Week of 10.1, TO DO

• PPT handout, up front; plus “Big Ideas,” chapter 3 – handout

• POR acknowledgement sheet, up front• Turn in Quiz, chpt. 3, folder up front• “Pop quiz” chpt. 2, review answers, (turn in your quiz

after we review the answers)• Prof. Davis is finished with TILT – they will be entered

this week; hard copies returned.• Pull out POR readings I mentioned in the email (PSC &

Cohesion)• In-class: discuss definitions in context of RQs/Hs

IV/DVs

• There is a relationship between denominational affiliation and reasons for reading Left Behind.

• IV: denominational affiliation

• DV: reasons for reading left behind

IV/DVs

• Protestants are more likely than Catholics to read Left Behind for instruction about “end times.”

• IV: denominational affiliation (Protestants and Catholics)

• DV: “instruction about end times” (reason)

IV/DVs

• Is social support more likely to be communicated with email, text messaging, or IM in dating relationships?

• IV: type of electronic media (email, TM, IM)

• DV: communication of social support in dating relationships

IV/DVs

• There is a relationship between church attendance and amount of religious television viewing.

• IV: religious television viewing

• DV: church attendance (low, regular, high)

IV/DVs

• There is a negative relationship between religious television viewing and church attendance.

• IV: religious television viewing

• DV: church attendance (low, regular, high)

IV/DVs• Individuals with low communication

apprehension will report significantly more positive parental behaviors and attitudes toward communication than individuals with high communication apprehension.

• IV: communication apprehension• DV: (2) positiveness of parental behaviors;

attitudes toward communication (amount of)• NOTE: high & low are levels of one variable,

not 2 variables.

IV/DV’s

• The older one is, the greater will be the levels of stress perceived in one’s life

• IV: age

• DV: perceived stress– note: older is a predicted direction, not variable– age is the variable, measured in some direction

• Find the H’s – there were 7!!

PSC article

“Big Ideas” (chpt. 3)

• Define and explain conceptual definitions in communication research

• Define and explain operational definitions• Distinguish conceptual from operational definitions• Identify 3 sources for conceptual and operational definitions

(and the best for each type of definition)• Locate conceptual and operational definitions in research

articles you are reading• Determine at what stage of the research process definitional

issues are settled (see the research model)• Understand and apply criteria for evaluating good/bad

conceptual and operational definitions.

As a result of your readings and our class discussion this weekyou should have a basic understanding of and be able to

explain the following:

Research QuestionHypotheses

A WORKING MODEL OF COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

Narrow focus

Identify topic

STEP 1:CONCEPTUALIZATION

Review of Literature

STEP 2: PLANNING & DESIGNING

Which Method?

STEP 4: ANALYZE& INTERPRET DATA

Report / Write STEP 5:RECONCEPTUALIZATION

STEP 3: SELECTING AMETHODOLOGY

OperationalizatonMeasurementTechniques

Define Key ConceptsChpt. 1

Chpt. 5 App. G

Chpt. 2Chpt. 3

Developing Definitions for Concepts

• Concepts (hypothetical constructs): things for which direct observations can’t be made

• Definitions move us from abstract to concrete– Love and Interpersonal attraction

• Definitions are statements asserting that one term may be substituted for another

• Tell us what concepts and variables really mean• Isolate essential qualities of concepts

Diagnostic Questions for Conceptual & Operational Definitions

• What do you mean by?

• How will you measure?

• How will you make observations?

• What will you do to detect the presence of your variable in the setting you are studying?

Conceptual

Operational

10.3, TO DO

• Turn in library assignments (3 separate folders up front)

• chpt. 3 quiz, pick up (NOTE: if you didn’t figure out how to print off % score, see me after class)

• TILT scores are entered. Hard copies up front.• “Pop quiz” chpt. 3, on Monday• Pull out POR readings I mentioned in the email

(PSC, Cohesion, and “sense of community” scale)• In-class: more discussion of definitions in context

of RQs/Hs

Research QuestionHypotheses

A WORKING MODEL OF COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

Narrow focus

Identify topic

STEP 1:CONCEPTUALIZATION

Review of Literature

STEP 2: PLANNING & DESIGNING

Which Method?

STEP 4: ANALYZE& INTERPRET DATA

Report / Write STEP 5:RECONCEPTUALIZATION

STEP 3: SELECTING AMETHODOLOGY

OperationalizatonMeasurementTechniques

Define Key ConceptsChpt. 1

Chpt. 5 App. G

Chpt. 2Chpt. 3

Assessment

• An hypothesis that states simply that there will be some kind of relationship between variables, or some difference between groups of the IV, without stating the direction is called. . .

• ANSWER: non-directional hypothesis• ANSWER: also referred to as “two-tailed”

Assessment

• Independent variables may be related to dependent variables in 3 ways. What are they?

• ANSWER: 1) Positive2) Negative3) No relationship

Assessment

• What’s the IV/DV in the following: There is a positive relationship between perceived realism and Reality Television Affinity.

ANSWER: 1. IV = Perceived Realism2. DV = Affinity Toward Reality TV

Assessment

• Is this an H, or RQ? There is a positive relationship between Perceived Realism and Reality Television Affinity.

ANSWER: Directional hypotheses

Assessment

• What does “positive” relationship mean in his H? There is a positive relationship between Perceived Realism and Reality Television Affinity.

ANSWER: Increases in the IV are associated with increases in the DV – so, as PR increases, so with one’s “liking of”, or affinity toward, RTV

Assessment

• Name at least 3 sources in which you might find conceptual definitions of variables in your RQ or H

ANSWER: • 1. Journal articles (Conceptual Lit. Reviews)• 2. Specialized Encyclopedias/Dictionaries• 3. Textbooks• 4. Handbooks, Yearbooks, Annual Reviews

Assessment

• When we say conceptual definitions are “constitutive,” what do we mean?

• ANSWER: they rely on other, similar concepts to describe a term.

C onceptua l O pera tiona l

D efinitions

CONSTITUTIVERelies on other, similar, conceptsto describe a term (bias = favoritism)

SPECIFICDescribes what is to be observed; (DVDV); not worried about the feeling

DENOTATIVE “Dictionary Definitions” (see p. 79) Define by relating to other concepts

SYSTEMATIC EG

Step-by-step plan to make anobservation of the concept defined(“recipe”) (other instruments!instruments!)FOUNDATIONAL

Necessary to later operationalize and measure if it existsSOURCES

Journal articles, Dictionaries, Textbooks, Conceptual Lit. Reviews,PROBLEMS

“Empathy”Wispe (1987), chapter

Parella, (1971) “Towarda Clarification of the Concept of Empathy”

QJS

Too....much, little, vague, circular, value-laded, etc. (pp. 102-104)

CONCEPTUAL FITPreserve meaning betweenconceptual and operational

FORMSmeasured, direct classification(via observation)

Number of storiesLength

Language (+ or -)Sources quoted

Placement

• PSC article– Conceptual definition?– Operational definition?

• NOTE: Psychological sense of Community: http://campus.arbor.edu/surveys/cccusurvey.htm

• Spiritual Gifts

E.gs of Operational Definitions

Examples - DefinitionsHow is social supportsocial support expressed between members of intimate relationshipsintimate relationships?

- Expression of social support = communication that reduces uncertainty about self and the other

- Intimate relationships = degree of emotional attachment

How do we operationalize“intimate relationships?”

Scores on a relational intimacyscale (from 1-7)

There is a positive relationship between self-self-disclosuredisclosure and interpersonal attraction?

- Self-disclosure = sharing info about ourselves

- Interpersonal attraction = feel personal affinity toward

What’s the relationship between an instructor’s use audio podcasts and students’ sense of communitycommunity in traditional classrooms?

- Community: sense of belonging, etc. Others?

How do we operationalizecommunity?

Use Rovai’s Sense ofCommunity online index

E.gs of Operational Definitions

• Will taking a public speaking course reduce one’s level of communication apprehension?

ExampleLevel of Communication apprehension is operationally defined as one’s score on Smith’s Communication Apprehension Scale (1982), or, one’s score on McCroskey’s Scale

Another approach . . .?

Are you an Evangelical Christian?• Conceptual Definition? • Operational Definition? (Passion Survey) (Ideal Professor)

– George Barna – Christian based on their beliefs (categorical)

• Operational Checklist– 1. have you made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ

(“born again”) SA . . . . SDSA . . . . SD

– 2. my faith is still important in my life today– 3. I will go to Heaven because I have confessed my sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as my

savior – 4. I have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians

– 5. Satan exists – 6. eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not by being good or doing good deeds– 7. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth – 8. saying that the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches – 9. God is the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it

today

Example

Reality TV shows? -- Conceptual?

Reality TV shows? -- Operational?

Reasons/Motivations-- (Quant) Escape? Social Interaction?

(Qualit) Open-ended?

• Research Q: What is the audience for Reality TV shows? What reasons do they have for viewing?

• Hypothesis: Women are more likely to watch RTV for escape and social interaction than men.

I watch Reality TV because..1) so I can forget about work/school2) to get away from the family3) So I can get away from what I’m doing Agree Agree Un. D DSStrongly5 4 3 2 1

Why do you watch Realty TV?Have them report of reason and motivations for watching. THEN,group responses into categories (content analysis) NOTE: greater depth than quantitative.

Should I use Quant/Qualit? Research Q? Method?, etc.

Checklist for Conceptual Definitions

• Does it include all situations or instances properly included? (too narrow)

• Does it exclude situations or instances that are not properly included? (too broad)

• Does it use the term defined? (circular)

• Is it more precise than the term it is defining?

• Does it include loaded language?

Contemporary Christian Music Radio: Any solid Protestant evangelical station that plays CCM for a significant portion of the regular program schedule

E.gs of Operational Definitions

• Small groups where Group Cohesion is high will be more productive than small groups where Group Cohesion is low

ExampleGroup Cohesion Scale

Other examples

• Goddard

• Trade Mags

• Ko/Kg/L

• Listening

• Communication Competence

Operational Definition

• Does the show, Wayans Bros, promote racial stereotypes of African American Characters?

Promotion of racial stereotypes?1. Occupations2. Slang/language3. Sexual innuendo

Survey Examples

• Passion of the Christhttp://www.edcomresearch.com/passion.html

• Psychological sense of Community: http://campus.arbor.edu/surveys/cccusurvey.htm.

• Ideal Professor: http://campus.arbor.edu/surveys/idealprofessor.htm

• Left Behind: http://campus.arbor.edu/surveys/com_survey3.htm

Checklist for Operational Definitions

• 1. Empirically based and definite• 2. Logically consistent• 3. Intersubjectivity?• 4. Technically possible?• 5. Repeatable?• 6. Suggestive of constructs?

The End

“Television Portrayals and African American Stereotypes: Examination of Television Effects When direct Contact is Lacking.“

(Yuki Fujioka,Journalism and Mass Comm. Quarterly, 1999, 76(1), see p. 52).

Violence(Factor 1)

Trust(Factor 2)

Rich(Factor 3)

Family Ties(Factor 4)

Violence prone (-) Trust (+) Intelligence (+) Self-reliance (+)

Drug use (-) Low Crime (+) Rich (+) Tolerance (+)

Alcohol Abuse (-) Hard Working (+) Patriotism (+) Strong family ties(+)

Drug Dealing (-) Education (+)

Too much...

• Communication means that information is passed from one place to another (George Miller, p. 6)

• Professor credibility includes those behaviors exhibited by professors in the presence of students.

Circular…Too little…Too Vague

• Professor credibility is defined as “those characteristics of an instructor that make him or her credible in the eyes of student in class.”

• “Professor credibility is a student’s perception of faculty competence based on his or her satisfaction with the class.”

Researching “being in love”

Interpersonal Attraction

IAS – Operationalizing Attraction

McCroskey & McCain,

1974

How do we operationalize

“Communication apprehension?

IV/DV’s

• When people are exposed to fear arousing messages, as opposed to non fear arousing messages, they will report increased levels of anxiety.

• IV: level of (exposure to) fear arousing messages• DV: level of anxiety

IV/DVs

• Individuals with low communication apprehension will report significantly more positive parental behaviors and attitudes toward communication than individuals with high communication apprehension.

• IV: communication apprehension• DV: (2) positiveness of parental behaviors;

attitudes toward communication• NOTE: high & low are levels of one variable, not 2

variables. If it were restricted to a “high degree” it would be a constant, not a variable

IV/DVs

• Subjects reading persuasive messages by attractive sources will experience greater attitude change than subjects reading persuasive messages by unattractive sources

• IV: attractiveness of sources (reading persuasive messages)

• DV: attitude change

IV/DV’s

• The older one is, the greater will be the levels of stress perceived in one’s life

• IV: age

• DV: perceived stress– note: this one posits a simple relationship, not a

difference like the one’s before– note: older is a predicted direction, not variable– age is the variable, measured in some direction

IV/DV’s

• The public’s evaluations of public relations in general will be higher when licensed practitioners engage in 2-way communication strategies for altruistic motives than evaluations of public relations in general when unlicensed public relations sources have selfish motives and the practitioner engages in 1-way communication strategies.

• http://campus.arbor.edu/surveys/cccusurvey.htm

Operational Definition

• Was the coverage of the 2007 Democratic Presidential Candidate debate between Hillary Clinton and John Edwards biased?

Bias is operationally defined as:1. Number of stories2. Length of stories3. Language used

1. Positive 2. negative 3. neutral4. Quotes

1. Direct 2. paraphrase5. Placement of stories

1. Beginning 2. middle 3. end

How do we operationalize

“Communication apprehension?