Investigating Communication An Introduction to Research Methods

by Frey, Lawrence R.; Botan, Carl H.; Kreps, Gary L.

• ISBN13: 9780205198269
• ISBN10: 0205198260
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-10-26
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

This book provides a comprehensive, balanced introduction to communication research methods. Designed for readers who have little or no familiarity with research methods, this book helps one become a more knowledgeable and competent consumer (and limited producer) of scholarly research and of the everyday research to which they are exposed by the mass media. Praised for its accessible writing and extensive real-life examples, this book takes a step-by-step approach through the communication research process. Investigating Communication shows how communication research is conducted from start to finish, with the book's organization modeled after a traditional research study. By making the material accessible rather than impossible to learn, readers become excited about studying research methods. For anyone interested in the introductory methods of communication research.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
PART ONE CONCEPTUALIZING COMMUNICATION RESEARCH	1	(78)
Introduction To The Research Culture	3	(24)
The Importance of Knowing Research Methods	3	(3)
Making Claims and Offering Evidence	6	(2)
Everyday Ways of Knowing	8	(4)
Personal Experience	8	(1)
Intuition	9	(1)
Authority	10	(1)
Appeals to Tradition, Custom, and Faith	10	(1)
Magic, Superstition, and Mysticism	11	(1)
The Research Process	12	(9)
Characteristics of Research	12	(5)
Research as Culture	17	(3)
Research as Conversation	20	(1)
The Importance of Distinguishing Research from Pseudoresearch	21	(5)
Conclusion	26	(1)
Asking Questions About Communication	27	(21)
Defining Communication	27	(1)
What Constitutes Communication Research?	28	(1)
Areas of Communication Research	28	(2)
Basic Versus Applied Communication Research Topics	30	(8)
Basic Communication Research	30	(3)
Applied Communication Research	33	(3)
An Integrated Model of Basic and Applied Communication Research	36	(2)
Justifying Communication Research Topics	38	(1)
Research Questions and Hypotheses	39	(8)
Describing Communication Behavior	39	(1)
Relating Communication Behavior to Other Variables	40	(7)
Conclusion	47	(1)
Finding, Reading, And Using Research	48	(31)
Reasons for Reviewing Previous Research	48	(2)
The Search for Research	50	(16)
Types of Research Reports	50	(6)
Finding Research Reports	56	(6)
``Internet and World Wide Web Resources for Research''	62	(4)
Diane F. Witmer
How Research Is Presented: Reading Scholarly Journal Articles	66	(3)
A Typical Quantitative Scholarly Journal Article	66	(3)
Writing a Literature Review	69	(5)
Conclusion	74	(5)
PART TWO PLANNING AND DESIGNING COMMUNICATION RESEARCH	79	(88)
Observing And Measuring Communication Variables	81	(28)
Conceptual versus Operational Definitions	81	(2)
Evaluating Operational Definitions	82	(1)
Measurement Theory	83	(12)
Quantitative and Qualitative Measurements	83	(2)
Levels of Measurement	85	(9)
Measuring Unidimensional and Multidimensional Concepts	94	(1)
Measurement Methods	95	(4)
Self-Reports	96	(1)
Others' Reports	97	(1)
Behavioral Acts	98	(1)
Measurement Techniques	99	(8)
Questionnaires and Interviews	99	(5)
Observations	104	(3)
Conclusion	107	(2)
Designing Valid Communication Research	109	(31)
Internal and External Validity	109	(2)
Measurement Validity and Reliability	111	(8)
Measurement Reliability	111	(4)
Measurement Validity	115	(4)
Threats to Internal Validity	119	(6)
Threats Due to How Research Is Conducted	119	(2)
Threats Due to Research Participants	121	(2)
Threats Due to Researchers	123	(2)
External Validity	125	(14)
Sampling	125	(8)
Ecological Validity	133	(2)
Replication	135	(4)
Conclusion	139	(1)
Research Ethics And Politics	140	(27)
Ethical Issues in Communication Research	140	(25)
The Politics of Academic Research	141	(5)
Ethical Issues Involving Research Participants	146	(15)
Ethical Decisions Involving Research Findings	161	(4)
Conclusion	165	(2)
PART THREE METHODOLOGIES FOR CONDUCTING COMMUNICATION RESEARCH	167	(120)
Experimental Research	169	(29)
Establishing Causation	169	(2)
Exercising Control in Experimental Research	171	(11)
Exposing Research Participants to an Independent Variable	171	(4)
Ruling Out Initial Differences between the Conditions	175	(3)
Controlling for the Effects of Extraneous Influences	178	(4)
Experimental Research Designs	182	(8)
Preexperimental Designs	183	(3)
Quasi-Experimental Designs	186	(3)
Full Experimental Designs	189	(1)
Factorial Designs	190	(5)
Factorial Design Statements and Diagrams	192	(2)
Between-Group and Within-Group (Repeated-Measures) Designs	194	(1)
Laboratory versus Field Experiments	195	(2)
Conclusion	197	(1)
Survey Research	198	(27)
The Prevalence of Surveys	198	(6)
Applied Uses of Survey Research	198	(4)
Use of Surveys in Communication Research	202	(2)
Survey Research Design	204	(5)
Selecting Survey Respondents	204	(4)
Cross-Sectional versus Longitudinal Surveys	208	(1)
Survey Measurement Techniques	209	(13)
Designing Questions for Survey Instruments	210	(3)
Questionnaire Survey Research	213	(3)
Interview Survey Research	216	(6)
Using Multiple Methods in Survey Research	222	(1)
Conclusion	223	(2)
Textual Analysis	225	(32)
Purposes of Textual Analysis	225	(2)
Important Considerations in Textual Analysis	227	(2)
Types of Texts	227	(1)
Acquiring Texts	228	(1)
Approaches to Textual Analysis	229	(1)
Rhetorical Criticism	229	(7)
Conducting Rhetorical Criticism	230	(1)
Types of Rhetorical Criticism	231	(5)
Content Analysis	236	(7)
Value of Quantitative Content Analysis	238	(1)
Quantitave Content-Analytic Procedures	239	(4)
Interaction Analysis	243	(9)
Describing Interaction and Relating It to Other Variables	243	(5)
Conducting Interaction Analysis	248	(4)
Performance Studies	252	(4)
``Performance as a Method''	252	(4)
Ronald J. Pelias
Conclusion	256	(1)
Naturalistic Inquiry	257	(30)
Common Assumptions Guiding Naturalistic Inquiry	258	(1)
Types of Naturalistic Inquiry	259	(3)
Ethnography	259	(1)
Ethnomethodology	259	(1)
Critical Ethnography	260	(1)
Autoethnography	261	(1)
The Flow of Naturalistic Inquiry	262	(2)
Collecting Data in Naturalistic Inquiry	264	(16)
Naturalistic Observational Research	264	(9)
Interviewing in Naturalistic Inquiry	273	(7)
Start Making Sense: Analyzing and Reporting Qualitative Data	280	(5)
Analyzing Qualitative Data	280	(4)
Reporting Findings from Naturalistic Inquiry	284	(1)
Conclusion	285	(2)
PART FOUR ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING QUANTITATIVE DATA	287	(92)
Describing Quantitative Data	289	(26)
Making Sense of Numbers: Statistical Data Analysis	289	(3)
Describing Data through Summary Statistics	292	(9)
Measures of Central Tendency	292	(4)
Measures of Dispersion	296	(5)
Describing Data in Standard Scores	301	(4)
Describing Data through Visual Displays	305	(9)
Frequency Tables	305	(2)
Pie Charts	307	(2)
Bar Charts	309	(2)
Line Graphs	311	(1)
Frequency Histograms and Frequency Polygons	312	(2)
Conclusion	314	(1)
Inferring From Data: Estimation And Significance Testing	315	(21)
Estimation	316	(7)
The Normal Distribution	316	(2)
Use of Random Sampling	318	(1)
Inferring from a Random Sample to a Population	319	(4)
Significance Testing	323	(11)
The Logic of Significance Testing	325	(4)
The Practice of Significance Testing	329	(3)
Type I Error and Type II Error	332	(1)
Statistical Power	333	(1)
Conclusion	334	(2)
Analyzing Differences Between Groups	336	(20)
Types of Difference Analysis	337	(17)
Nominal Data	337	(5)
Ordinal Data	342	(2)
Interval/Ratio Data	344	(10)
Advanced Difference Analysis	354	(1)
Conclusion	354	(2)
Analyzing Relationships Between Variables	356	(23)
Types of Relationships	356	(3)
Unrelated Variables	356	(1)
Linear Relationships between Variables	357	(1)
Nonlinear Relationships between Variables	358	(1)
Correlations	359	(10)
Correlation Coefficients	359	(8)
Coefficient of Determination	367	(1)
Multiple Correlation	368	(1)
Partial Correlation	369	(1)
Regression Analysis	369	(4)
Linear Regression	370	(1)
Multiple Linear Regression	371	(2)
Advanced Relationship Analysis	373	(3)
Conclusion	376	(3)
PART FIVE RECONCEPTUALIZING COMMUNICATION RESEARCH	379	(18)
Epilogue: Concluding Research	381	(16)
Discussing Research Findings	381	(14)
Interpreting the Meaning of Research Findings	381	(8)
Identifying Limitations of the Research	389	(5)
Suggesting Directions for Future Research	394	(1)
Conclusion	395	(2)
APPENDICES	397	(11)
Random Number Table	397	(1)
Chi-Square Table	398	(1)
t Table	399	(1)
F Table	400	(6)
Pearson r Table	406	(1)
Spearman rho Table	407	(1)
Glossary	408	(36)
References	444	(55)
Name Index	499	(8)
Subject Index	507