Com 500 Test 1 Study Guide

Front 1

1. What is research and why is it important to communication scholars? (p. 12)

Back 1

Research is a disciplined inquiry that involves studying something in a planned manner and reporting it so that other inquirers can potentially replicate the process if they choose

Proprietary: conducted for a specific audience and is not necessarily shared beyond the audience

Scholarly: conducted to promote public access to knowledge; researchers conduct to publish studies about the effectiveness of various means of persuasion of new vaccines for treating disease
Imp. to communication scholars (it was hard to find this one)

Front 2

2. What is the difference between a claim and evidence? (p. 6)

Back 2

Claim is an assertion or conclusions-- could just be an opinion, anyone could make a claim

Evidence is the reason that prove the claim to be true. Validity of a claim is related to validity of the evidence in its favor.

Front 3

3. What is the difference between intuition, faith and mysticism? (p. 8-11)

Back 3

Intuition is believing in something is true of false simply because it “makes sense”. It is leaps of insight that we can’t explain rationally.

Pareidola: perceive meaning in the face of meaningless objects or stimuli (clouds)

Tunnel Effect: perceptual tricks of the mind that accompany intuitive reasoning

Cognitive Conservatism: holds onto conclusions we reach even when presented with contradictory information

Faith involves a belief that doesn’t rest on logical proof or material evidence
Mysticism explains an otherwise unexplainable event. However, it can be actually explained. EX: Astrology-- no scientific basis

Front 4

4. What are the characteristics of research? (p. 12-16)

Back 4

1. research is based on curiosity and asking questions
-desire to find an answer to puzzling question period (detective searching for clues to a crime)
research methods are strategies used to solve the mysteries in the world and they use methods to do this

2. research is a systematic process
-step by step manner
-ensure their report are accurate and findings
Conceptualization
Planning and Designing research
Methodology
Analyzing and interpreting data
Reconceptualization
3. Research is potentially replicable
-other scholars could do this
-make sure there is no inappropriate generalizations

4. Research is reflexive and self-control
-discover and report flaws or threats
-problems that may have affected the study and limit the findings

5. Research is cumulative and self-correcting
-allows for knowledge to evolve and grow
-research leads to more research---creates community of inquirers

6. research is cyclical
-new questions emerge from answers to previous questions

Front 5

5. What are the 4 phases of the communication model? (p. 14-15)

Back 5

1. Conceptualizing communication research: identifying a topic worth studying and a specific question worth asking
-look at previous research; doesn’t exist in isolation

2. Planning and Designing communication research: operationalization: determining the observable characteristics associated with a concept of variable
-measurement techniques need to be valid or accurate
-rule out a number of important threats to designing internally valid research (ethical questions to be asked)

3. Methodologies for Conducting Communication Research: adhering and understanding to the specific assumptions and requirements of the method chosen
experimental research: causation from physical sciences to the study of humans
survey: self-reported characteristics to generalize to the population
textual analysis: analyze spoken, written, electronic and visual texts and documents
-rhetorical, content, interaction, performance
naturalistic: study people in their natural settings
-must be guided by the nature of the topic chosen and the research question/hypothesis posed

4. Analysis and Interpreting Data: quantitative: the use of appropriate statistical procedures (infer meanings; inferential
qualitative: descriptive statistics (describe)

5. Reconceptualizing Communication Research: researchers rethink the topic of inquiry as a result of the systematic processes associated with conceptualization, planning and designing research using methodologies to gather data, analyzing the data and finally interpreting research findings
-explaining the meaning and significance of the research findings

Front 6

6. What is the difference between naturalistic and positivist paradigms in relation to ontological assumption? (p. 18)

Back 6

Ontological assumption is the nature of reality

Positivist has one reality that exists apart from any particular individual

Naturalistic has multiple realities that are constructed between and among people (intersubjectivity)

Front 7

7. What is the difference between naturalistic and positivist paradigms in relation to epistemological assumption? (p. 18)

Back 7

Epistemological assumption is the relationship of the researcher to that which is being researched

Positivist has the idea that relationship is independent; what is known is independent of any researcher

Naturalistic believes the relationship is interdependent; what can be known depends on who's doing the knowing

Front 8

8. What is the difference between naturalistic and positivist paradigms in relation to axiological assumption? (p. 18)

Back 8

Axiological assumption is the role of values in the research process

Positivist believe that the research is value-free and unbiased; researchers values are kept out of the research process

Naturalistic: research is inherently value-laden and biased

Front 9

9. What is the difference between naturalistic and positivist paradigms in relation to methodological assumption? (p. 18)

Back 9

Methodological assumption is the process of research

Positivistic is deductive, general to specific, cause and effect relationships
Static design- specific research procedures are all worked out ahead of time and the research sticks to that plan carefully and conscientiously (research controlled setting)
Quantitative methods- collection of data and numbers

Naturalistic is inductive, specific to general
Wholistic understanding-- patterns and behavior that characterize humans
emergent designs-- taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves during the research process
natural settings-- normal behavior of humans
qualitative methods-- acquisition of data that take forms of symbols other than numbers

Front 10

10. What is the difference between naturalistic and positivist paradigms in relation to rhetorical assumption? (p. 18)

Back 10

Rhetorical assumption is how research reports are written

Positivistic has a formal structure and is written impersonally in the third person

Naturalistic has a informal structure and is written in a first person, personal voice

Front 11

11. What is junk science? (p. 24)

Back 11

Claims dressed up in the form of serious science but lacking serious empirical and conceptual credentials

Front 12

12. What is the difference between applied and basic research? (p. 30)

Back 12

Applied research is designed to solve a practical problem (solving a real-world, socially relevant communication problem)

-demonstrate the relevance of communication knowledge to a particular event or challenge or everyday life
action research: resolve specific problems participative inquiry
social justice communication research: well-being of people
Basic research designed to test and refined theory
-to increase our knowledge about communication phenomena by testing, refining and elaborating theory-- through theory

Front 13

13. What is the definition of communication? (p. 28)

Back 13

Communication is the process which verbal and nonverbal messages are used to create and share meaning
-meaning based, creative process tool used to exchange information

Front 14

14. What is theory? (p. 30)

Back 14

Theory is a simple generalization about a phenomenon, an explanation of how and why something occurs
--value is judged by the extent to which it explains an important phenomenon satisfactorily, organizes knowledge, predicts certain outcomes, focuses research efforts and excites inquiry

Front 15

15. What is the difference between a hypothesis and a research question? (p. 39)

Back 15

Research Question is a formal question posed to guide research
-descriptive questions: who, what, when and why
-categorize a concept and thereby, measure it and turn it into a variables

Hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between the independent and dependent variables
two tailed: simply predict a relationship between variables without specifying the nature of the relationship
one tailed: may predict the specific nature of the relationship

Front 16

16. What are independent, dependent, and extraneous variables? (p. 40)

Back 16

Independent variables influence changes in another variable; dependent variable is thought to be changed by another variable; extraneous variables are the other variables that might come into play that will influence the dependent variable

Front 17

17. What is a one-tailed vs. two-tailed hypothesis? (p. 43)

Back 17

two tailed: simply predict a relationship between variables without specifying the nature of the relationship

one tailed: may predict the specific nature of the relationship

Front 18

18. What are the three types of audiences that research is done for? (p. 38)

Back 18

1. Scholars contribute to a better understanding of the significance of previous investigations and suggests directions for subsequent research endeavors

2. Practitioners apply the knowledge-- translates research findings for students
-organizations who solve problems
-counselors help couples communicate better
-executives to produce TV shows
*try to keep up to date information

3. General Public help them handle their everyday communicate challenges better
-help them live a more fulfilling life

Front 19

19. What is the process for basic communication research? (p. 34)

Back 19

1. Select Topic of Interest
2. Select Appropriate Theory
3. Derive a Hypothesis
4. Design Study and Test Hypothesis
a. if hypothesis is confirmed, study provides support for the theory
b. if not confirmed
-conduct additional research -revise or reject theory
-revise hypothesis

Front 20

20. What are the research questions and hypotheses designed to accomplish? (p. 38)

Back 20

These questions or statements usually are designed to accomplish either 1- to describe communication behavior or 2- to relate communication behavior to other variables

Front 21

21. What is the difference between positive and negative relationships within variables? (p. 45)

Back 21

Positive relationships increase in an independent variable associated with increases in a dependent variable

Negative relationships increases in an independent variable are associated with decreases in a dependent variable

Front 22

22. What is the difference between main effects and interaction effects on variables? (p. 46)

Back 22

Main effects are independent variables working alone
Interaction effects are effects of multiple independent variables in the dependent variable
Due to the unique combinations of the independent variable
(ex: dieting/exercising example. Dieting causing weight loss (dieting is the independent variable working alone), but if you look at dieting AND exercising together affecting the dependent variable of weight loss, then you are looking at interaction effects)

Front 23

23. What is the difference between causal and non-causal relationships on variables? (p. 41)

Back 23

Causal relationships are changes in the independent variable cause observed changes in the dependent variable

Non-causal relationships, the variables, are associated, or occur, together w/o one necessarily causing changes in the other

Front 24

24. What are the three primary research reports? (p. 50 & p. 51)

Back 24

Primary Research Reports are the first reporting of a research study by the person(s) who actually conducted the study
-journals
-scholarly texts
-conference papers

Front 25

25. Where could you find research reports? (p. 51)

Back 25

You can find research reports at Libraries; public, academic, special-use and the Internet: electronic journals, associations/organizations and discussion lists/ news groups

Front 26

26. What are some examples of secondary research (p. 50 & 51)

Back 26

Secondary Research Reports are reports of a research study by someone other than the person who conducted the study that cites or uses the primary report that has already appeared elsewhere
-textbooks -television
-books -other
-magazines

Front 27

27. What’s the difference between having a peer-review or blind-review process? (p. 54)

Back 27

Peer-review is the process of having colleagues in a field evaluate manuscripts submitted for publication in scholarly journals became institutionalized in the mid 20th century
Blind-review are when reviewers are not told the name or institutional affiliation of the person(s) who submitted the manuscript; judge the work on its merits
There is no difference between them really, they are just different processes that the people who preview article must go through in order to add it into the journal

Front 28

28. What’s the difference between the two library catalogue systems? (p. 58)

Back 28

Library of Congress Systems: uses letters to designate major categories and a combination of letters and numbers to subdivide each category so that each book is assigned a unique call letter
Dewey Decimal System: uses 10 numbered categories as general headings, subdivided as many times as necessary to assign call numbers to each book

Front 29

29. What are some advantages and disadvantages of finding research reports on the internet? (p. 61 & 62)

Back 29

Advantages: ability to locate primary and secondary research reports quickly and efficiently

Disadvantages: challenges for finding reliable, accurate and specific information-- not sure?
Valuable resources
-electronic journals
-academic and professional associations
-listserv discussion groups

Front 30

30. What’s the typical format of a quantitative scholarly journal article? (p. 67)

Back 30

Title; Abstract; Introduction; Literature Review- Research Question/ Hypothesis; Methodology- research participants/texts, procedures, data treatment; Results; Discussion; References

Front 31

31. What’s the difference between a research question and a hypothesis? (p. 68)

Back 31

Research Question: a formal question posed to guide research
-descriptive: who, what, when and why questions
-attempt to categorize a concept, and thereby, measure it and turn into a variable
Hypothesis: a tentative statement about the relationship between the independent and dependent variable
-two tailed: may simply predict the relationship without specifying the nature of it
-one tailed: may predict the specific nature of the relationship

Front 32

32. What is a meta-analysis? (p. 71 & 72)

Back 32

Meta-analysis is a procedure used to identify patterns in finding across multiple studies that examine the same research topic or question
-use the data from multiple studies to generalize a more accurate interpretation of finding than is possible by considering the studies one at a time

Front 33

33. What are two things the readers have a right to know in regards to references (p. 69)

Back 33

References are complete and accurate list of all sources cited in the text
-give credit for each idea presented
-what is the track record for each idea
*It is the authors responsibility to identify fully, honestly and accurately all the research referred in the article

Front 34

34. When would you want to use footnotes? (p. 69)

Back 34

Footnotes are used to provide explanations of material mentioned in the article that is elaborated on for the interested readers

Front 35

35. What are the three Boolean operators and how do they affect your search? (p. 61)

Back 35

Boolean operators are words that allow one to narrow or broaden a search or to link related terms

and: any occurrence of those words together (containing both)

or: for all records that contain either or

not: records containing the first term and not the other and vis versa

Front 36

36. What is the definition of research? p. 3

Back 36

Research is often defined as systematic inquiry into a subject.

Front 37

37. What is plagiarism? P. 260

Back 37

Plagiarism means using an author’s words or ideas without giving proper credit.

Front 38

38. What are the three types of unacceptable citations that are considered plagiarism? P. 261

Back 38

- Direct quotation, no citation
- Edited, quotation, presented as one’s own
- Paraphrased, but ideas presented as one’s own

Front 39

39. What is the difference between tense and voice? P. 253-254

Back 39

Tense: Past describes the procedures and results of an already completed study; any research finding, idea or opinion already published
Present: discuss the meaning and implications of the study results and to present interpretations and conclusions
Voice: should use active, not passive voice in their writing whenever possible
-active voice makes the text more interesting and readable

Front 40

40. What is the most appropriate style for research papers? P. 256

Back 40

1. Formal, 3rd person, objective
2. Avoid descriptive writing, slang terms and colloquialisms
3. Use Active Words
4. Be precise
5. gender-neutral language
6. economical in expression
7. clarify conclusions and contradictions
8. use pronouns
9.shorter rather than elongated sentences
10. smooth transitions from section to section
11. correct punctuation
12. proper grammar and spelling
13. proofread your work
14. consistent tense, topic and person
15. never plagiarize
16. never quote from abstract
17. pay attention to previous articles structure

Front 41

41. What three ways can a source be cited in-text? P. 274

Back 41

Author’s last name, year the source was published, possible page number
-Author (year) paraphrased sentence
-Several researchers (author name (year) alphabetically) all separated by semicolons
-authors name (year) “quote” (page number)

Front 42

42. What is an abstract used for? P. 276

Back 42

Abstract summarizes what the paper or study is about

Front 43

43. What is a bibliography? P. 267

Back 43

Bibliography is a list of sources compiled on a specific topic
-includes only those works that have been consulted during research and that are cited in the paper
-gives reader’s information to be able to identify and retrieve these sources

Front 44

44. What is the goal of a research project? The scope? The audience? P. 13-14

Back 44

The Goal might attempt to change the audience mind, convince it of something, or alter it’s beliefs
-might also be informational-- attempting to import new knowledge to others through description and explanation

Front 45

45. What is a discipline within communication? P. 4

Back 45

Disciplines are grouped subjects into 10 major content categories. There is a focus on different settings, channels or dominant modes of interaction
EX: Communication and technology, Group Comm., Health Comm., Instructional Comm., Intercultural Comm., Interpersonal Comm., Language and Symbolic Codes, Mass Comm., Organizational Comm., and Public Comm.

Front 46

46. What are three acceptable citation methods? P. 260

Back 46

Quotation: Author’s name, year, page number
Paraphrase: Author’s name, year
Idea: Author’s name, year

Front 47

47. What are three resources a writer can use to improve writing? P. 263-264

Back 47

Writing Centers
Refresher Books and Remedial Classes
Websites
Collaborative Writing Projects

Front 48

48. What are the 10 steps of the search strategy outline in RRHP? (p. 23)

Back 48

1. Select, narrow, and adjust your topic
2. Identify types of sources needed
3. Select appropriate databases and other access tools
4. Decide what types of searches to do
5. Formulate the search
6. Examine the results and modify the search
7. Evaluate and summarize information
8. Read materials thoroughly, taking careful notes and highlighting important sections
9. Systematically document everything
10. Decide when to stop!

Front 49

49. What is the difference between conceptual and operational definitions? (p. 200)HP

Back 49

Conceptual definition refers to terms used to describe the variable. Conceptual definitions are similar to dictionary definitions in language and style (ex: conceptual definition for academic performance may be “showing knowledge in the classroom; or newscaster credibility would be “how believable the newscaster is”)

Operational definition describes the procedures we follow to observe or to measure the variables. (ex: academic performance would be “cumulative grade point average” and newscaster credibility would be “the score received on a source credibility scale”)

Front 50

50. How do we determine if measures are reliable? (p. 203)

Back 50

We determine if measures are reliable by repeating the study to receive same results. If the results are about the same, the measure has test-retest reliability. If all items in a measurement scale seem to measure the same, the measure has internal consistency...etc

Front 51

51. What is a bibliographical database? (p.50-51)

Back 51

Bibliographic databases consist of citations to published literature, often with abstracts, or short summaries (ex: PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, Social Sciences Abstracts, etc).

Front 52

52. What is the difference between scholarly journals and articles? (p. 139-141)

Back 52

Scholarly Journals are major vehicles for reporting current studies conducted by academic and professional researchers.
-usually edited and published by a learned society, a professional association, an academic institution or a commercially publishing firm
Scholarly Articles are written by specialists and usually are critically evaluated by other scholars before being accepted for publication
-represent well-designed, important and current research efforts
-can examine a topic that has not yet treated in a book-length publication and could contain new information about a subject that has never been researched and reported in the past

Front 53

53. What is the natural language? Search? (p. 65-66)

Back 53

Natural language is language that resembles spoken language. Natural Language Search is a search option for some search engines where you type in words or phrases as you would speak them; some engines require quotation marks.

Front 54

54. What are Boolean operators and how are they used? (p.82/55)

Back 54

Boolean Operators are special terms that allow searchers to connect or combine words and concepts. Most widely used operators are AND, OR, NOT.

AND combines concepts. This operator retrieves only those citations that include all the combined search terms

OR combines synonyms. This operator retrieves all records to which at least one of these descriptors has been assigned (more results will come with the OR operator)

NOT excludes a particular term from your search results.

Front 55

55. What are some ethical considerations that come up when performing research? (p.89-90)

Back 55

A researcher should consider that even information pulled from the internet should be cited, even if the site does not have copyright. Anything quoted or paraphrased must be properly attributed with a standard citation, otherwise this is plagiarism.

Researchers must also be careful when they download documents, images, or multimedia files. All these should be cited accordingly.

Front 56

56. What is the currency of information? (p. 89)

Back 56

Currency of information refers to how current the information is in regards to the chosen topic. Looking at the date the site/article was created is important. Also asking yourself if the items provided are reasonably current and meet your needs?

Front 57

57. What is a broadcast index used for? (p. 163)

Back 57

Broadcast index includes full-text news transcripts. They are used for ascertaining perspectives on current events and for conducting content analyses of news programs.

Front 58

58. What is an annual? What kind of information does it provide? (p. 173)

Back 58

An annual, or yearbook, contains current information on yearly developments in a specific field.
They also provide background information, statistics, narrative explanations and listings (like those found in directories and manuals

Front 59

59. What are some examples of statistical sources and how are they used? (p. 167-168)

Back 59

Statistical sources are collections of numerical data compiled into comprehensive tables. Some examples are finding facts to support a debate case on social welfare, developing background material for a newspaper article on unemployment in a local area, doing research for a term paper on the history of broadcasting, and preparing for a speech or group discussion on trends in American television.

Front 60

60. What are the advantages of using series/annual reviews when conducting research? (p. 102-103)

Back 60

Annual reviews provide yearly summaries of current research activities. They are useful for selecting and redifining a research topic or question, finding information and sources, and updating bibliographies. Series examine new topics each year, focus on research related to those specific subjects, and often have different titles. Overall, the advantage is making the research process easier.

Front 61

61. What type of researcher would benefit from using a retrospective bibliography? Also what type would benefit from using a current bibliography? (p. 117)

Back 61

Retrospective bibliography are those that appear at a point in time and are not updated. Retrospective bibliographies lend historical perspective to the research area.

Current bibliographies are published regularly: monthly, semi annually, or yearly. Current bibliographies lead you to contemporary investigations and writings.

Front 62

62. How are citation indexes useful to researchers? (p. 130)

Back 62

Citation indexes compiled the cited references from journal articles and selected books. This helps researchers look up other studies that have cited the article to find recent information on the topic.