Study Comm. 460 Flash Cards

 
Pile Management Card
Comm. 460

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Hypothesis
- tentative statement describing the relationship between two or more values that predicts an outcome.
nonratings
-provides information on an audience's likes and dislikes; analysises of diff. types of programming, and lifestyle info.
Research Question
-a tentative generalization about the relationship between two or more variable.
stratified sample
-a sample selected after the population has been divided into categories
emergent coding
- categories established "after" a preliminary examination of the data
Case Studies
-Type of Qualitative Research
– focus on a particular phenomenon, detailed description of topic;

they are inductive, in that they attempt to discover new relationships
Population
- a group or class of subjects, variable, concepts or phenomena
- sample is drawn from this
•Policy making
-use of media research
-FCC and FTC set policy; concerns with what media does to people (censoring media violence)
4 Types of Nonprobability Sampling
1)convenience sampling
2)volunteer sampling
3) purposive sampling (participants selected due to specific characterisitcs)
4)snowball sample (participants recruit other participants)
priori coding
- categories established "before" collecting data on theoretical and conceptual rationale
coding
-placing a unit of analysis into a content category
unit of analysis
- the item being counted in a content analysis
10) Procedures of Conducting Content Analysis
1) Formulate research question and/or hypothesis
2) Define the population
3) Select a sample from the population
4) Select Unit of Analysis
5) Construct Content Categories(“codebook”)
6) Establish a Quantification system
7) Train Coders
8) Coding the Content
9) Analyze Data
10) Interpret Results
Applications of Content Analysis
-Studying Media
-Studying Nonmediated Communication - (conversations/facial expressions)
-Studying Manifest content - physically present and countable content
-Studying Latent Content - author's intention in what was said or written
Content Analysis
the systematic, quantitative, and objective study of communication
Checklist
-Type of close-ended ?
-Often used in pilot studies to refine questions
Semantic Differential Scales
-Type of close-ended ?
- Two bipolar adjectives separated by seven spaces
ex: Dull_______Exciting
Likert Scales
-Type of close-ended ?
-respondents rate their agreement with an item
-Strongly Agree - Strongly Disagree
Rating Scales
-type of close-ended ?
- Rating an item (or list of items) on an ordinal, interval, or ratio type scale
ex: I consider myself a sports fan Agree-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-Disagree
Multiple Choice
-type of close-ended ?
-respondents can choose an answer from several options
Dichotomous Response
-type of close-ended ?
-yes/no, agree/disagree
Close-Ended Questions
-a question the respondent must answer by making a selection from a prepared set of questions
Telephone Surveys
Type of Survey
- broad reach, random digit dialing; high refusal rate
Self Administered Survey
-Type of Survey
-(ex: group, email, mail)
-inexpensive, reflection time possible, no interviewer bias
Face-to-Face Survey
-Type of Survey
- great detail, visuals used; expensive, dangerous, interviewer bias
Survey Method
- Systemic collection of data from individuals designed to report on cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors.
Standard Deviation
- How spread out (dispersed) the values in the sample are.
Confidence Interval
- The likely range around the sampling statistic that the population true value would fall.
Confidence Level
-How confident a researcher is with the range of the confidence interval (in %).
SE (Sampling Error)
– the standard deviation of the difference between the measured/estimated values (of a sample) and the true values (of a population); measured at certain confidence level.
Nonprobability Sampling
-type of sampling
-doesnt follow mathematical guidelines of probability
Probability Sampling
-type of sampling
-relies on mathematical guidelines and random selection
-allows researchers to caculate sampling error
statistic
- summary value for a sample
Sample
-a subset of the population that is representative of the entire population
Sampling Frame
-a list of the members of a particular population
Census
-study of an entire population
Field Observations
-Type of Qualitative Research
-a study of a phenomenon in a natural setting
Ethnography
-Type of Qualitative Research
– researchers spend a period of time living with and observing other cultures in a natural setting
Intensive Interviews
-Type of Qualitative Research
- interviews are an interaction; specific questions, detailed info on sensitive issues, subjects not random…
Focus Groups
– interview with 6-12 subjects and a moderator who leads a discussion on a specific subject
Dependent Variable
- what researcher wants to explain; consequence/output; what is affected in an experiment
Independent Variable
-what the researcher uses to explain the DV; cause/input; what is manipulated
4 Levels of Variables
1) Nominal – no intrinsic numerical ordering of values, numerals just labels
2) ordinal – values ranked (ex: smallest to largest)
3) interval – has intrinsic value ordering, equal distance between values (ex: temperature)
4) ratio – intrinsic numerical ordering, with an absolute zero (time, distance, mph)
Operational Variable
-Definition of Variable
-describe the precise/exact way a variable is measured
Conceptual Variable
-Definition of Variable
-use other abstract terms to describe
Variable
-a phenomenon or event that can be measured or manipulated
Concept
-abstraction formed from generalizing from particulars and summarizing related observations. (ex: the term table and the variety of objects the word represents, simplifying terms and expressions)
Qualitative Research
-Type of Research
-smaller samples,
-ex: (focus groups, in-depth interviews, case studies, field observations.
Quantitative Research
-Type of Research
-Deals with larger samples
ex: telephone surveys, internet surveys
-all respondents asked the same questions
Applied Research
-type of research
-examines specific practical issues, used to solve a problem
5 Characteristics of Scientific Method
1) Scientific research is public
2) Science is objective
3) Science is empirical
4) Science is systematic and cumulative
5) Science is predictive
Method of Authority
-way of knowing
-trusted source says something’s true
Method of Intuition
-way of knowing
-something is true because it makes sense
Method of Tenacity
-Way of knowing
-something is true because it’s always been true
4 Ways of Knowing
1) Method of Tenacity
2) Method of Intuition
3) Method of Authority
4)Scientific Method
-readability
-the sum total of all the elements and their interactions that affect the success of a piece of printed material
-Readability Studies
-type of research/study
-how textual elements affect comprehension of the content
Wanta and Gao Typography Study
-found that large graphics and small photos were more desireable among highschoolers
-Click and Baird Typography Study
-Found that – Large illustrations attract more readers than small ones, no italics, large picture and small amount of texts in openings of articles attract readers
Typography and Makeup Research
-Type of research/study
-The impact of design elements (e.g., page layout, illustrations, text font) on readership
Management Studies
-type of research/study
-determines Job satisfaction, management structure, and the impact of (consolidation of) ownership on content and quality
Circulation Studies
-Type of research/study
-determines the penetration levels of a publication in various markets and various aspects of the delivery and pricing systems
Readership Studies
-Type of research/study
-determines who reads a publication, what items are read, and why they read it.
•Buying and selling media companies
-use of media research
-Factors taken into consideration here include: market revenue, ratings and shares of the company, audience demographics, economics, amount of competition, location, network affiliation
share
% of the HUT or PUR that is tuned to a specific station, channel, or network.
rating
% of people or households in a population w/ a tv or radio tuned to a specific station
Buying and Selling Advertising Time
-Use of media research
-price of ads related to audience size and composition
-due to rating and share
programming decisions
-use of media research
-cancelation/renewal of shows due to ratings, size and demography of audience, likely rating, formats for radio shows, etc.
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