METHODS OF COMMUNICATION RESEARCH AND STATISTIC
WEEK 1A: INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION SCIENCE
What is communication research?
Communication research is a systematic process about asking and answering questions about
human connections.
Communication research is a systematic process of posing questions about human
communications, designing and implementing research that will answer those questions, and
then persuading other researchers that your results are valid.
Communication Research helps in confirming and discovering patterns in communication
behavior of people, and helps the scholars to develop useful Communication theories.
For example:
● Finding out whether regular communication from the boss improves employee morale
● Finding out whether the level of violence in society is comparable to what is shown in
television content
● Finding out whether people’s vocabularies change when they are with an intimate
partner
Communication researchers focus on certain aspects of communication ...
● Social Media
● Organizational and group
● Interpersonal
● Rhetoric and persuasion
● Communication technology
Domains
1) Corporate communication
2) Entertainment communication
3) Persuasive communication
4) Political communication & Journalism
Major components in any human interactions are as follows:
1. Source
2. Message or messages
3. Channel or medium
, 4. Receiver or receivers
5. Noise (extraneous information or distraction that can disrupt an interaction)
What is scientific research? Research is a systematic process of
● Posing questions
● Answering questions
● Demonstrating that your results are valid
● Sharing your research result
It is …
● Empirical (based on reality, observations)
● Systematic and cumulative (builds on previous research, in search for patterns)
● Predictive (results in prediction, always trying to predict something)
● Related to theoretical knowledge
● Public (verifiable, open to criticism, results are always "preliminary")
● Objective (findings are not personal/ subjective, it is based on uniform rules -
comparable results)
Reasons for conducting research
➔ Fundamental research: t o contribute to science, fill knowledge gaps
➔ Applied research: acquire knowledge to solve a practice problem
(these can fulfill each other, doesn’t have to be one or the other)
Research strategies
WEEK 1A: INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION SCIENCE
What is communication research?
Communication research is a systematic process about asking and answering questions about
human connections.
Communication research is a systematic process of posing questions about human
communications, designing and implementing research that will answer those questions, and
then persuading other researchers that your results are valid.
Communication Research helps in confirming and discovering patterns in communication
behavior of people, and helps the scholars to develop useful Communication theories.
For example:
● Finding out whether regular communication from the boss improves employee morale
● Finding out whether the level of violence in society is comparable to what is shown in
television content
● Finding out whether people’s vocabularies change when they are with an intimate
partner
Communication researchers focus on certain aspects of communication ...
● Social Media
● Organizational and group
● Interpersonal
● Rhetoric and persuasion
● Communication technology
Domains
1) Corporate communication
2) Entertainment communication
3) Persuasive communication
4) Political communication & Journalism
Major components in any human interactions are as follows:
1. Source
2. Message or messages
3. Channel or medium
, 4. Receiver or receivers
5. Noise (extraneous information or distraction that can disrupt an interaction)
What is scientific research? Research is a systematic process of
● Posing questions
● Answering questions
● Demonstrating that your results are valid
● Sharing your research result
It is …
● Empirical (based on reality, observations)
● Systematic and cumulative (builds on previous research, in search for patterns)
● Predictive (results in prediction, always trying to predict something)
● Related to theoretical knowledge
● Public (verifiable, open to criticism, results are always "preliminary")
● Objective (findings are not personal/ subjective, it is based on uniform rules -
comparable results)
Reasons for conducting research
➔ Fundamental research: t o contribute to science, fill knowledge gaps
➔ Applied research: acquire knowledge to solve a practice problem
(these can fulfill each other, doesn’t have to be one or the other)
Research strategies
