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MASSMASS
COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATION
RESEARCHRESEARCH
andand
EFFECTSEFFECTS
The Importance of TheoryThe Importance of Theory
z Major goal is to Establish Causal Relationships − cause-and-effect relationships z Mass Media Research and Theory: − − helps us understand how mass media operate − helps people understand how the mass media influence them
The Uses for ResearchThe Uses for Research
z Scholarly − university research
explore abstract questions z Professional − professional communicators dealing with real-life problems solve practical problems
z Paradigms: − a set of assumptions about the nature of social behavior
Approaches of MassApproaches of Mass
Communication ResearchCommunication Research
z Social Science Approach − uses quantitative data to measure outcomes
the social scientific method z Critical Studies Approach − uses qualitative data to understand issues raised by questions between media and society − studies symbolic meanings behind behavior − studies the relationship between media text and its audience
Approaches of MassApproaches of Mass
Communication ResearchCommunication Research
The Social Scientific ApproachThe Social Scientific Approach
z social scientific method uses empirical research
Social Science Theory:
- A set of related statements about people’s behavior that
categorizes phenomena predicts the future explains past events helps explain why the behavior occurs provides the potential for influencing future behavior
Hypotheses:
A statement based on scientific theory that makes a prediction about an expected outcome
z Research and Public Policy − cigarette advertising’s effects on children − violent TV programming’s effects on society − TV’s sexual content’s effects on society
z Modifying Social Science Theory Theories are modified because
behavior changes as society evolves the ability to measure social behavior improves
theories evolve with the accumulation of research
- theory must explain new data
z Three categories of Social Science Research
1. influences on media content > creation of the media content - people’s ethics or background - market influences - organizational influences
z Three categories of Social Science Research
2. influences on media effects > how media content affects people > assumes people are passive users of media > examines the effects of: - entertainment + violence, sex etc. - advertising - political messages
z Three categories of Social Science Research
3. influences on how people use the media > “uses and gratification theory” > how and why people decide to use the media > assumes people are active users of media
Current Research TopicsCurrent Research Topics
z News Gathering
- news net: news topics and sources that reporters normally go to
some events are caught in the net other events pass through the net
z Chicago School:
- positive view of media
- communication is the foundation for community
people have fewer personal ties in modern, postindustrial world media help develops a sense of community media can improve society
Early Critical Studies Research inEarly Critical Studies Research in
the U.Sthe U.S ..
z Frankfurt School
- negative view of media
- based on Karl Marx’s teachings
- looked at the economics of media organizations
mass media is part of the established order mass media help suppress the workers
z Birmingham School
- combines semiotics with Karl Marx’s teachings
- audiences are guided toward the preferred ideological interpretations
Current Critical Studies ResearchCurrent Critical Studies Research
z Critical studies was ignored from the 1930s until the 1970s
- critical studies today view communication as a process in which a shared culture is created, modified and transformed
- doesn’t have an ideology like the Franfurt, Chicago or Birmingham schools
Communication Research TrendsCommunication Research Trends
z Contingency Research
- media impact is contingent on many factors, called contingency factors
effects of TV violence on children: - time spent watching TV - graphic nature of the violence - frequency of the violent acts - maturity of the child - comments from adults also watching - reactions from peers - actions of playmates
Communication Research TrendsCommunication Research Trends
z More Theory
- few formal communications theories
communications research is fairly new field
Communication Research TrendsCommunication Research Trends
z Brain Imaging
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Can track how different stimuli affect the brain
Political Effects of Mass MediaPolitical Effects of Mass Media^ Political Effects of Mass MediaPolitical Effects of Mass Media z Agenda-Setting Model − media tells us what to think about
influences how much importance we place on a story
- media sets the agenda for us
- pressure groups sometimes set the agenda for the media
z Agenda-Setting Model
- audience characteristics affect individual agendas
salience: importance of the issue to the individual obtrusive issues: issues we experience first- hand - media have less influence on our views of salient and obtrusive issues
z Agenda-Setting Model
- interpersonal relationships affect individual agendas
friends and family opinion leaders
Question # Of all the crimes that occur in the U.S. in any year, what proportion are violent crimes such as murder, rape, robbery and assault? A. Less than 1% D. 7% to 10% B. 1% to 3% E. 11% to 15% C. 4% to 6% F. greater than 15%
D. 10% D. 10%
Why do most American say crime is a
major problem in the country today?
TV programs
Question # In any given week, what are the chances that a person will involved some kind of violence?
Less than 1%Less than 1%
61% of the people we see on TV are involved in some kind of violence.
Question # What percentage of all working males in the U.S. are in law enforcement or some other kind of crime detection/prevention? 1%1%
12% of the people we see on TV work in law enforcement or related fields.
Question # Of all the crimes that occur in the U.S. in any year, what proportion are violent crimes such as murder, rape, robbery and assault?
10%10%
77% of the crimes we see committed on TV are violent crimes
z Cultivation Ratification
- the effects of TV on viewers
heavy viewers are affected by what they see - heaving viewing: 8+ hours per day > they see the world more dangerous than it really is
z Dependency Theory
- the media, their consumers, their financial supporters & and their sources are all dependent on each other
media control information that people depend on some media users control the media’s resources - advertisers, bankers, news sources
Dependency theory says the media affect people in 6 ways:
- self-understanding
people depend on the media to learn about themselves and to grow as individuals
- social understanding
people depend on the media to learn about the world and their community
- action orientation
people depend on the media to decide what to buy and how to act
- interaction orientation
people depend on the media to decide how to behave toward other people
- solitary play
people depend on the media for diversion and entertainment when they are alone
- social play
people depend on the media for entertainment when they are with other people
Uses and GratificationUses and Gratification
Research about how people use the media − focuses on audience motivation and consumption
z Uses and Gratification Assumptions: − Communication behavior, including media selection and use, is goal-directed
− People take the initiative in selecting and using communication media
− Many social and psychological factors affect our communication behavior
− Media compete with other forms of communication for the selection, attention and use in the gratification of our needs or wants
z People Use Media Because They Want Something From It − People use the media for
surveillance
decision making
- what movie to see, who to vote for etc.
social & cultural interaction
- shared experience with others
- absorb social norms/culture individually
diversion and entertainment
