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Section One
Overview and History
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Chapter 1
Understanding Media Effects
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Processes of Communication
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Interpersonal communication– two people
engage in a conversation.
Mediated communication– two people
converse via the telephone or e-mail.
Mass communication- a news anchor
speaks to a camera and the message is
transmitted to a large number of viewers.
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Communication Models

Offer a graphic means of explicating, or
facilitating the understanding of, an
abstract process such as communication.
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Communication Models
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Linear Models: based on the principles of stimulusresponse psychology
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Interactive Models: circular model in which
communication is shown to be interactive and
interpretive
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Ex. Shannon-Weaver Model
Ex. Schramm Interactive Model
Transactional Models: describes the giving and
receiving of information through communication
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Ex. OTA Transactional Model
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Models to Explain Media Effects
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Individual Effects
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Comstock psychological model
Thorson cognitive processing model
Social Effects
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Media system dependency model
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Measuring Media Effects
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Laboratory experiments
Survey research
Field experiments
Panel studies
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Laboratory Experiments
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Pros
Good for establishing
causality
Researcher has a lot
of control
Relatively inexpensive
Easier for others to
replicate
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Cons
Artificial surroundings
may affect a
participant’s behavior
Experimental bias
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Survey Research
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Written questionnaires
Telephone interviews
Face-to-face interviews
Web surveys
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Purposes of Survey Research
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To determine the type and extent of media
exposure
To gauge the respondent’s attitudes toward
antisocial or prosocial behavior
Allows us to establish associations or
relationships between variables
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Field Experiments
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Pros
Participants are
measured in real-life
settings
Behaviors are more
natural
Expedient for studying
complex social
situations
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Cons
Do not allow for much
physical control
May raise ethical
issues
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Panel Studies
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Researchers must either interview or send
questionnaires to the same respondents at
different times
Expensive, since respondents must be
recruited and retained over time
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Triangulation
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Three methodologies are used
Combined results are more compelling than
any single methodology
Programmatic research increases credibility
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Other Research Methodologies
of Media Effects
Content Analysis
 Meta-Analysis
 Statistical Methods
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Content Analysis
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Used to examine the presence, absence, or
quantity of attributes of media messages
Other research methodologies must be used
in conjunction with content analysis to prove
effects
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Meta-Analysis

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A means of systematically integrating the
findings from many empirical studies
Used to provide a “big picture”
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Statistical Methods

Most studies make use of statistics, which
can be:
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Descriptive
Inferential
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Importance of Studying Media
Effects
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Mediated communications are increasingly
important
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Computers
Mass Media
“Information society”
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