1 Section One Overview and History

2 Chapter 1 Understanding Media Effects

3 Processes of Communication Interpersonal communication– two people engage in a conversation. Mediated communication– two people converse via the telephone or . Mass communication- a news anchor speaks to a camera and the message is transmitted to a large number of viewers.

4 Communication Models Offer a graphic means of explicating, or facilitating the understanding of, an abstract process such as communication.

5 Communication Models Linear Models: based on the principles of stimulus- response psychology Ex. Shannon-Weaver Model Interactive Models: circular model in which communication is shown to be interactive and interpretive Ex. Schramm Interactive Model Transactional Models: describes the giving and receiving of information through communication Ex. OTA Transactional Model

6 Models to Explain Media Effects Individual Effects Comstock psychological model Thorson cognitive processing model Social Effects Media system dependency model

7 Measuring Media Effects Laboratory experiments Survey research Field experiments Panel studies

8 Laboratory Experiments Pros Good for establishing causality Researcher has a lot of control Relatively inexpensive Easier for others to replicate Cons Artificial surroundings may affect a participant’s behavior Experimental bias

9 Survey Research Written questionnaires Telephone interviews Face-to-face interviews Web surveys

10 Purposes of Survey Research 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

11 Field Experiments Pros Participants are measured in real-life settings Behaviors are more natural Expedient for studying complex social situations Cons Do not allow for much physical control May raise ethical issues

12 Panel Studies Researchers must either interview or send questionnaires to the same respondents at different times Expensive, since respondents must be recruited and retained over time

13 Triangulation Three methodologies are used Combined results are more compelling than any single methodology Programmatic research increases credibility

14 Other Research Methodologies of Media Effects Content Analysis Meta-Analysis Statistical Methods

15 Content Analysis 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

16 Meta-Analysis A means of systematically integrating the findings from many empirical studies Used to provide a “big picture”

17 Statistical Methods Most studies make use of statistics, which can be: Descriptive Inferential

18 Importance of Studying Media Effects Mediated communications are increasingly important Computers Mass Media “Information society”