Communication - refers to the processes by which verbal and nonverbal messages are used to create and share meaning; the management of messages for the purpose of creating meaning in a specific context.
 

Communication research focuses primarily on messages--messages sent intrapersonally, interpersonally, or within and between groups, organizations, and cultures/societies.

People exchange messages through channels within a context.

Four important components of communication science:

           PEOPLE ~ MESSAGES ~ CHANNELS ~ CONTEXTS
 

Institutional Structure of the Communication Discipline 
            1.    ICA  (International Communication Association)
            2.    NCA  (National Communication Association)
                   a.  Divisions -- 300+ members
                   b.  Commissions -- 100+ members
                   c.  Caucuses -- specific demographic or socially defined group
            3.    AEJMC (Association for Educational Journalism and Mass Communication)
            4.    Regional associations (WCA, CSCA, SSCA, ECA) 
            5.    State associations (KCA) 
 

The CONTEXT of Communication (the environment in which human communication takes place) 
    A.    Intrapersonal Communication (we'll refer to this context as the MESSAGE context)
    B.    Interpersonal Communication 
    C.    Group Communication 
    D.    Organizational Communication 
    E.    Societal Communication 
            1.    Public Communication 
            2.    Mass Communication 
            3.    Cultural Communication 
 

The purpose of basic communication research is to increase our knowledge about communication phenomena by testing, refining, and elaborating theory (a generalization about a phenomenon;an explanation of how or why something occurs).

Applied communication research is designed to solve a socially relevant communication problem.  It seeks to demonstrate the relevance of communication knowledge to a particular event or challenge of everyday life.

Refer to pages 31-38 for potential topics!

The Process of Basic Communication Research
1.  Select a Topic of Interest
2.  Select Appropriate Theory
3.  Derive a Hypothesis
4.  Design Study and Test Hypothesis

An Integrated Model of Basic and Applied Communication Research
Refer to Research Grid (p. 37). 
Communication scholars should aim to do research that has high concern/potentional for both theory and practice.
 

Designed to Describe Communication Behavior OR Relate Communication Behavior to Other Variables.

Research Question:  a formal question posed to guide research.

Variable:  any concept that can have two or more values.

Independent versus Dependent Variables

     Independent variables are thought to influence changes in another variable (the dependent variable).
          (IV;  sometimes called explanatory variable or PREDICTOR variable in nonexperimental research)

     Dependent variables are thought to be changed by another variable.
          (DV;  sometimes called the outcome variable or CRITERION variable in nonexperimental research)

Know the difference between causal relationships (changes in IV CAUSE changes in DV) and noncausal relationships (variables are associated or occur together without the assumption of causation).

Know the difference between recursive causal models (causal realionship is one way) and nonrecursive causal models (causal relationship is reciprocal or two way--variable can be both a cause and an effect).

Hypothesis:  a tentative statement about the relationship between independent and dependent variable(s). 

two-tailed hypothesis (two-direction or nondirectional hypotheis):  predicts a relationship without specifying the nature of that relationship.

one-tailed hypothesis (directional hypotheis):  predicts a relationship and specifies the nature of that relationship.

Refer to Figure 2.8 on page 44 for examples of RQs and RHs!

Know the difference between positive relationships (direct relationships) and negative relationships (inverse relationships) when stating hypotheses.

Be able to distinguish main effects (effects of each IV working alone) and interaction effects (due to the effects of mulitple IVs working together) when dealing with the effects of multiple independent variables on a dependent variable.

I strongly recommend materials available at 
http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/questions.htm
 

CHOOSING RESEARCH TOPICS 
    A.  Research topics - ideas that communication researchers consider worth studying. 
    B.  Derived from two sources 
        1.    the NEED TO TEST AND REFINE THEORY - Basic (Pure) Research 
        2.    the NEED TO SOLVE A PRACTICAL PROBLEM - Applied Research 
    C.  Important Contexts for Applied Communication Research  
    D.  Criterion 
        1.    Most important is whether topic investigates something IMPORTANT. 
        2.    Need to DEVELOP A CLEAR RATIONALE FOR WHY THE RESEARCH IS BEING CONDUCTED. 
        3.    Answer the questions "So What?" and "Who Cares?" 
        4.    Must be of sufficient scope and depth to enable investigation. 

CONCEPTUAL DEFINITIONS 
   A.  Describe what a concept means by relating it to similar concepts 
   B.  Researchers define a concept by relating it to other concepts 
   C.  Researcher specifies the major characteristics of the concepts in order to OPERATIONALIZE and 
        MEASURE the concepts effectively. 

VARIABLE - any concept that takes on two or more values. 

IDENTIFYING VARIABLES 
    A.    Ordered vs. Nominal Variables 
        1.  Ordered - assigned meaningful numerical values that indicate HOW MUCH of the concept is present. 
        2.  Nominal (categorical, classificatory, or discrete) - differentiated only on the basis of TYPE 
              a.  dichotomous or binomial - can only be divided into two categories
              b.  polytomous - more than two categories
    B.    Independent vs. Dependent Variables 
        1.  Independent - influences changes in another variable 
        2.  Dependent - changed by another variable 
    C.    Confounding Variables - Variables that explain changes in the DV better than the IV 
  
RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES 
    A.    Research Questions - explicit questions researchers ask abou the variables that interest them. 
           Generally asked when researcher lacks specific evidence to predict the nature of the relaionship.
            1.    Describing Communication Behavior 
            2.    Relating Communication Behavior to Other Variables 
                a.    Noncausal Relationships - occur together, association, no causation 
                b.    Causal Relationships - predictable outcomes 
                c.    Relationships between IV and DV 
                    1.    positive relationship - increases in the IV cause increases in the DV 
                    2.    negative relationship - increases in the IV cause decreases in the the DV 
                    3.    no relationship - changes in the IV do not cause changes in the DV 
                d.    Nondirectional - open-ended question is asked 
                e.    Directional - closed-ended question is asked 
    B.    Hypotheses - tentative statement about the relationship between the IV and DV. 
                Hypotheses may be derived from: 
                        a.  available body of theory and research about the variables 
                        b.  general observations made about the variables in the everyday world 
                        c.  logic 
            1.    Research Hypotheses - confident enough to make a prediction. 
            2.    Two-tailed Research Hypotheses - does not indicate the specific nature of the relationship. 
            3.    One-tailed Research Hypotheses - predicts the specific nature of the relationship or difference. 
            4.    Null Hypothesis - TESTED.  no relationship between IV and DV. 

Research Hypotheses represent a FORMAL TESTING of a THEORY. 
Research Questions represent a more GENERAL EXPLORATION of phenomena. 
                                                                                                                    Dr. Robert Bostrom (1998)