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MMC 3420 Midterm Questions and Correct
Answers
Examples of research methods Ans: experiment, survey, content
analysis, focus groups, in-depth interviews
any form of communication transmitted through a medium
(channel) that simultaneously reaches a large number of people.
Ans: mass communication
a system of methods used in a particular area of study or activity
Ans: Methodology
What historical events/ periods encouraged the growth of mass
media research? Ans: 1. World War 1
-Propaganda
-hypodermic needle model of communication: mass
communicators need only shoot messages at an audience and
those messages would produce pre-planned and universal effects
2. Realization by Advertisers in the 50's and 60's
-research data are useful in developing ways to persuade
customers to buy products and services
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-efficiency, exposure, demographics, placement, selection of
medium
3. Increasing interest of citizens
-in effects of the media on the public (especially children)
-result was interest in research related to violence and sexual
content
-prosocial (positive) antisocial (negative)
4. Increasing competition among media
-in terms of ad dollars
-audience fragmentation = niches = demassification> increases
need for trend
studies, image studies, segmentation studies
-survival kit contains info about consumers changing values,
tastes, shifts, etc
Examples of non scientific ways of knowing: Ans: •Intuition
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(Believe something to be true because you feel it is true; from
within)
•Tenacity
(hear something and just believe it. Ex: We use only 10% of our
brains)
•Authority
(believing something because Beyonce says it)
What are the six basic characteristics of the scientific method?
Ans: Scientific research is:
-Public
-Objective
-Empirical
(Evidence that is observable)
-Systematic and cumulative
-Predictive
-Self-correcting
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researchers concerned with a world that is knowable and
potentially measurable. Ans: Empirical Research
an abstract idea formed by generalization Ans: Concept:
dictionary-like definition. Gives a concept a meaning. Ans:
Conceptual definition
Empirical counterpart of a concept or construct. Links the
empirical with the theoretical. Events that are measured or
manipulated in research.
-What factor are we going to look at to measure something?
-If measuring kindness, are we measuring how many times
someone opens a door for others?
-Can have more than one value along continuum. For example:
"satisfaction with pay- per-view TV programs" can take on
different values. A person can be satisfied a lot, little or not at all.
Ans: Variable
defining observations that can be used to measure the concept
© 2025 All rights reserved
MMC 3420 Midterm Questions and Correct
Answers
Examples of research methods Ans: experiment, survey, content
analysis, focus groups, in-depth interviews
any form of communication transmitted through a medium
(channel) that simultaneously reaches a large number of people.
Ans: mass communication
a system of methods used in a particular area of study or activity
Ans: Methodology
What historical events/ periods encouraged the growth of mass
media research? Ans: 1. World War 1
-Propaganda
-hypodermic needle model of communication: mass
communicators need only shoot messages at an audience and
those messages would produce pre-planned and universal effects
2. Realization by Advertisers in the 50's and 60's
-research data are useful in developing ways to persuade
customers to buy products and services
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
-efficiency, exposure, demographics, placement, selection of
medium
3. Increasing interest of citizens
-in effects of the media on the public (especially children)
-result was interest in research related to violence and sexual
content
-prosocial (positive) antisocial (negative)
4. Increasing competition among media
-in terms of ad dollars
-audience fragmentation = niches = demassification> increases
need for trend
studies, image studies, segmentation studies
-survival kit contains info about consumers changing values,
tastes, shifts, etc
Examples of non scientific ways of knowing: Ans: •Intuition
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 3 | Page
(Believe something to be true because you feel it is true; from
within)
•Tenacity
(hear something and just believe it. Ex: We use only 10% of our
brains)
•Authority
(believing something because Beyonce says it)
What are the six basic characteristics of the scientific method?
Ans: Scientific research is:
-Public
-Objective
-Empirical
(Evidence that is observable)
-Systematic and cumulative
-Predictive
-Self-correcting
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 4 | Page
researchers concerned with a world that is knowable and
potentially measurable. Ans: Empirical Research
an abstract idea formed by generalization Ans: Concept:
dictionary-like definition. Gives a concept a meaning. Ans:
Conceptual definition
Empirical counterpart of a concept or construct. Links the
empirical with the theoretical. Events that are measured or
manipulated in research.
-What factor are we going to look at to measure something?
-If measuring kindness, are we measuring how many times
someone opens a door for others?
-Can have more than one value along continuum. For example:
"satisfaction with pay- per-view TV programs" can take on
different values. A person can be satisfied a lot, little or not at all.
Ans: Variable
defining observations that can be used to measure the concept
© 2025 All rights reserved
