.), 2, 9, 18-19, 21,
63, 77, 101
Paducah (Ky.), 4, 75-76, 110, 111
student reactions to, 2-3, 18-19,
63
Schwarzkopf, Norman, 116
Scotland, 11
Searchers, The (movie), 34
See It Now (television program),
27
self-expression skills, 91
Senate, U.S., hearings on television
violence, 27, 132
sexual abuse, 18
She-Ra (cartoon), 34-35
Shifrin, Donald, 70
Signorielli, Nancy, 37
simulators, 4-5, 71-80, 112
slasher films, 22, 83, 110
societal values, decay of, 21
sociopathic behaviors, 61
Soldier of Fortune (magazine), 108
Sounder (movie), 94-95
South Carolina, convenience store
murder, 76
Spider-Man (television program),
52
"State of Children's Television"
(1998 report), 88-89
stimulus-response training, 73, 76.
See also conditioning
Street Fighter (video game), 80-81
stress, 56
suicide, teen, 17
Super Mario Brothers (video game),
65
Super Nintendo, 5
Surgeon General, U.S., 28, 133
Sweden, 10, 35

Tartikoff, Brandon, 23
Task Force on Family Violence, 133
Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's
Entertainment (TRUCE),
158
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 35,
55, 85
teenagers, 62, 65
interactive video game popularity
with, 65-71
peer pressure and, 102-3
suicide rate increase, 17
television news viewing, 97-98
Telecommunications Act of 1996,
137
television, 23-46
as aggressive and violent behavior
trigger, 7, 26-32
cartoon violence, 34-35, 37, 49
commercials, 45
congressional hearings, 26-28
distorted perception of reality
from, 37
escalation of children's exposure
to violence on, 3, 37-38
first violence-incitement lawsuit,
133
industry "Statement of Principles, "
41-42, 135
listing of networks and stations,
137-41
merchandising tie-ins, 51
national study of violence on,
42-43, 44
news program violence, 96-98
parental program selection, 98-99
parental reduced viewing-time
rules, 87-89
rating system, 44, 88-89
reading as alternative to, 90-91
research studies, 29-32, 42-45
surgeon general's report, 28-29
V-chip blocking device, 44, 88-89
"Television and Growing Up: The
Impact of Televised Violence"
(U.S. Surgeon General's report),
28-29
Television Violence Act (TVA) of
1990, 39, 40, 41, 134
Thompson, Jack, 110
Time Crisis (video game), 74
toddlers, 34, 51
toys
list of manufacturers and retailers,
145-46
as reinforcement of screen violence,
39, 51, 53, 80-81
television cartoon tie-ins, 39
Turn Off the TV (organization), 158
21st-Century Media Responsibility
Act (proposed), 107-8

UNESCO, 45, 135-36
University of California, 42
University of North Carolina, 42
University of Texas, 42
Untouchables, The (television program),
27

V-chip device, 44, 88-89
video and computer games, 4-5,
65-81, 105, 113
as addictive, 68-70
add-on packages, 77
escapist quality of, 69
"First Person Shooter, " 71, 78,
79, 81
inadequacy of rating system, 80
interactive effects of, 65-66,
67-68, 71-72
legislative rating system initiative,
107-8
linked with school shooting perpetrators,
75-77, 101
list of manufacturers, 144-45
list of rental companies, 143-44
manufacturer denials, 79-80
manufacturer liability, 112
as marksmanship practice, 4-5,
71-77
on-line availability of, 66, 81
parental countermeasures, 87-88,
93, 99-100
psychological and physiological
effects of, 68-71
technological advances, 65, 66,
77-78
Vietnam War, 74
violence. See aggression; assault
rates; media violence; movies;
murders; television; video and
computer games
violence immune system, 64
violent crime, 6-7, 17
comparison of murder, assault,
and imprisonment rates
(1957-97), 13
juvenile arrest rates, 19, 20
local deterrents, 16
rate increase, 1960-1991, 11
See also murders; school shootings
visual imagery, 91-92

Walk, Gary Eng, 79-80
warfare, 48, 63, 74, 77
Washington (D.C.) child murder-victim
potential, 17
Washington (state) media-violence
control legislative initiative,
110
watch-dog organizations, listing of,
147-58
"Watching America" (1990 report),
40
Westside Middle School. See Jonesboro
(Ark.) middle school
shootings
Williams, Tannis McBeth, 30-31
Wilson, James Q., 14
WingMan Force (video game), 75
World War II, 48, 63, 72, 74
World Wide Web, 18, 80, 101,
116
violent video games availability,
66, 81
World Wrestling Federation, action
figures sold by, 53
wrestling, professional, 53, 106
writing skills, 89-92

X-Men (television program), 52

youth gangs, 12, 16, 17

Zamora v. CBS, et at. (1979), 133
zero-tolerance policies, 16, 109

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

LT. COL DAVE GROSSMAN (U.S.A., RET.) is the author of On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society. As a West Point psychology professor and professor of military science, Grossman trains medical and health professionals on how to deal with and prevent killing. He trained mental health professionals in the aftermath of the Jonesboro shootings, and has been an expert witness and consultant in several murder cases, including that of Timothy McVeigh and Michael Carneal.

GLORIA DEGAETANO is a nationally recognized educator in the field of media violence, and the author of the critically acclaimed Screen Smarts: A Family Guide to Media Literacy.