SAFI

Concept

A concept is a term that expresses an abstract idea by generalizing from particulars and summarizing related observations. Concepts simplify the research process and facilitate communication among researchers.

• Purpose: To simplify complex phenomena into general, shared categories.

• Examples in Media Research: Television viewing, message length, readability, radio listening, magazine usage.

Construct

A construct is a more complex, abstract idea, often intentionally created for a specific research purpose. It is typically broken down into multiple related concepts or dimensions. Because of its abstraction, it cannot be observed directly.

• Examples in Media Research:

  • Authoritarianism, Advertising Effectiveness, Involvement

Variable

A variable is the empirical counterpart of a concept or construct. It represents the measurable phenomena or events that researchers observe or manipulate. Variables must be given an operational definition to be studied.

• Characteristic: A variable must be able to take on more than one value (it must vary).

The variable that is observed and whose value is presumed to depend on the effects of the independent variable (the assumed effect).

• Example: The viewer's perception of the newscaster's credibility.

Dependent Variable

The variable systematically varied or manipulated by the researcher (the assumed cause).

• Example: The camera angle (e.g., low, high, eye-level) used to film a newscaster.

Independent Variable

Types of variables

Multiple Choice

In a study on "Influence of time spend on social media on family relationships" which is the independent variable?

• Duration of family interactions
• Family relationship dynamics
• Time spent on social media
• Social media platform usage

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is considered a secondary source of data collection in media studies?

• Observation

• Interviewing

• Documents

• Questionnaire

Quantitative research

Quantitative research requires that the

variables under consideration be measured.

This form of research is concerned with how

often a variable is present and generally uses

numbers to communicate this amount.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is most likely to result from poorly framed survey questions?

• Reliable data collection

• Efficient use of resources

• Unreliable data and incorrect conclusions

• Improved decision-making

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a characteristics of good survey questions?

• Vague and open-ended.
• Lengthy and detailed.
• Clarity and conciseness.
• Ambiguity and complexity.

Multiple Choice

Why double-barreled questions should be avoided in survey research.

• They can confuse respondents and lead to unreliable data.

• Such questions simplify the survey process for respondents.
• Help in gathering more detailed responses from participants.

• Provide clear insights and reliable data.

Multiple Choice

Open-ended questions provide respondents with the opportunity to express themselves freely, but what is one disadvantage of using open-ended questions in surveys?

• They are easy to analyze

• They limit the variety of information collected

• They may be difficult for some respondents to answer

• They eliminate interviewer bias

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a disadvantage of closed questions in research?

• They provide a wide variety of information.

• They reduce investigator bias.

• They may condition the thinking of respondents.

• They encourage deep thinking through the issue.

Multiple Choice

The Likert scale allows for which of the following?

• Precise measurement of the attitude itself

• Comparisons between individuals or groups

• Ranking only within a single individual

• No identification of patterns among participants

Multiple Choice

In the Likert scale procedure, a response of 'Strongly Disagree' to a positive statement is assigned a value of ___

• -1
• 0

• 1
• 5

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about the Thurstone scale is/are correct?

• It assigns a weight to each statement based on judges' ratings.

• It uses a continuum of agreement or disagreement.

• It provides a single score for all statements.

• It does not require any scoring system.

Multiple Choice

Which attitudinal scale is described as one of the most difficult to construct and therefore is rarely used?

• Likert scale

• Thurstone scale

• Guttman scale

• Semantic differential scale

Multiple Choice

Which of the following steps can the concept of validity be applied to in the research process?

• Study design

• Sampling strategy

• Conclusions drawn

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

A researcher collects the same set of information more than once using the same instrument under the same conditions and gets similar results. What does this indicate about the instrument?

• It is reliable

• It is valid

• It is biased

• It is inconsistent

Multiple Choice

The process of examining every member in a population is called a ___.

• census
• sampling
• survey
• polling

Multiple Select

Which of the following is a probability sampling method?

• Convenience sampling

• Purposive sampling

• Snowball sampling

• Systematic random sampling