 What is MASS?  What is a MEDIUM?

 What is MASS? › Large, undifferentiated audience? › The large, general group is often defined by a certain demographic or other common characteristic(s) › A relatively recent phenomenon in history

 What is MASS? › Large, undifferentiated audience? › The large, general group is often defined by a certain demographic or other common characteristic(s) › A relatively recent phenomenon in history  What is a MEDIUM? › Device interposed between source and receiver?

 What is MASS? › Large, undifferentiated audience? › The large, general group is often defined by a certain demographic or other common characteristic(s) › A relatively recent phenomenon in history  What is a MEDIUM? › Device interposed between source and receiver?  HOW have these notions necessarily changed in recent years?

A single professional source  A large, undifferentiated audience (set of receivers) NBC

Individual non-professional sources  Individual, specified receivers, with immediate feedback

Individual non-professional acts as source  A large, undifferentiated audience

Individual non-professional acts as source  A large, undifferentiated audience... WITH FEEDBACK

Individual non-professional acts as source  A large, undifferentiated audience... WITH FEEDBACK... AND COMMUNICATION AMONG AUDIENCE MEMBERS

 What is the dividing line?  DISCUSS

 Being: The existence of reality  Knowing: Human understanding of reality  Doing: Responding to reality

 Sensory Experience as a strategy › Plato’s distrust of this—man in the cave  Metaphysical Reasoning as a strategy › Xeno’s paradox of Achilles and the tortoise  Modern Philosophy of Science as a strategy › Francis Bacon & Inductive Strategy › Rene Descartes & Deductive Strategy

 1) Personal experience—good, but… › …some things that are true for oneself may not be true for others. › …may not be able to detect effects.  2) Intuition—usually works, but… › …sometimes reasoning may be faulty.

 3) Authority—can be important, but… › …authorities may be WRONG—hard to separate from biases, preconceptions, etc.  4) Science—relies on systematic observation (vs. casual observation). › As a way of knowing, science works. › Best defined by its characteristics.

 1. Objectivity —science strives to be free from biases and preconceptions.  2. Empirical —science is based on observation.  3. Probabilistic —based on regularities that have exceptions; looks for general patterns (vs. individual case studies).  4. Systematic and cumulative —research builds on other research, thereby building knowledge. Characteristics of Science

 5. Public —Methods and results must be fully disclosed and shared.  6. Limited —cannot answer certain types of questions—but it can help answer them. Characteristics of Science

 1) How much violence is there on TV?  2) Do children watch violent TV shows?  3) Does media violence cause children to become desensitized to violence in real life?

 1) Given that TV violence causes kids to behave aggressively, what should be done about it?  2) Should media do something more than merely distribute whatever content will earn them the greatest profits in the shortest time?  3) Should media become more involved in educating children?

 1. Describe empirical regularities and relationships.  2. Predict future outcomes.  3. Explain regularities and relationships.  4. Control future outcomes.

 Textbook: A theory is “a description of how something works.”  Others: “There is nothing so practical as a good theory.” › DISCUSS

 1) Consists of a set of related statements  2) These statements specify the relationships among concepts  3) These concepts must have observable counterparts (i.e., be measurable)  4) The theory will yield hypotheses (i.e., predictive statements of how variables relate) testable through observation.

 1) Consists of a set of related statements › ????  2) These statements specify the relationships among concepts › ????

 3) These concepts must have observable counterparts (i.e., be measurable) › ????  4) The theory will yield hypotheses (i.e., predictive statements of how variables relate) testable through observation › ?????

 Experiment: At least one IV (independent variable) is manipulated; unit of data collection is often (but not always) in a controlled (e.g., laboratory) setting (if not, it may be called a field experiment)

 Survey: Variables are measured as they “naturally” occur; unit of data collection is typically situated in its (his/her) natural environment; no variables are manipulated

 Content Analysis: Really, a type of Survey in which the units to be studied are messages, not people (Neuendorf, 2002: “a summarizing, quantitative analysis of messages that relies on the scientific method (including attention to objectivity/intersubjectivity, a priori design, reliability, validity, generalizability, replicability, and hypothesis testing)”)

 Qualitative Methods: Includes such variants as ethnography, narratology, focus groups, and participant observation; the researcher, and their knowledge and skills, are an integral part of the measurement process

SOURCEMESSAGERECEIVER Studies of Sources: - Surveys - Qualitative studies of sources Message Studies: - Content Analyses - Qualitative & Critical message analyses (narratology, discourse analysis, etc.) (Receiver) Effects Studies: - Surveys - Experiments - Qualitative effects studies