ABSTRACT
The study of media effects is as diverse as it is compelling. Yet, it is this diversity-in outcomes assessed, stimuli considered, and methods employed-that makes conclusions about the psychological and social effects of the media so difficult to pin down. This is not to suggest hat the accumulation of research does not offer meaningful insights into the effects of certain forms of media. Indeed, the meta-analyses in this volume show quite clearly that the media can affect important outcomes such as aggressive and antisocial behavior, gender stereotyping, and altruistic behavior. Most striking about this set of analyses, however, is not what we know, but rather how much we do not yet know about media effects, specifically, the conditions under which certain effects are likely to occur, in whom, and the psychological processes underlying them. The answers to these questions are critical to the design of appropriate interventions to mitigate the negative social influences of the media and to better inform the policy debates that have served as the impetus for much of the research undertaken thus far. This chapter highlights and explores some themes common to the analyses presented in the following chapters to help assess not only where we have been with media effects study but also what the future might hold for media effects research.
