Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 Getting Started: Possibilities and Decisions -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- 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 -- Some Research Possibilities: What Can We Do With an Ad? -- Does the Advertisement Work? -- What Can Readers and Viewers Tell Us? -- What Can the Content Tell Us? -- What Can the Creators of the Ad Tell Us? -- A Series of Unavoidable Decisions -- The Field of Study-Wide or Narrow? -- The Researcher-Dispassionate or Involved? -- The Approach-Objective or Subjective? -- 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 --

Contents note continued: Peer Persuasion -- Ethics Panel: A Health Communication Dilemma -- Research Example: Three Views of Pharmaceutical Advertising -- Content Analysis: A Descriptive Perspective -- Content Analysis: A Critical Perspective -- Content Analysis: A Policy Perspective -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 Finding Research Questions -- Exercise 2 Interpersonal Attraction -- Exercise 3 Group Performance -- Recommended Reading -- Recommended Web Resources -- References -- ch. 2 First Decisions: What, Why, How? -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Starting With the "What" Question: Ideas and Observations -- Induction -- Deduction -- Abduction -- Starting With the "Why" Question: Goals and Values -- Exploration -- Description -- Explanation -- Prediction -- Control -- Interpretation -- Criticism -- Starting With the "How" Question: Methods and Epistemologies -- Starting With a Worldview: Basic Beliefs --

Contents note continued: Starting From the Work of Others -- Firming Up Questions -- Hypotheses: Making Predictions -- Research Questions: Less Certainty, More Room to Move -- Questioning the Questions -- Starting With No Questions -- Ethics Panel: Do Some Research Methods Raise More Ethical Implications Than Others? -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 Identifying Your Interests -- Exercise 2 Worldview -- Recommended Reading -- Recommended Web Resources -- References -- ch. 3 Ethics: What Are My Responsibilities as a Researcher? -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Introduction: Some Ethical Decisions -- Sex, Violence, and Deception -- Money and Relationships -- Ethics Issues in Communication Research -- Honesty -- Confidentiality and Anonymity -- Making Generalizations -- Debriefing -- The Literature Review -- Acknowledging Others -- Appropriate Language -- Plagiarism -- Some Classic Ethical Positions -- Contemporary Codes of Ethics --

Contents note continued: The Nuremberg Code -- The Declaration of Helsinki -- The Belmont Report -- Regulations -- Peer Review and Institutional Review Boards -- What Should I Call You? The Ethics of Involvement -- Oh Brave New World! That Has Such Creatures in It: The Internet and Research Ethics -- What Is the Internet? -- Anonymity and Identification on the Internet -- Informed Consent on the Internet -- Basic Guidelines for Internet Research -- Ethics Panel: Tainted Data, Deception, and Virtual Research -- I.The Use of Tainted Data -- II.The Stanley Milgram Experiments -- III."Virtual Milgram" -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 The Ethics of Content Analysis -- Exercise 2 Ethics and Virtual Respondents -- Exercise 3 The Ethics of Group Engagement -- Exercise 4 The Ethics of Internet Research -- Recommended Reading -- Recommended Viewing -- Recommended Web Resources -- References --

Contents note continued: ch. 4 Reading Research: To Boldly Go Where Others Have Gone Before -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Library Research: Why Bother? -- Methods -- Ethics -- Language and Style -- Inspiration -- Finding Relevance, Finding Quality -- Identifying Relevant Information -- Identifying Quality Information -- Scholarly Databases Versus Search Engines -- Scholarly, Popular, and Trade Publications: What Are the Differences -- How Will I Know a Scholarly Article When I See One? -- Primary Versus Secondary Sources -- The Champagne Glass Model of Bibliographic Research -- Search Terms and Search Fields -- How Can the Library of Congress Help My Literature Search? -- Other Resources -- How to Be Skeptical About Information, Especially Web Information -- Stage 1 Think Book or Journal -- Stage 2 Additional Questions for Websites -- Mr. Boole and the Three Bears -- Saving Your Search Results -- Information You Must Record -- Information You Should Record --

Contents note continued: Writing Your Search Results: The Literature Review -- Questions of Style -- Ethics Panel: Politics and Publication -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 APA Style -- Exercise 2 Comparing Primary and Secondary Sources -- Exercise 3 Search Terms and Boolean Operators -- Recommended Reading -- Recommended Web Resources -- References -- ch. 5 Measurement: Research Using Numbers -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- What Do Head Size, Attitudes, and Readability Have in Common? -- An Introduction to Scales -- Research NOIR -- Nominal Measurement -- Ordinal Measurement -- Interval Measurement -- Ratio Measurement -- NOIR in Action -- To NOIR Is Not Enough: Reliability and Validity -- Reliability -- Test-Retest -- Intercoder or Observer Reliability -- Interitem or Internal Reliability -- Established Measures Reliability -- Validity -- Content Validity: Looks OK -- Construct Validity: Theoretically OK --

Contents note continued: Criterion Validity: Tests OK -- Who Wins in the Reliability-Validity Shootout? -- Two Common Measurement Scales -- The Likert Scale -- The Semantic Differential Scale -- Ethics Panel: The Ethics of Measurement Scales -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Parlez-moi d'amour -- Exercise 1 A Measure of Love -- Exercise 2 Assessing the Validity and Reliability of a Measure -- Exercise 3 Other Measures, Other Concepts -- Recommended Reading -- References -- ch. 6 Summarizing Research Results: Data Reduction and Descriptive Statistics -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Introduction -- Data Reduction -- Data Reduction and Univariate Data -- Data Reduction and Bivariate Data -- Data Reduction and Multivariate Data -- Measures of Central Tendency: Mean, Median, and Mode -- Measures of Dispersion: Minimum, Maximum, Range, Interquartile Range, Variance, and Standard Deviation -- Minimum, Maximum, Range, and Interquartile Range --

Contents note continued: Variance and Standard Deviation -- Variance: Formula -- Standard Deviation: Formula -- Variance and Standard Deviation: Example -- z Score -- z Score: Formula -- z Score: Example -- The Chi-Square Test -- Chi-Square: Formula -- Chi-Square: Example -- The Language of Curves -- Ethics Panel: Can Rankings Be Misleading? -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 Your Personal Distribution of Wealth -- Exercise 2 Brand, Color, and Gender Preferences -- Exercise 3 A Social Media Study -- Recommended Reading -- Recommended Web Resources -- References -- ch. 7 Generalizing From Research Results: Inferential Statistics -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Introduction -- Generalizing From Data: Inferential Statistics -- The Return of Standard Deviation -- Confidence Level, Sampling, and the Normal Curve -- Confidence Level and Sample Size -- Testing for Differences Between and Among Groups -- The t Test -- t Test: Formula --

Contents note continued: t Test: Example -- Another Type of t -- Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) -- ANOVA: Formula -- ANOVA: Example -- Testing for Relationships Between and Among Variables -- Correlation -- Regression -- Paths, Partials, and Parts -- The Final Decision: Accept or Reject Your Findings -- Ethics Panel: A Communicative Tension -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 Predicting Group Wealth -- Exercise 2 Generalizing From a Sample to a Population -- Exercise 3 Gender and Beverage Preferences -- Recommended Reading and Web Resources -- Reference -- ch. 8 Sampling: Who, What, and How Many? -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Introduction -- Nonprobability Sampling -- Convenience Sampling -- Purposive or Judgmental Sampling -- Quota Sampling -- Network or Snowball Sampling -- Volunteer Sampling -- Probability Sampling -- Random Sampling -- Stratified Random Sampling -- Systematic Sampling -- Multistage Cluster Sampling --

Contents note continued: So How Big Does My Sample Have to Be? -- Sample Size: Formula -- Sample Size: Examples -- Some Issues With Sampling Frames -- Postal Address Sampling Frames -- Phone Directory Sampling Frames -- Internet Sampling Frames -- Special Population Sampling -- Ethics Panel: Checking the Ethics of Survey Research -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 Systematic Sampling -- Exercise 2 How Does Sampling for One Variable Affect Another Variable? -- Exercise 3 Multistage Cluster Sampling -- Recommended Reading -- Recommended Web Resources -- References -- ch. 9 Surveys: Putting Numbers on Opinions -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys -- Types of Surveys -- Cross-Sectional -- Trend -- Panel -- Cohort -- Cross-Lagged -- Writing and Formatting Questions -- Open-Ended Questions -- Dichotomous Questions -- Multiple-Choice Questions -- Likert Scale --

Contents note continued: Semantic Differential Scale -- Survey Wording: If It Can Be Misinterpreted, It Will Be -- Common Problems With Wording -- Leading Questions -- Double-Barreled Questions -- Negative Wording -- The Double Negative -- Language -- Guiding Respondents Through Surveys -- Filter Questions and Instructions -- Surveys and the Web -- Improving Survey Response Rates -- Capturing and Processing Survey Data -- Using Other People's Surveys -- Ethics Panel: Clients and Methods as Ethical Decisions -- Research in Practice: Using Qualitative and Post-Studies to Transform Student Advising -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 Expanding on a Basic Question -- Exercise 2 Survey Method Decision -- Exercise 3 Survey Wording -- Recommended Reading -- Recommended Web Resources -- References -- ch. 10 Experiments: Researching Cause and Effect -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Experiments --

Contents note continued: Field Experiments and Ex Post Facto Designs -- Basic Experimental Design -- One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design -- Designing for Control -- Two-Group Pretest-Posttest Design -- Designing for Random Assignment -- Two-Group Random Assignment Pretest-Posttest Design -- The Solomon Four-Group Design -- Time Series Analysis -- Factorial Designs -- Between-Subjects and Within-Subjects Design -- Validity and Experimental Design -- Internal Validity -- External Validity -- Manipulation Checks -- Ethics Panel: Two Famous and Controversial Experiments -- Stanley Milgram's Experiments on Authority -- Philip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment -- Research in Practice: Using Qualitative Research to Understand Hispanic Banking Needs -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 Further Adventures With Study Conditions -- Exercise 2 An Experiment in Persuasion -- Exercise 3 Hybrid or Regular? -- Recommended Reading --

Contents note continued: Recommended Web Resources -- Reference -- ch. 11 Watching and Listening: Qualitative Research for In-Depth Understanding -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Watching and Listening Methods -- Qualitative and Quantitative: Similarities and Differences -- Watching and Listening Methods -- Interviews -- Interview Structure -- Interview Setting -- Interview Sensitivities -- Interview Sequence -- Interview Question Types -- Interview Question Prompts -- Focus Groups -- Ethnographic Methods -- Basic Researcher-Participant Relationships -- Ethnographic Starting Points -- Observational Studies -- Unobtrusive Measures -- Conversation Analyses and Case Studies -- Making Sense of Qualitative Data -- Fixed Coding -- Flexible Coding -- Drowning in Data? Software to the Rescue -- Ethics Panel: In Which a Professor Becomes a Student -- Research in Practice: Promoting Clean Energy -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms --

Contents note continued: Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 An Ethnographic Study -- Exercise 2 An Interview -- Exercise 3 A Method Comparison -- Recommended Reading -- Recommended Web Resources -- References -- ch. 12 Content Analysis: Understanding Text and Image in Numbers -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Content Analysis -- A Basic Content Analysis -- Research Questions -- Content to Be Analyzed -- Sampling -- Select Units for Coding -- Develop a Coding Scheme -- Assign Each Occurrence of a Unit to a Code in the Coding Scheme -- Count Occurrences of the Coded Units and Report Their Frequencies -- An Expanded Content Analysis -- Define the Universe of Content to Be Analyzed -- Sample the Universe of Content -- Select Units for Coding -- Develop a Coding Scheme -- Assign Each Occurrence of a Unit to a Code in the Coding Scheme -- Count Occurrences of the Coded Units and Report Their Frequencies --

Contents note continued: Content Analysis of Human Interaction -- Content Analysis Software -- Ethics Panel: Could Analyzing Media Content Result in Harm? -- Research in Practice: Reaching Out to Hispanics Living With Paralysis -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 Sampling -- Exercise 2 News Media Bias -- Exercise 3 Stereotyping in Entertainment Media and Advertising -- Recommended Reading -- Recommended Web Resources -- References -- ch. 13 Rhetorical and Critical Analyses: Understanding Text and Image in Words -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Qualitative Analyses of Content -- Rhetorical Analyses -- Aristotelian Analysis -- Dramatistic Analysis -- Fantasy Theme Analysis -- Narrative Analysis -- Metaphor Analysis -- Discourse Analysis -- Conversation Analysis -- Utterances -- Adjacency Pairs -- Question-Answer -- Offer-Rejection -- Compliment-Acceptance -- Greeting-Greeting --

Contents note continued: Preference Organization -- Turn Taking -- Repair Mechanisms -- Semiotics -- Semiotic Thinking: The Tobacco King, Rest Rooms, and Sleeping Policemen -- Roman Jakobson Visits Sam's Car Lot -- Critical Analyses -- Ethics Panel: Research as Manipulative Practice -- Research in Practice: Qualifying Individual Influence on Social Networks -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 Discourse Analysis -- Exercise 2 Matching Method With Interest -- Exercise 3 Analyzing Organizational Stories -- Recommended Reading -- Recommended Web Resources -- References -- ch. 14 Writing and Presenting Research -- Chapter Overview -- Starter Questions -- Introduction -- The Writing Process -- Writing for Scholarly Publics -- Format -- Style -- Voice -- Writing for Other Publics: Interest Groups and News Media -- Interest Groups -- News Media -- The Editorial Process -- The Ethics of Style and Accuracy --

Contents note continued: Presenting for Scholarly Publics: Conferences and Panels -- An FYI on PPT -- Some Communication Guidelines -- Ethics Panel: Balancing Between Scholarly and Popular Writing -- Research in Practice: Using the Grounded Theory Method to Research Oncologists' Grief -- Chapter Summary -- Key Terms -- Application Exercises -- Exercise 1 Readability -- Exercise 2 Slideware Presentation -- Exercise 3 Writing Styles -- Recommended Reading -- Recommended Web Resources -- References.