Chapter 16 Research and Theory Effects of Mass Media

Basics of Research and Theory Research often looks at questions and the answers to those questions are turned into theories American research begins in the 1920s Most media research is quantitative –Content analysis/violent acts/drugs used –Questions about consumption/volume Arbitron Nielsen

More Questions about impact/make you violent Developmental view –Slow and steady accumulation of knowledge –Self-correcting

Legacy of Fear Do mass communications present false images of the world to the public? Do the American media promote unacceptable behavior among children? Can mass media shape our attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors? Are mass communications dominating the political process and limiting intelligent decision making?

Magic Bullet Theory Immediate, direct and uniform effects on everyone who received a media message –Darwin/evolution –Uniform inherited instincts –Basic biology would say all humans will respond to stimuli in the same way

Payne Fund Studies Motion Picture Research Council 1920s 40 million minors in a year including almost half under 14 went to the movies weekly This is the first large scale attempt to measure effects of a major medium 13 reports published in the 1930s Confirmed critics charges and parental fears Established important questions STILL being pursued

Two of the Reports Blumer says movies are source of imitation, unintentional learning and emotional influence Peterson/Thurstone say seeing movies changes children’s attitudes Both were and can be shown to be invalid due to improper almost unethical research methods

Research SHOULD … Have a random sample Be valid—measures what it claims to measure Be reliable—if repeated using the same techniques it would yield similar results Be unbiased Use both control and experimental groups –Experimental groups each element can be controlled and evaluated individually –Control groups allow elements to occur naturally