1. Physiology and emotion
Marissa McTague

2. Dramaturgy for Emotions from Fictional Narration
Coleridge and the “willing suspense of disbelief”
Contemporary theorists argue that fiction doesn’t need to be mistaken as reality in order to illicit an emotional response
Iconic and Symbolic Representations
Communicative Behavior and Witnesses
Excitation Transfer
Empathy and Morality
Why Do We Love James Bond

3. Fright Reactions to Mass Media
Contemporary fear in mass media
Fear may be an immediate response of a short duration, but the affects may endure and linger
Three categories of fear:
Dangers and injuries
Distortions of natural forms
The experience of endangerment and fear by others

4. Fright reactions to mass media
Empathy and Witnesses
Fear and Children
Cognitive Development
Fantasy vs. Reality
Abstract Threats
The Psychology of Scary Movies