Showing papers in "Communication Methods and Measures in 2017"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explain how to test, visualize, and probe interactions involving a multicategorical variable using linear regression analysis in an experiment with three or more versions of a stimulus where participants are randomly assigned to one of them.
Abstract: Empirical communication scholars and scientists in other fields regularly use regression models to test moderation hypotheses. When the independent variable X and moderator M are dichotomous or continuous, the practice of testing a linear moderation hypothesis using regression analysis by including the product of X and M in a model of dependent variable Y is widespread. However, many research designs include multicategorical independent variables or moderators, such as in an experiment with three or more versions of a stimulus where participants are randomly assigned to one of them. Researchers are less likely to receive training about how to properly test a moderation hypothesis using regression analysis in such a situation. In this tutorial, we explain how to test, visualize, and probe interactions involving a multicategorical variable using linear regression analysis. While presenting and discussing the fundamentals—fundamentals that are not software specific—we emphasize the use of the PROCESS...
261 citations
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TL;DR: This teacher’s corner provides an overview of general steps and operations in a computational text analysis project, and demonstrates how each step can be performed using the R statistical software.
Abstract: Computational text analysis has become an exciting research field with many applications in communication research. It can be a difficult method to apply, however, because it requires knowledge of various techniques, and the software required to perform most of these techniques is not readily available in common statistical software packages. In this teacher’s corner, we address these barriers by providing an overview of general steps and operations in a computational text analysis project, and demonstrate how each step can be performed using the R statistical software. As a popular open-source platform, R has an extensive user community that develops and maintains a wide range of text analysis packages. We show that these packages make it easy to perform advanced text analytics.
182 citations
TL;DR: Combining automatic tracking data and survey data from the same participants confirmed low levels of accuracy and tendencies of over-reporting and revealed biases due to a range of factors associated with the intensity of (actual) internet usage, propensity to multitask, day of reference, and the usage of mobile devices.
Abstract: Given the importance of survey measures of online media use for communication research, it is crucial to assess and improve their quality, in particular because the increasingly fragmented and ubiq...
132 citations
TL;DR: The rationales for linkage studies are reviewed, different types of linkage Studies are outlined, the state-of-the-art in this area is reviewed, which survey and content items to use in an analysis is discussed, various types of analyses are reviewed; considerations for alternative specifications are outlined.
Abstract: In media effects research a fundamental choice is often made between (field) experiments or observational studies that rely on survey data in combination with data about the information environment or media coverage. Such studies linking survey data and media content data are often dubbed “linkage studies.” On the one hand, such designs are the state of the art in our field and on the other hand, they come with a long list of challenges and choices. This article reviews the rationales for linkage studies, outlines different types of linkage studies, reviews the state-of-the-art in this area, discusses which survey and content items to use in an analysis, reviews different types of analyses, outlines considerations for alternative specifications, and provides a step-by-step example.
66 citations
TL;DR: This article used an experimental design embedded in a representative national probability sample to shed light on what people are thinking of when they say they trust or distrust the American press, and found that individuals express much greater trust in the press when they are asked to consider specific news sources than when they were asked to evaluate a generic news media.
Abstract: The only long term trend data on trust in the American press comes from the General Social Survey (GSS). The erosion of trust in the press as measured by the GSS indicator is indisputable, but its implications for the functioning of American democracy depend on what, precisely, is being measured. In this study we use an experimental design embedded in a representative national probability sample to shed light on what people are thinking of when they say they trust or distrust the American press. Are they thinking about the sources they themselves use for news? The sources that are most popular with the population at large? An average of all possible media sources? We find that individuals express much greater trust in the press when they are asked to consider specific news sources than when they are asked to evaluate a generic news media. Our results suggest that an accessibility bias combined with the proliferation of news sources in recent years may lead individuals to think of distrusted source...
55 citations
TL;DR: It is found that the performance of the crowd recommends crowdcoded data as a reliable and valid alternative to manually coded data, also for less manifest contents, and crowdcoding appears a robust instrument to collect quantitative content data.
Abstract: Crowdsourcing platforms are commonly used for research in the humanities, social sciences and informatics, including the use of crowdworkers to annotate textual material or visuals. Utilizing two empirical studies, this article systematically assesses the potential of crowdcoding for less manifest contents of news texts, here focusing on political actor evaluations. Specifically, Study 1 compares the reliability and validity of crowdcoded data to that of manual content analyses; Study 2 proceeds to investigate the effects of material presentation, different types of coding instructions and answer option formats on data quality. We find that the performance of the crowd recommends crowdcoded data as a reliable and valid alternative to manually coded data, also for less manifest contents. While scale manipulations affected the results, minor modifications of the coding instructions or material presentation did not significantly influence data quality. In sum, crowdcoding appears a robust instrument to collect quantitative content data.
40 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce the idea of subjective movie evaluation criteria (SMEC), conceptualized SMEC as the mental representation of important attitudes toward specific film features, and describes the scale construction for their measurement and its validation process.
Abstract: Audiences’ movie evaluations have often been explored as effects of experiencing movies. However, little attention has been paid to the criteria viewers use when they evaluate a movie or its specific features. Adding to this, the present research introduces the idea of subjective movie evaluation criteria (SMEC), conceptualizes SMEC as the mental representation of important attitudes toward specific film features, and describes the scale construction for their measurement and its validation process. Findings from pilot work and 2 studies including over 1,500 participants provide first evidence that 8 dimensions—Story Verisimilitude, Story Innovation, Cinematography, Special Effects, Recommendation, Innocuousness, Light-heartedness, and Cognitive Stimulation—are largely determined by stable individual differences, substantially but differentially related to film-specific constructs and personality traits, and that the SMEC scales are reliable and valid instruments for measuring subjective movie eva...
20 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a text-analytic technique was used to detect mediated associations between Islam-related concepts and violence. But it was only applied in the media stereotyping domain via the content analysis of German news coverage of Islam.
Abstract: Due to the fact that mediated associations are a central aspect of many mass communication theories, their measurement is of central interest for communication research. Mediated associations are defined as the repeated pairing of an object (e.g., social group, political party) with specific attributes (e.g., crime, economy). In this article, we introduce a recently developed, automated text-analytic technique. We present an application of this method in the media stereotyping domain via the content analysis of German news coverage of Islam. As predicted, the analysis revealed substantial mediated associations between Islam-related concepts and violence (e.g., “Koran + violence”), terror (e.g., “Islam + terror”), dehumanization (e.g., “Muslims + animal-related terms”), and general negativity (valence). We discuss the promises and pitfalls of this method, make software suggestions, and provide application-related information for speedy dissemination in communication research.
20 citations
TL;DR: This work states that in the context of message effects research, it is easy to confuse an effect size—a quantitative representation of the effect of a variable on an outcome—with the size of theeffect of a message on an outcomes.
Abstract: Widespread acknowledgement of the weaknesses of null hypothesis significance testing has led to correspondingly greater appreciation of the central role of effect size estimation in social-scientific research. But in the context of message effects research, it is easy to confuse an effect size—a quantitative representation of the effect of a variable on an outcome—with the size of the effect of a message on an outcome. Illustrations of this misunderstanding are offered, its unhappy consequences specified, and remedies discussed.
15 citations
TL;DR: Health information is readily available and easily obtained from a variety of media and interpersonal sources as mentioned in this paper, however, although several studies have examined health-related information seeking, a comprehen
Abstract: Health information is readily available and easily obtained from a variety of media and interpersonal sources Although several studies have examined health-related information seeking, a comprehen
13 citations
TL;DR: This paper developed a measure for exposure to both antisocial and prosocial media content by revising and extending a previous Content-based Media Exposure Scale (C-ME) to measure both frequency and exposure to specific content of media.
Abstract: The present research developed a measure for exposure to both antisocial and prosocial media content by revising and extending a previous Content-based Media Exposure Scale (C-ME) The validity and reliability of the C-ME2 was tested in two independent samples (N = 678), among young adults (Study 1) and adolescents (Study 2) Results of Confirmatory Factor Analyses showed good fit, in both studies, for both antisocial and prosocial dimensions of media content, and for both males and females Furthermore, the C-ME2 explains unique variance beyond previous measures of violent and general media exposure Evidence is presented of reliability, discriminant and predictive validity of the C-ME2, measuring both frequency and exposure to specific content of media The C-ME2 covers all media platforms, is easy to use in all research designs, and allows for standardization and systematic comparisons across studies
TL;DR: The Communicatively Restricted Organizational Stress (CROS) is a new variable previously conceptualized as a perceived inability to communicate about a particular stressor within an organizational context and operationalized as having two dimensions of prevalence and distress as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In this article, we operationalize Communicatively Restricted Organizational Stress (CROS). CROS is a new variable previously conceptualized as a perceived inability to communicate about a particular stressor within an organizational context and operationalized as having two dimensions of prevalence and distress. The present investigation presents data from two studies (total N = 918) aimed at developing and validating a measure of CROS. In Study 1, we generated and tested a series of items intended to tap into the dual dimensions of CROS with currently employed organizational members (n = 373). In Study 2, we collected a second sample (n = 545) and confirmed the factor structure of the measure identified in Study 1. We present evidence of reliability, content validity, and construct validity. The final result is a two-dimensional measure of CROS we call the CROS-14. Our discussion includes information on implementation, scoring, and potential future applications of the CROS-14.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated how misclassification in content analysis leads to biased estimates and introduces matrix back-calculation as a simple remedy and shows that error correction with an adequate set-up can often substantially reduce bias.
Abstract: Conducting and reporting reliability tests has become a standard practice in content analytical research. However, the consequences of measurement error in coding data are rarely discussed or taken...
TL;DR: This paper showed that trained coders were reliably making rapid judgments after watching both long and short interaction segments but their judgments were not more accurate than the expert interviewers, which raises more questions about the conditions under which making rapid judgment from verbal and nonverbal cues achieves accurate detection of veracity.
Abstract: Rapid Judgments (RJs) are quick assessments based on indirect verbal and nonverbal cues that are known to be associated with deception. RJs are advantageous because they eliminate the need for expensive detection equipment and only require minimal training for coders with relatively accurate judgments. Results of testing on two different datasets showed that trained coders were reliably making RJs after watching both long and short interaction segments but their judgments were not more accurate than the expert interviewers. The RJs did not discriminate between truth and deception as hypothesized. This raises more questions about the conditions under which making RJs from verbal and nonverbal cues achieves accurate detection of veracity.
TL;DR: An innovative methodology to study computer-mediated communication (CMC), which allows analysis of the multi-layered effects of online expression and reception, is presented and how to construct two distinct types of online social networks for different types of content embedded in social networks is demonstrated.
Abstract: This article presents an innovative methodology to study computer-mediated communication (CMC), which allows analysis of the multi-layered effects of online expression and reception. The methodology is demonstrated by combining the following three data sets collected from a widely tested eHealth system, the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS): 1) a flexible and precise computer-aided content analysis; 2) a record of individual message posting and reading; and 3) longitudinal survey data. Further, this article discusses how the resulting data can be applied to online social network analysis and demonstrates how to construct two distinct types of online social networks - open and targeted communication networks - for different types of content embedded in social networks.
TL;DR: In this article, a measure of remote past television viewing in which adults reported their childhood viewing of specific television series was investigated, and the validity of the measure was tested by examining relationships between self-reported childhood TV viewing and current aggression.
Abstract: Construct validity was investigated of a measure of remote past television viewing in which adults reported their childhood viewing of specific television series. Good recall of past viewing was predicted due to two robust memory capabilities, specifically, high accuracy at estimating frequency of exposure to stimuli, and durable long-term memories for repeatedly-encountered material. Validity was tested by examining relationships between self-reported childhood TV viewing and current aggression. Results indicated that recalled childhood viewing of programs containing violent content was positively related to adult aggressive behavior directly, and aggressive cognitions indirectly, independently of adult exposure to violent TV programs, exposure to nonviolent TV programs, parental disciplinary style, and sex. A valid self-report measure of remote past TV viewing behavior can enable researchers to examine, in a relatively quick and inexpensive manner, long-term relationships between early viewing o...