Chapter 9 - Experimental Research

  1. Go to the Internet and conduct a search for "experimental research."  In your opinion, why are there so few examples of experimental research in the mass media?

  2. Review a few issues of mass media research journals.  How many examples of replicated studies can you find?  If you find any, what types of studies are they?  If you don't find any, how can you explain the absence of such an important element of scientific research?

  3. It's time to conduct a simple experiment to find out all of the elements that go into the process.  Try this . . . Let's assume that we want to find out if mnemonic devices help people learn a list of items.  In this case, our goal is to find out if the mnemonic device "HOMES" helps people learn the names of the five Great Lakes more quickly than learning the names of the lakes without the acronym.  Design and conduct the experiment.  What problems, if any, did you have with the experiment?  What type of sample did you use?  How did you select the respondents?  What type of controls did you use?  How did you analyze the data?  Which alpha level did you use for your statistical analysis?  How did your results compare to others who conducted the experiment?

  4. From the results of your experiment with HOMES, what suggestions would you make to someone who wants to replicate your study?

  5. Assume you are a professional researcher and a client who uses website banner advertising calls you at your office.  The client's question is this, "Is Internet banner advertising a good way for me to spend my advertising money?"  What do you tell the client?  What type of experiment would you conduct to answer the client's question?

Mass Media Research: An Introduction - Roger D. Wimmer & Joseph R. Dominick - Chapter 9 Exercises

Chapter 9 - Experimental Research

  1. Go to the Internet and conduct a search for "experimental research."  In your opinion, why are there so few examples of experimental research in the mass media?

  2. Review a few issues of mass media research journals.  How many examples of replicated studies can you find?  If you find any, what types of studies are they?  If you don't find any, how can you explain the absence of such an important element of scientific research?

  3. It's time to conduct a simple experiment to find out all of the elements that go into the process.  Try this . . . Let's assume that we want to find out if mnemonic devices help people learn a list of items.  In this case, our goal is to find out if the mnemonic device "HOMES" helps people learn the names of the five Great Lakes more quickly than learning the names of the lakes without the acronym.  Design and conduct the experiment.  What problems, if any, did you have with the experiment?  What type of sample did you use?  How did you select the respondents?  What type of controls did you use?  How did you analyze the data?  Which alpha level did you use for your statistical analysis?  How did your results compare to others who conducted the experiment?

  4. From the results of your experiment with HOMES, what suggestions would you make to someone who wants to replicate your study?

  5. Assume you are a professional researcher and a client who uses website banner advertising calls you at your office.  The client's question is this, "Is Internet banner advertising a good way for me to spend my advertising money?"  What do you tell the client?  What type of experiment would you conduct to answer the client's question?