Download PPT #3: The Contributions of Political Science, Psychology, and

The Contributions of
Political Science,
Psychology, and
Sociology to Mass
Communication Theory
COM 226, Summer 2011
PPT #3
Includes chapters 4-7 of DeFleur textbook
From political philosophy to political
science
 Plato (c. 400 B.C.)--Opinion (doxa) vs.
knowledge (episteme)

◦ Opinion as untrustworthy, transient
◦ How has this changed?
Political Science: Some Basic
Concepts (textbook)

A Theory of Public Opinion as Shaped by the Press
◦ The press monitors the social/political environment through
the surveillance function; selects issues for coverage
 GATEKEEPING, FRAMING
◦ The public selectively attends to and interprets the
information
◦ Members of the public form individual opinions
 BRYCE’S THEORY OF PUBLIC OPINION
◦ Opinion Formation  Opinion Crystallization  Controversy/debate 
Changes in the political system
◦ These opinions are shared with others, and a consensus is
reached (or more than one, by different segments…)
 SPIRAL OF SILENCE
◦ These public opinions, shared by segments of society,
become widely known; these opinions can be ascertained
by systematic public opinion polling (surveys)
Political Science: Some Basic
Concepts (textbook)
Sensation and perception
 Learning and memory
 Cognitive Processing

◦ Selective Attention
◦ Selective Perception
◦ Selective Retention/Limitations on Memory
 Schemata and memory
Psychology: Some Basic Concepts
(textbook)

From Gemeinschaft to Gesellschaft
(Ferdinand Toennies):
Gemeinschaft: Traditional
Society
Gesellschaft: Industrialized
Society (“Business
Company”)
Shared informal rules for
behavior
Contracts
A restricted division of labor with
interdependency
Division of labor, anonymity and
anomie
A social order based on trust
Diversity and a loss of trust
Limited need for media
Decline of interpersonal
communication; increased
dependence on mass media
Sociology: Some Basic Concepts
(textbook)
Political Science
 Psychology
 Sociology
 Communication (Science)

For each, where is the focus?
 What are the concerns?

OVERALL—a Comparison of
Disciplines


Political Science—Formal organizations
Psychology—The individual
◦ Social psychology—The individual and his/her
relations with others


Sociology—Social groupings
Communication (Science)—Messages,
their origins and their effects


For each, where is the focus?
What are the concerns?
OVERALL—a Comparison of
Disciplines