Comm Theory Flashcards
Griffin Chs. 1-3 (foundations) 5 (Symbolic Interactionism) and 37 (Agenda Setting) and Treadwell Ch. 1-2 and 4.
What is Comm Theory?
- the process of interpreting messages to develop patterns that yield truth.
Explain what makes an objective/ scientific Theory Good or Useful. (Ch. 3). Use examples where possible.
- Future Events: predicts what will happen in future
- Explanation of Data: clearly explain
- Simplicity: straightforward
- Testability: tested
- Practical Utility: Useful in real life
- Quantitative research: relies on numbers
Explain or identify what makes an Interpretive Theory Good or Useful (Ch. 3) – 7 standards.
- Clarification of Values: reveals why people act the way they do.
- Understanding of People: Helps us see people in a new way
- Aesthetic Approval: Uses clear language to make it enjoyable to read
- Community of Agreement: Accepted by other scholars
- Reform of Society: Challenge society’s way of thinking
- Qualitative Research: Based on interviews
- Lived Experience: People make sense of daily life
Understand and be able to identify statements about Symbolic Interactionism (Ch 5):
-Meaning is created through interaction
- Language shapes reality
- Self
interaction
“The “Looking Glass Self”:
Explain or identify terms within Symbolic Interactionism: meaning, minding, self, looking glass self, other, society, naming.
- Meaning: people act on meaning
- Minding: thinking before acting
- Self: we develop a sense of who we
- Looking glass self: See ourselves through eyes of others
- Other: relate to people in society
- Society: made up of all the people
- Naming: How we use words
What are Mead’s 3 premises and what do they mean? Come up with original examples.
- Meaning: people act based on meanings
- Language: Meaning is created through social interaction
- Thought: People’s interpretations of symbols are modified
What is the source of the self - according to symbolic interactionism?
- the source is social interaction.
Know how to apply the theory (hint - read chapter carefully and also review self-help quizzes on the Griffin website)
-you focus on how people create meaning and understand their identities through social interactions.
Be aware of strengths and weaknesses of SI theory, per Griffin.
- Strengths: Focuses on human interaction,
- Weakness: Lacks structures,
What method of research would be most common for those applying symbolic interactionism?
- Interviews, Observation
What is a social construction - or its beliefs - according to symbolic interactionism?
- social construct: something that exists because people in society agree that it has meaning.
What is media agenda setting - according to McCombs-Shaw?
-Idea that the media doesn’t tell us what to think, but tells us what to think about.
What are the methods used to measure the agenda setting effect? How is it measured and calculated?
-1. Content analysis: they count the number of stories
-2. Surveys: conducting surveys
3. Comparative studies: Looking at changes in media
4. Experimental Method: Showing different groups of different amounts of media
Evaluate agenda setting according to the principles laid out by Griffin for objective theories.
- Prediction of Future Events: if media covers a topic extensively,
- Explanation of Data: How media focuses on certain issues
- Simplicity: media coverage
- Testability: testable through survey
5: Practical Utility: understanding how media influences - Quantitative Research: relies on methods like counting
Explain key terms in agenda setting research: personal agenda, public agenda, media agenda, salience, framing.
- Personal Agenda: More important in their own life
- Public Agenda: society considers more important
- Media Agenda: media focus
- Salience: issue in people’s minds
- Framing: shapes coverage of an issue
