MMC 3420 EXAM STUDY GUIDE
Media Platforms/Technologies - Answer -devices, platforms, and technologies that
allow you to access content
Media Sources - Answer -the entities responsible for content
Media content - Answer -the messages; what you're watching, listening to, reading,
playing, etc
Research - Answer --an attempt to discover something
-purposely very broad
Research Methods - Answer --a specific technique for gathering information (ex:
surveys, experiments, focus groups)
-can be qualitative or quantitative
Development of Mass Media - Answer --started after concerns about propaganda after
World Wars
-hypodermic needle/magic bullet theory: the message is inserted into your mind and you
will do whatever the media says
-not really a thing after testing; if it was, advertising would control your life
4 factors that encouraged mass media growth
1. world war 1 prompted a need to understand the nature of propaganda. Researchers
working from a stimulus-response pov attempted to uncover effects of the media on
people. hypodermic needle.
2. the realization of advertisers in the 50s and 60s that research data are useful in
developing ways to persuade potential customers to buy products/services. encouraged
studies of message effectiveness, demographics, placement of advertising to achieve
highest level of exposure, etc
3. increasing interest of citizens in the effects of the media on the public, especially on
children. interest in research related to violence and sexual content in TV and
commercials aired during children's shows
4. increased competition among the media for ad dollars. most now use long range
plans, objective, etc to support decisions made. mass media now focus on audience
fragmentation, which means that the mass of people is divided into small groups or
niches (researchers need info about these smaller groups of people)
Tenacity - Answer --the way of knowing based on: this is the way and it has always
been- "we've always done it this way"
-not the best b/c in media, things change quickly and methods do as well
Authority - Answer --"because I said so"; without backing it up
,-the problem with authority is that people are wrong-they may not be trying to
purposefully mislead you (although they might be), but it happens
Intuition and Self Discovery - Answer --things you just feel are right
-fallacies in our own thinking
-self-discovery does not reveal all truths- you can't just remove your own
perspective/bias
6 Characteristics of the scientific method (the best way of knowing) - Answer -1.
Scientific Method is public
(If I am doing research, it will be presented/published/shared.
Increased transparency of research)
2. Science is "objective"
(It is free from individual lenses or perspectives; we try to have a shared meaning of
basic measures or concepts)
3. Science is systematic and cumulative
(We don't have to start from ground one, even for abstract concepts.
Someone has always done some form of research for you to start with.
Research doesn't start nor stand alone.
One research study doesn't prove all (ex: phones are giving people horns).)
4. Science is prediction
(We should get better at predicting after researching.
It builds over time.
5. Science is self-correcting
(If you are down a bad path in research, you must back steer on the correct course to
get back on board.
6. Science is empirical.
(Knowable and potentially measurable. Phenomenon which is perceivable and able to
be classified.)
(Definition of empirical: of the world.)
Social media is empirical- we can measure how much you comment on posts, like
posts, log in, etc each day.
Conceptual (constitutive) definitions are somewhat abstract; define a word/concept by
substituting other words. (Ex: researching social media use, studying narcissism).
Operational definitions specify procedures that allow for the measurement of something.
(Ex: tracking how often the app is opened each day, how often they look at themselves
in one day)
Research question - Answer -a formal question posed to guide research
, -used frequently in problem or policy oriented studies where the researcher is not
interested in testing the statistical significance of the findings. however they can be used
to find statistical significance.
-exploratory research- to gather preliminary data when there is no clear idea or prior
information to use for predictions
hypotheses - Answer -predicts an outcome. a formal, tentative statement about the
relationship between independent and dependent variables.
-identical to research questions except for the absence of the element of prediction that
occurs in hypotheses.
Academic (basic) research - Answer -a. generate some basic knowledge (the goal)
b. can be cheap
c. slow going compared to applied research
Private (applied) research - Answer -a. happens in the industry sector/private sector
b. in house research
c. more money in applied research
d. the goal is to create data that leads to increased ROI (return on investment)
e. quicker than academic research- turnaround from beginning to conception is much
faster
Internal validity - Answer -are the study results based on expected conditions and not
extraneous variables? i.e. are we measuring what we think we're measuring?
-counting for everything else that could impact your variable
Threats to internal validity - Answer -history- things outside of the study influence the
results of your study; things you have no control over (like historical events); ex:
attitudes during top 10 brands in the country (people are going to feel differently about
BP oil due to the oil spill)
maturation- we mature; human development happens regardless of test intervention
instrumentation- your measures breaking down over time; less applicable in surveys
and groups. Using old scales or old verbage and lingo that require extra deciphering.
Something is faulty with your measuring methods.
statistical regression- if you keep giving people the same measure, they will move
closer to the mean of a group
morality- your subjects can drop out; there's something different about people who drop
out than the people who don't
demand characteristics- when the participant tries to the get the results that they think
the experimenter wants
Media Platforms/Technologies - Answer -devices, platforms, and technologies that
allow you to access content
Media Sources - Answer -the entities responsible for content
Media content - Answer -the messages; what you're watching, listening to, reading,
playing, etc
Research - Answer --an attempt to discover something
-purposely very broad
Research Methods - Answer --a specific technique for gathering information (ex:
surveys, experiments, focus groups)
-can be qualitative or quantitative
Development of Mass Media - Answer --started after concerns about propaganda after
World Wars
-hypodermic needle/magic bullet theory: the message is inserted into your mind and you
will do whatever the media says
-not really a thing after testing; if it was, advertising would control your life
4 factors that encouraged mass media growth
1. world war 1 prompted a need to understand the nature of propaganda. Researchers
working from a stimulus-response pov attempted to uncover effects of the media on
people. hypodermic needle.
2. the realization of advertisers in the 50s and 60s that research data are useful in
developing ways to persuade potential customers to buy products/services. encouraged
studies of message effectiveness, demographics, placement of advertising to achieve
highest level of exposure, etc
3. increasing interest of citizens in the effects of the media on the public, especially on
children. interest in research related to violence and sexual content in TV and
commercials aired during children's shows
4. increased competition among the media for ad dollars. most now use long range
plans, objective, etc to support decisions made. mass media now focus on audience
fragmentation, which means that the mass of people is divided into small groups or
niches (researchers need info about these smaller groups of people)
Tenacity - Answer --the way of knowing based on: this is the way and it has always
been- "we've always done it this way"
-not the best b/c in media, things change quickly and methods do as well
Authority - Answer --"because I said so"; without backing it up
,-the problem with authority is that people are wrong-they may not be trying to
purposefully mislead you (although they might be), but it happens
Intuition and Self Discovery - Answer --things you just feel are right
-fallacies in our own thinking
-self-discovery does not reveal all truths- you can't just remove your own
perspective/bias
6 Characteristics of the scientific method (the best way of knowing) - Answer -1.
Scientific Method is public
(If I am doing research, it will be presented/published/shared.
Increased transparency of research)
2. Science is "objective"
(It is free from individual lenses or perspectives; we try to have a shared meaning of
basic measures or concepts)
3. Science is systematic and cumulative
(We don't have to start from ground one, even for abstract concepts.
Someone has always done some form of research for you to start with.
Research doesn't start nor stand alone.
One research study doesn't prove all (ex: phones are giving people horns).)
4. Science is prediction
(We should get better at predicting after researching.
It builds over time.
5. Science is self-correcting
(If you are down a bad path in research, you must back steer on the correct course to
get back on board.
6. Science is empirical.
(Knowable and potentially measurable. Phenomenon which is perceivable and able to
be classified.)
(Definition of empirical: of the world.)
Social media is empirical- we can measure how much you comment on posts, like
posts, log in, etc each day.
Conceptual (constitutive) definitions are somewhat abstract; define a word/concept by
substituting other words. (Ex: researching social media use, studying narcissism).
Operational definitions specify procedures that allow for the measurement of something.
(Ex: tracking how often the app is opened each day, how often they look at themselves
in one day)
Research question - Answer -a formal question posed to guide research
, -used frequently in problem or policy oriented studies where the researcher is not
interested in testing the statistical significance of the findings. however they can be used
to find statistical significance.
-exploratory research- to gather preliminary data when there is no clear idea or prior
information to use for predictions
hypotheses - Answer -predicts an outcome. a formal, tentative statement about the
relationship between independent and dependent variables.
-identical to research questions except for the absence of the element of prediction that
occurs in hypotheses.
Academic (basic) research - Answer -a. generate some basic knowledge (the goal)
b. can be cheap
c. slow going compared to applied research
Private (applied) research - Answer -a. happens in the industry sector/private sector
b. in house research
c. more money in applied research
d. the goal is to create data that leads to increased ROI (return on investment)
e. quicker than academic research- turnaround from beginning to conception is much
faster
Internal validity - Answer -are the study results based on expected conditions and not
extraneous variables? i.e. are we measuring what we think we're measuring?
-counting for everything else that could impact your variable
Threats to internal validity - Answer -history- things outside of the study influence the
results of your study; things you have no control over (like historical events); ex:
attitudes during top 10 brands in the country (people are going to feel differently about
BP oil due to the oil spill)
maturation- we mature; human development happens regardless of test intervention
instrumentation- your measures breaking down over time; less applicable in surveys
and groups. Using old scales or old verbage and lingo that require extra deciphering.
Something is faulty with your measuring methods.
statistical regression- if you keep giving people the same measure, they will move
closer to the mean of a group
morality- your subjects can drop out; there's something different about people who drop
out than the people who don't
demand characteristics- when the participant tries to the get the results that they think
the experimenter wants
