COM 315 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND ACCURATE
ANSWERS
individual difference theory - Answers - people are unique in the way they approach
media messages; individual demographics and experiences shape audience
perceptions of communicators and their transmissions.
social categories theory - Answers - maintains that people who share similar
demographic characteristics will respond similarly to a message; research has shown,
for instance, that women interpret a tv news report differently than men.
social influence - Answers - members of a group can construct an artificial reality for
themselves, strong enough even to reject appealing mass -media message or
portrayals. Ex: young people who do not drink will not change their mind from seeing a
beer commercial
selective processes - Answers - selective attention or exposure, selective perception,
selective retention and even selective recall; people choose what they want to pay
attention to etc.
stereotypes - Answers - the mental images people use as a simplified representation of
reality
libertarianism - Answers - relies on a marketplace of ideas in which anyone with a
viewpoint has the right to publish it without prior govt apporoval
social responsilibity - Answers - promoted the proposition that because all voices can no
longer be represented in the market place of ideas, the media had a responsibility to
insure that all viewpoints were expressed and that conflict was to be elevated to a plain
of discussion
gatekeeping - Answers - opening and shutting the gates of communication, controlling
the flow of info, determining what the audience sees, hears and reads
agenda setting - Answers - the mass media determines what is important, making an
actual agenda or schedule
framing - Answers - deals with the perceived newworthiness of an issue, focuses on
how the issue is presented, involves word choice, "ahead" "surging behind"
issue attention cycle - Answers - news media and public ignore a serious problem for
years, suddenly notice is and declare it a crisis and find a solution
ANSWERS
individual difference theory - Answers - people are unique in the way they approach
media messages; individual demographics and experiences shape audience
perceptions of communicators and their transmissions.
social categories theory - Answers - maintains that people who share similar
demographic characteristics will respond similarly to a message; research has shown,
for instance, that women interpret a tv news report differently than men.
social influence - Answers - members of a group can construct an artificial reality for
themselves, strong enough even to reject appealing mass -media message or
portrayals. Ex: young people who do not drink will not change their mind from seeing a
beer commercial
selective processes - Answers - selective attention or exposure, selective perception,
selective retention and even selective recall; people choose what they want to pay
attention to etc.
stereotypes - Answers - the mental images people use as a simplified representation of
reality
libertarianism - Answers - relies on a marketplace of ideas in which anyone with a
viewpoint has the right to publish it without prior govt apporoval
social responsilibity - Answers - promoted the proposition that because all voices can no
longer be represented in the market place of ideas, the media had a responsibility to
insure that all viewpoints were expressed and that conflict was to be elevated to a plain
of discussion
gatekeeping - Answers - opening and shutting the gates of communication, controlling
the flow of info, determining what the audience sees, hears and reads
agenda setting - Answers - the mass media determines what is important, making an
actual agenda or schedule
framing - Answers - deals with the perceived newworthiness of an issue, focuses on
how the issue is presented, involves word choice, "ahead" "surging behind"
issue attention cycle - Answers - news media and public ignore a serious problem for
years, suddenly notice is and declare it a crisis and find a solution
