Comm Research

Independent variable vs. dependent variable

*independent variable* the factor that is manipulated (something that "I" change) in a controlled experiment *dependent variable* shows the effect of the manipulation (measurable)

Characteristics of scientific research

--objective --controlled --systematic observation --empirical (factual data) --interpretation

Research question vs. hypothesis

1)Hypothesis-Statement about relationship between two or more variables 2)Question-What research wants to learn.

Of following, which is not recommended while designing a questionnaire?A) Sensitive demographic data should be placed at the first page of the questionnaire B) Sensitive items should be placed at the end of the questionnaire C) Age and gender information are usually included in the first part of a questionnaire D) The questionnaire should proceed from the general to the specific

A

Of the following, which is an advantage of survey research? a) A large amount of data can be collected with relative ease from a variety of people. b) Researchers don't have to hire interviewers c) Cause-and-effect can be established d) Any type of respondent can be interviewed

A

To control confounding variables in experimental research, researchers can use several techniques. Which one is appropriate to control this problem?A) Randomization B) Using field experiment C) Observing subjects all the time D) Including another variable in the design

A

What type of study does this notation describe: R X O2? A) Posttest only B) Pretest only C) Pretest-posttest D) Solomon pretest only

A

Scientific method

A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions.

Which of the following are measurement errors?

All of the above

Which of the following types of data is appropriate to use as evidence in case study research?

All of the above

All of the following statements are accurate except: A) Long questionnaires cause low completion rates B) Shorter questionnaires do not cause respondent mortality C) The maximum time limit of one-on-one interview is 10 minutes D) Questionnaire length is determined by trial-and-error

C

All questions in a questionnaire should include: A) No more than three possible responses B) A "Don't Know/No Answer" response C) A logical alternative to check for validity D) No more than five possible responses

C

What type of study does this notation describe: R O1 X O2? A) Posttest only B) Pretest only C) Pretest-posttest D) Latin Square posttest only

C

Which of the following is a disadvantage of an online experiment? a) Large sample size b)Experimenter bias c) Self-selection of sample d) Geographically diverse sample

C

Which of the following is a disadvantage of mail surveys? A) Researchers must use monetary incentives B) Researchers are able to know exactly who answers the questions C) Low return rate casts doubt on the reliability of the findings D) Wide geographic reach

C

Which of the following is not one of the advantages of the experiment?A) Experiment help establish cause and effect B) In a laboratory situation, researchers can control over the environment C) Results can be generalized to real-life situations

C

Which of the following variables can take on any value, including fractions?

Continuous

To eliminate unwanted influences, which of the following do researchers use?

Control variables

An extraneous variable is the same as a a) Independent variable b) Dependent variable c) Criterion variable d) Confounding variable

D

A quasi-experiment resembled a true experiment but a) No inferential statistics can be used with it b) There are no dependent variables c) There are no independent variables d) There is no randomization

D

Of the following, which is an appropriate way to conduct a pretest? A) Use college student samples B) In telephone surveys, call 40-50 people and do a run-through C) Pretest with the type of respondent who will not participate in the actual study D) Conducting a mini-study with a small sample

D

Fill in the Blank: A __________ is one that asks two or more questions simultaneously.

Double-Barreled Question

T/F A census is a subset of the population.

FALSE

T/F Gita is moderating a focus group to find out where college students go to download music. She begins with specific questions about particular sites and then builds to general questions about the process of downloading music. This approach is called the "funnel technique."

FALSE

T/F In scientific research, it is important for a single research study to stand alone

FALSE

T/F Sampling error occurs when measurements taken from a sample do not correspond to what exists in the population.

FALSE

T/F Stephan is moderating a focus group to evaluate possible actors for a new perfume commercial. One of the subjects has introduced an intriguing, unexpected concept into the discussion. Unfortunately, since this is a focus group, Stephan can only ask questions that are already in the moderator's guide. He cannot introduce a new line of questions

FALSE

T/F The numerical midpoint on a Likert Scale is 4.

FALSE

T/F The ordinal level is the weakest form of measurement.

FALSE

T/F scientific advancement depends on privately held information

FALSE

Calvin conducted a content analysis of violence in video games that are popular with children and found that more than 3/4 of these games portrayed violence and aggression. From this, he can conclude that these games stimulate violent behavior in the children that play them regularly. True False

False

In field experiments, researchers can control all the intervening variables. ( True/ False )

False

T/F Qualitative research always uses smaller samples of subjects or respondents.

False

There are three major types of surveys: descriptive, analytical, and cultural. ( True/ False )

False

Which of the following types of variables does the researcher systematically vary?

Independent variables

Evelyn wants to know if people who use public computers to access the Internet typically take precautions to protect their privacy, so she goes to a popular Internet Cafe and interviews people about their computer habits. She uses a flexible interview method so she can adapt her questions for each interviewee. Which of the following research paradigms informs Evelyn's approach?

Interpretive paradigm

The biggest difference between a probability and a non-probability sample is:

It is impossible to calculate the amount of sampling error present in a non-probability sample

Mary asked parents of children whether they strongly agree, agree, are neutral, disagree, or strongly disagree with the statement, "I want my child to learn Spanish." This is an example of which of the following rating scales?

Likert

One of the most commonly used scales in mass media research is the:

Likert Scale

"with all this violence in the world, it just seems like TV must be causing some of it." this claim is an example of:

Method of intuition

Several possible approaches to answering research questions. Method of tenacity: its true because its always been true Method of intuition or a priori approach: based on owns untested reasoning Method of authority: someone you trust says its true Scientific method (learning as a series of small steps, and several definable characteristics)

Methods of knowing

The research procedures and methodologies used by field services or research suppliers in private sector research is audited by:

No one

the question, "how many angles can stand on the head of a pin?" can be answered with the help of a/an:

Operational definition of the word "angel"

You measure the number of press releases public relations professionals gets published over a four-week period. This is an example of which level of measurement?

Ratio

Measurement (definition and types)

Scales of measurement refer to ways in which variables/numbers are defined and categorized. Each scale of measurement has certain properties which in turn determines the appropriateness for use of certain statistical analyses. The four scales of measurement are nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.

Fill in the Blank: _______________ is used to eliminate unwanted respondents or to include only respondents who have specific characteristics or who answer questions in a specific manner.

Screener (or Filter) Question

T/F A theory's adequacy lies in its ability to predict a phenomenon or event successfully

TRUE

T/F Concepts simplify the research process by combining particular characteristics, objects, or people into more general categories.

TRUE

T/F Empiricism derives from the Greek word for "experience"

TRUE

T/F If SAT scores predict college success, we can say the SAT has some degree of validity.

TRUE

T/F Non-probability samples are usually adequate for pilot studies.

TRUE

T/F One advantage of qualitative research is that generally it occurs in a more realistic setting - sometimes called field observations - than experimental research.

TRUE

T/F Qualitative research is interpretive in nature and individuals who employ qualitative methods believe that the researcher is the instrument and that no other individual can be substituted for the researcher. This is because the differences in research training and experience produce different interpretations of the data.

TRUE

The biggest disadvantage of a survey is that independent variables cannot be manipulated the way they are in laboratory experiments. (True /False )

TRUE

IRB roles

The UAB Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a committee established to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects involved in research activities as prescribed by federal regulations.

Theory vs. law

Theory- a set of related propositions that presents a systematic view of phenomenon by specifying relationships among concepts aka variables Law- a statement of fact meant to explain, in concise terms, an action or set of actions that is generally accepted to be universally true

A factorial design for a study must have at least two factors or independent variables. (True/ False)

True

Content analytic schemes or category systems should be mutually exclusive and exhaustive. True False

True

Intercoder reliability for categorical data can be calculated using Hoslsti's formula for percentage of agreement, Cohen's kappa or Scott's pi. True False

True

Surveys are not constrained by geographic boundaries. ( True/ False)

True

The advantage of the repeated-measures design is that fewer subjects are necessary because each subject participates in all conditions. ( True or False )

True

Validity and reliability (definition and types)

Validity implies the extent to which the research instrument measures, what it is intended to measure. Reliability refers to the degree to which scale produces consistent results, when repeated measurements are made. A reliable instrument need not be a valid instrument

Interpretivism

a research perspective in which understanding and interpretation of the social world is derived from one's personal intuition and perspective

Control variable (confounding variable)

a variable which is held constant as to remove unwanted influences

Bridget has begun to study the representation of vegetarians in entertainment magazines by doing a simple content analysis. Her study measures which of the sampled articles identify a character as a vegetarian. At this preliminary phase, the articles are coded as either identifying a vegetarian or not identifying a vegetarian. What level of data is this? a. Interval b. Nominal c. Ordinal d. Ratio

b (nominal)

Empiricism

based off of experience

Researcher ethics in conducting research

be ethical duh

Quantitative content analysis is a research technique that: a. Uses selected examples to illustrate theoretical points b. Qualitatively describes the content of communication c. Quantitatively describes the content of communication d. Focuses primarily on a single person to ensure depth of information

c (Quantitatively describes the content of communication)

Census vs. sample

census: entire population; sample: subset of population

When researchers develop content categories, they need to make certain that all category systems have which of the following qualities? a. Exhaustive b. Mutually exclusive c. Reliable d. All of the above

d (all of the above)

If a researcher was coding character race, which of the following category schemes would be the best example of a mutually exclusive and exhaustive scheme? a. African American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic. Other b. African American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic. White - nonhispanic. Other c. African American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic. Native American, Other d. None of the choices

d (none of the choices)

Jacy wants to examine how extensively the activities of celebrities are covered as news events. He begins by selecting a random sample of stories from the front pages of the January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009 editions of the 5 U.S. newspapers with the highest circulation. For this study, "the front pages of the January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009 editions of the 5 U.S. newspapers with the highest circulation" would be called: a. Census b. Simple random sample c. Stratified random sample d. Universe

d (universe)

Continuous vs. discrete

discrete: finite set of values ( ex. nominal classifications); continuous: can take any value including fractions an can be meaningfully broken into small subsections (time, weight, height [depending on how precise the measurement is these measurements can be broken down into smaller and smaller units])

Sampling errors

error related to selecting a sample from population; difference between sample and population in representation

Differences in research settings between experimental and qualitative research projects

experimental: in a controlled environment; qualitative: in the natural setting

Research studies involving the simultaneous analysis of two or more independent variables are called_______________

factorial designs

Measurement errors

flaws in the recording of the data; not accurately measuring what is trying to be measured

Qualitative data analysis (e.g., analytical induction)

interpreting the results from interviews, surveys, and field observation

Focus group interview

involve people; share a quality or characteristic; provide qualitative data, not used to test hypotheses or generalize to a population; a focused discussion (questions are predetermined, the sequence of questions is established, and questions are structured to further the goal of the research, but the moderator is free to depart from the structure if the participants present relevant information)

which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the scientific method?

it is based on the method of authority

when relationships among variables are invariant (always the same) under given conditions, researchers may formulate a:

law

Macro vs. micro ethnography

macro ethnography: studying a society as a whole; micro ethnography: studying a subset of a population

"it is impossible to get an A on a college test--my brother said so" is an example of the:

method of authority

Measurement scale types

nominal: (weakest form of knowing) qualitative, a classification ordinal: ranking along some dimension such as smallest to largest (distance between each point is inconsistent) interval: ranking in which the distance between each point is the same ratio: # between a point and 0

robert is studying the impact of the pace of television commericals on viewers' regocnition of brand names. which of the following variables would be an INDEPENDENT variable for this study?

pace of the commercial

which of the following is an operational definition of "heavy television viewers?"

people who watch four or more hours of television a day

Structured vs. unstructured question techniques in qualitative research

planned questions/ freely flowing questions

Probability vs. non-probability sampling

probability: uses mathematical guidelines whereby each unit's chance for selection is known; nonprobability: does not follow the guidelines for mathematical probability

Characteristics of scientific research

public, objective, empirical, systematic & cumulative

Sampling types (e.g., purposive, random sampling)

purposive sample: respondents, subjects, or elements are selected for specific characteristics or qualities; snowball sample: randomly contacts a few qualified respondents and then asks these people for the contact info of friends relatives or acquaintances they know who may also qualify for the research of study; simple random: each subject, element or unit the population has can equal chance or being selected w/ or w/o replacement

Sources of errors in qualitative research (e.g., reactivity)

reactivity- participant recognizes they are being observed

which state regarding characteristics of the scientific method is correct

scientific research is public

The type of sampling most appropriate for research conducted within the naturalistic paradigm is:

snowball sampling

Funnel techniques in interviews

starting with broad topic and gradually get more specific

Positivism

the application of the scientific approach to the social world

Bernice is studying factors that influence the popularity of radio performances. Which of the following variables would be a discrete variable for this study?

the gender of the announcer

T/F Replication means that the results of a study can be repeated by the same researcher as well as by other researchers. When you replicate a study you increase the external validity of the findings

true

Which of the following terms is generally not accepted by a researcher who follows the scientific method:

undisputed fact

Linda is studying the impact of the pace of television commercials on viewers' recognition of brand names. which of the following variables would be a DEPENDENT variable for the study described above

viewer recognition of brand names

when is it appropriate to use a research question rather than a hypothesis?

when you want to gather preliminary data to learn more about the nature of a problem