Mass Media Research: An Introduction, 8th Edition Instructor’s Manual (стр. 12 )

(Strategic research) is used to develop public relations campaigns and programs. (Precursor analysis) assumes that leaders establish trends that ultimately trickle down to the rest of society. A/An (Omnibus survey) is a regularly scheduled personal interview with questions provided by various clients. A (social audit) is a small-scale environmental monitoring program designed to measure an organization’s social performance. (Benchmarking) is a method to assess impact that is gaining popularity.

Short Answer

What is a public relations audit? What is a media audit? What is a gatekeeping research?

Chapter 17 - Mass Media Research and the Internet

Overview

This chapter introduces various possibilities for Internet research in the media field. Because the Internet has had an influence on the way people communicate, conduct business, and process information, Internet research has developed dramatically. However, the Internet is not universally accepted as reliable and valid even if the Internet offers exciting possibilities for mass media researchers.

The history of the Internet provides us with the interesting fact that the concept of the Internet was developed from a project of the military. The basic principle behind this system was that each computer in the network would be equal to all the other computers, and each would decide on its own the best way to send, route, and receive messages. Thus, if a number of computers were destroyed, the remaining computers would figure out the best way to route messages through the system, bypassing the disabled computers.

Almost immediately upon the Internet’s debut to the public, researchers saw the opportunity to use the new vehicle as a research tool, specifically an inexpensive data collection tool. Internet data collection procedures, including email, databases, email, pop-up, randomly selected pop up, pre-recruit, instant messaging, and stationary display, provide researchers with valuable data in a more economical way than other traditional data collection methods.

This chapter discusses the advantages and disadvantages of Internet research. Some of the advantages of using the Internet include: 1) ease of feasibility; 2) easy to change questionnaire; 3) inexpensive; 4) respondent-oriented control; 5) no regulation to Internet research by the government; 6) quick turnaround; 7) no limitation to the type of questions; 8) interaction; 9) the access to people who belong to high income groups; 10) flexibility; 11) few geographical restriction; and, 12) large samples.

Meanwhile, some weaknesses make Internet research questionable. First, researchers do not know who answers an Internet questionnaire. Moreover, there is currently no way to determine if the Internet sample is representative of the population from which the sample was selected. Third, many Internet users are concerned with security and refuse to participate in any type of Internet research project. Fourth, responses from the same computer can be controlled so that one person cannot answer the survey more than once. Fifth, there are no definition research data about the appropriate length of Internet surveys. Sixth, people who have no knowledge of research have become Internet researchers. This is a detriment not only to the respondents, but also to the people who hire these people. That is, it is easy for unqualified person to develop websites to conduct the research.

Finally, the chapter discusses practical and ethical issues on Internet research. Researchers must have the ability to access a server and possess design skills as well as to publicize their research project. In addition, Internet researchers should be concerned about certain ethical considerations when they conduct research in cyberspace.

Exercises

After learning about Dreamweaver or Front Page, let students make a short on-line survey form. Make an on-line survey for evaluating your class and let students participate in on-line evaluation.

Multiple Choice

According to history of the Internet, the concept of Internet stems from a military project. The goal of the project was to. . .

a)  Find enemy in caves during Vietnam War

b)  Eliminate land mines in Korean War

c)  Communicate after an atomic attack

d)  Improve logistical and supply systems

Which of the following is not an advantage of Internet research?

a)  There is almost no limit to the type of questions that can be asked

b)  Questionnaires can be interactive

c)  Research projects can be replicated frequently as long as the researchers desire

d)  Internet use is restricted only to certain types of respondents

All the following are disadvantages of Internet research except:

a)  There is currently no way to determine if the Internet sample is representative of the population

b)  Many Internet users are concerned with security

c)  Many Internet users refuse to participate in any type of Internet research project

d)  Internet research company’s computer can’t identify the IP address so that participants should put their ID and password in the server

Sometime, researchers who are using Internet research find a pattern of answers given by a respondent, such as all “5” ratings on a 1-10 rating scale. What is this tendency called?

a)  Rough cut

b)  Outlier

c)  Response set

d)  Repeated-measures

True/False

The concept of the Internet came from the business. (F) The email approach requires the least amount of computer and Internet expertise, whereas the fully automated approach used in pop-up questionnaires requires the most expertise. (T) Unlike laws in some areas of United States regulating telephone solicitation, there are currently no laws related to conducting Internet research. (T) Researchers who analyze the content of bulletin boards, newsgroups, list servers, chat rooms, and email need to explain the goals of the research and give feedback to the participants. (T) In academic research, it is not necessary to provide informed consent before participating in online survey. (F)

Fill in the Blank

1.  Since the initial philosophy behind the Internet was (decentralization), there was no central authority that would prevent anyone from linking up.

2.  The primary language used to construct Internet pages uses a language known as (HTML—Hyper Text Markup Language).

3.  Most Internet users have free web space available from their (Internet service provider) to use for personal web pages.

4.  The generic term for transferring files is known as (file transfer protocol).

5.  In traditional experiments and surveys, a (debriefing) session is often needed to explain the goals of the research and give feedback to the participants.

Short Answer

1.  Discuss the strong points and weak points about using the Internet for data collection.

2.  What advice can you give to protect your participants from unethical practices in an Internet survey?

3.  You may choose a mail survey or an online survey in your research to collect information on housewives’ perceptions about televised soap opera. Which method would be more effective in this case? Why?

Research in Media Effects

Available on www.

Overview

This chapter focuses on media effects research that is conducted at colleges and universities. Academic research tends to be more theoretical in nature whereas private sector research is generally more applied. This chapter illustrates the history, methods, and theoretical development of five research areas (antisocial and prosocial effects of specific media content, uses and gratifications, agenda setting by the media, cultivation of perceptions of social reality, and the social impact of the Internet) in communication.

For the past 30 years, the effects of antisocial and prosocial content have been popular topics for academic researchers. Over the years, there has been a certain amount of friction between academic researchers and industry executives over the findings of this research. Content analysis, laboratory experiments, surveys, field experiments, observations, and panels are popular methods for media researchers to describe, explain, and predict antisocial and prosocial phenomenon related to media.

The uses and gratifications perspective examines how people use the media and the gratifications they seek and receive from their media behaviors. Uses and gratifications researchers assume that audience members are aware of and can articulate their reasons for consuming various media content. Researchers studying this perspective have relied heavily on the survey method to collect their data. As a first step, researchers have conducted focus groups or have asked respondents to write essays about their reasons for media consumption. Close-ended Likert-type scales are then typically subjected to multivariate statistical techniques.

Agenda setting research examines how the public agenda (the kinds of things people discuss, think, and worry about) is shaped by what the news media choose to publicize. Agenda setting research examines the relationship between media priorities and audience priorities in the relative importance of news topics. Researchers who study agenda setting use content analysis to define the media agenda, and surveys are used to collect data on the audience agenda. Since determining the media agenda and surveying the audience are not done simultaneously, a longitudinal dimension is present. More recently, some studies have used the experimental approach.

Cultivation analysis has concentrated on how the media affect audience perceptions of the real world. The basic assumption is that repeated exposures to consistent media portrayals and themes influence audiences’ perceptions toward the real world as the media depict it. There are two discrete steps in performing a cultivation analysis. First, descriptions of the media world are obtained from periodic content analyses of large blocks of media content. The second step involves surveying audiences about their television exposure, dividing the sample into heavy and light viewers and comparing their answers to the questions that differentiate the television world from the real world.

Finally, most of the research about the Internet examines audience characteristics, functions and uses, and social effects. It is too early to come to any specific conclusions about the social impact of the Internet but it appears that, as far as social relationships are concerned, a “rich get richer” effect has been observed. People who are extroverted increase their social contacts via the Internet.

Exercises

Divide your students into groups and ask them to summarize studies about the Internet in academic journals (for example, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media). Search V-chip in the Internet.

Multiple Choice

The first investigation into the possible anti-social effects of mass media was:

a)  Research about violent comic books

b)  Studies of TV violence during the 1950s

c)  The Payne Fund research about violent movies in the 1930s

d)  The commission on Obscenity and Pornography’s research in the 1970s

Which of the following theoretical rationales have been used to study antisocial and pro-social effects?

a)  Social learning theory

b)  Two-step flow theory

c)  Agenda setting approach

d)  The third person effect

Which of the following statement about uses and gratifications is appropriate?

a)  This perspective takes the view of the media managers

b)  Uses and gratification researchers assume that audience members are not active

c)  This perspective can articulate their reasons for consuming various media content

d)  This perspective has its roots in the 1920s when researchers became interested in why people couldn’t resist media messages

The following concern agenda setting. Choose the correct statement.

a)  The first empirical test of agenda setting came in the results of a study done during the Cuban missile crisis

b)  The agenda setting technique is only used with television news

c)  Framing analysis has been called the second level of agenda setting

d)  Experimental research is not appropriate to measure agenda setting effect

True/False

There has been friction between academic researchers and industry executives with regard to violence research. (T) Uses and gratifications researchers have mainly used laboratory experimental methods to understand why people watch TV. (F) Agenda setting theory examines the relationship between media priorities and audience priorities in the relative importance of news topics. (T) The cultivation differential is measured by subtracting the percentage of heavy views’ television answer to the question from the percentage of light viewers who gave the television answers. (T) Older Americans are among the fastest growing age category of Internet users. (T)

Fill in the Blank

(Desensitization) accounts for people who are heavily exposed to violence and antisocial acts becoming less anxious about the consequences. (Closed-ended Likert-type) scales are constructed to measure uses and gratifications How the media choose to portray the issues they cover is called (framing analysis). Gerbner found that heavy television viewers scored higher on a/an (mean world) index than did light viewers. Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Part of the act specified that newly manufactured TV sets had to contain a (V-chip), a computer chip that allows parents to block out violent and other objectionable programming from their TV sets.

Short Answer

What is mainstreaming? What is resonance in relation to mass media? What affect, if any, does the V-chip have on the freedom of speech and protection for children?