Chapter 1 Flashcards
Theory
the rationale we extend to understand the world around us
Research
ways to test or make sense of that rationale from either quantitative or qualitative approaches
Subliminal Message
a message not consciously received, yet that may still impact our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors
questions of fact/definition
- establish the phenomenon under study
- must meet criteria of reliability and validity
reliability (questions of definition criteria)
it is consistent
validity (questions of definition criteria)
it measures what we think it measures
types of definitions
- operational definitions
- reportative definitions
- stipulative definitions
operational definitions
stipulate how a phenomenon is to be measured. Bridge the gap between theory and method by constructing a variable form a theoretical abstraction.
reportative definitions
are obtained from previous research; they have a conventional meaning, one well understood by others researching in the area.
stipulative definitions
are unique to the particular theoretical approach being tested
types of questions
- questions of fact/definition
- questions of variable relations
- questions of value
- questions of policy
questions of value
relate to considerations that focus more on the goodness or value of the variables being studied and the study as a whole. Examine the aesthetic or normative features of communication.
questions of policy
focus on how the communication phenomena under study affect how communication should be practiced. Are especially important to media practitioners.
bad question qualities
- trivial (it affects no one)
- useless (others have already asked similar questions and found no clear response)
- irrelevant (it doesn’t deal with communication)
- impossible to test
good question qualities
- stem from a well-conceived theoretical approach to how humans communicate
- almost always dictates the method most appropriate to answer that question
- will lead to other significant questions
