Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry

814 Pages·2016·6.559 MB·English

by  Donald F. Treadwell

Introducing Communication Research
Third Edition
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For Joseph, Luke, Owen, and James—now on their own paths of inquiry.
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Introducing Communication Research
Paths of Inquiry
Third Edition
Donald Treadwell
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FOR INFORMATION:
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Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-1-4833-7941-8
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
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Brief Contents
List of Exhibits
Preface
Chapter 1: Getting Started: Possibilities and Decisions
Chapter 2: First Decisions: What, Why, How?
Chapter 3: Ethics: What Are My Responsibilities as a Researcher?
Chapter 4: You Could Look It Up: Reading, Recording, and Reviewing
Research
Chapter 5: Measurement: Research Using Numbers
Chapter 6: Summarizing Research Results: Data Reduction and Descriptive
Statistics
Chapter 7: Generalizing From Research Results: Inferential Statistics
Chapter 8: Sampling: Who, What, and How Many?
Chapter 9: Surveys: Putting Numbers on Opinions
Chapter 10: Experiments: Researching Cause and Effect
Chapter 11: Watching and Listening: Qualitative Research for In-Depth
Understanding
Chapter 12: Content Analysis: Understanding Communication Content in
Numbers
Chapter 13: Rhetorical and Critical Analyses, and More: Understanding
Communication Content in Words
Chapter 14: Writing and Presenting Research
Glossary
Index
About the Author
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Detailed Contents
List of Exhibits
Preface
Chapter 1: Getting Started: Possibilities and Decisions
Chapter Overview
Chapter Objectives
Getting Started in Research
The Situation
Interaction I—The Couple: Romance, “Just Friends,” or Doing
Business?
Interaction II—The Group: Collaboration or Conflict? Business or
Pleasure?
Interaction III—The Topic Turns to the Media
Basic Assumptions Behind Communication Research
Observations Capture/Do Not Capture an Underlying Reality
Theories About Human Behavior Can/Cannot Be Generalized
Researchers Should/Should Not Distance Themselves From Their
Research Participants
Research Should/Should Not Be Done for a Specific Purpose
There Is/Is Not One Best Position From Which to Observe Human
Behavior
Some Research Possibilities: What Can We Do With an Ad?
Does the Ad Work?
What Can Readers and Viewers Tell Us?
What Can the Content Tell Us?
What Can the Creators of the Ad Tell Us?
Some Research Possibilities: Beyond the Ad
A Series of Unavoidable Decisions
The Field of Study—Wide or Narrow?
The Researcher—Dispassionate or Involved?
The Approach—Objective or Subjective?
The Priority—Your Questions or Their Answers?
The Sample—Large or Small?
The Data—Quantitative or Qualitative?
The Report—Subjective or Objective?
Problem Posing, Problem Solving, Peer Persuasion
Problem Posing
Problem Solving
Peer Persuasion
Ethics Panel: A Health Communication Dilemma
Chapter Summary
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