MEDIA RESEARCH NOTES

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

What is an experiment?
It’s a research method in which the conditions are controlled
So that one or more independent variables can be manipulated to test the hypothesis about
the dependent variable.
It allows us to understand/ evaluate the relationships among variables while other variables are
eliminated or controlled.

Independent variable: It’s also called the cause. We isolate pr separate independent from other
variables that’s constant to keep it independent. It’s a variable that we manipulate or alter to
investigate our research

Dependent variable: It’s a data that you collect to see if the independent variable is the cause
for the outcome. This variable is also known as the effect. It depends on the independent
variable.

For example, Psychologists want to do a research on whether the colour of the affect the way
you drive and the psychologist assigns participants 4 conditions: red, blue, green and white,
each participant are asked to drive an empty speed track for 50 times. The average speed is
recorded in (mph)

RED CAR BLUE CAR GREEN CAR WHITE CAR

VARIABLES All these variables remain

constant/unchanged i.e. the
 Type of car (mini van/ sports car) experiment will be done under the
 Mood (Happy/sad) same condition whereas only the
 Weather (hot/cold) independent variable may change
which is the colour
  Age (experienced driver/ new driver)
 Traffic
 Colour This is the variable that the psychologists want to focus on

Independent Variable

Colour is the independent variable so we separate the variable colour from other variables to
make it independent. The other variables like the weather, type of car, age etc remains
unchanged. The only variable that ca change in the whole study is the colour . which means the
4 conditions like the red car, green car, blue car and white car and all other variables other than
the colour has to remain the same. In every condition, the weather has to be the same, mood,
age etc.

Dependent variable : The speed (mph) is the dependent variable. Our dependent variable
depends on our independent variable which is the colour to see if the colour does affect the
speed of the car.

Experimental treatment: Alternative manipulations of the independent variables being

investigated
For example, the doctor prescribes three different drugs to three groups of patients to see
which drug is effective.

Experimental Group : Groups that are exposed to experimental treatment

Control Group: Groups that are expected to controlled conditions but not exposed to
experimental treatment

For example, Psychologists want to find the effect of classical background music on learning and
the psychologist wants students to memorize 40 words in 5mins. The Psychologists are taking 8
participants called as the sample. So here, the independent variable is the classical background
music (cause) and the dependent variable will be memorizing 40 words in 5 mins (effect).
Therefore, the Psychologist divides the participants into two groups, experimental and control
group. The difference between both these groups is that the participants of experimental group
are exposed to independent variable which means they will listen to the classical background
music while memorizing 40 words whereas the control group are not exposed to independent
variables or treatment , here the participants in the control group won’t be exposed to classical
background music. Now the question is how are these participants separated in groups?
Random assignment assures that each group is given equal chance. If the participants are put in
groups by random assignment, then the constant variables should be eliminated and only the
independent variables (Classical bg music) have to be focused. Despite the difference between
the two groups which is control and experimental, the conditions for both groups remain the
same, like the instructions, room, and the temperature. Now after we segregate them into
groups we collect the data also called the dependent variable to see the outcome/results/
effects to see which group is able to learn more words by playing or not playing classical bg
music

Test unit: Entities whose response to experimental treatments are observed. Test units are the
participants in an experiment who are being observed.

Randomization: Assignment of subjects or treatment to groups is based on chance.

Provides control by chance
Random assignment ensures that all groups are treated equally and is identical in respect to
other variables except the experimental treatment.

Constant error: It’s an error that occurs in the same experimental condition everytime the basic
experiment is repeated
For example,
Experimental group always administered treatment in the morning
Control group in the afternoon
Introduces an uncontrolled extraneous variable – time of day
Hence, constant error

Extraneous variable: Variable other than manipulated variables that affects the result of the
experiment. It can make the results go wrong.

Sources of constant error:

Demand characteristics: Procedures used in the experimental design or the circumstances
present in the experiment unintentionally gives subjects the information about the
experimenter’s hypothesis.

Participants are likely to behave in way that is consistent with the experimental treatment. The
most prominent demand characteristic is the person performing the experimental treatments.

DEFINITION OF RESEARCH
What is research?
Research is something that people undertake, to find out things in a systematic way, thereby
increasing their knowledge.
Why do we do research?

 To gain more information

 Provide hypothesis
 To get answers to questions
 To support/counter existing theories

What is a concept?
Concept is a term that expresses abstract ideas by making assumptions from the facts and
compiling related observations. 2 or 3 concepts can make up a construct.

What is a construct?
Concept has three distinct characteristics:

 Abstract ideas are broken down into low level of concepts.

  It is designed for a specific purpose and its intended meaning can only be applied to the
context in which it is used.
 It cannot be immediately observed

What are variables?

Variables that connect theoretical and experimental worlds are a construct’s empirical
counterpart. The events or occurrences can be manipulated or alter in the research. Example,
Increase in temperature has both cause and effect. Variables are anything that varies and
everything that has a cause or an effect is included in it.

What is universe?
A Universe is a set of something we wish to study and the reason why we use the word
something is because the universe could be many different things like the population of all the
people who live in a specific city, or a specific sub-group, all men or women etc. It can be
specific things or objects. For example I take universe as all cars on the road and I want to know
how many of them are electric. Basically, the universe is the entirety of something.

What is a sample?
It is a subset of the population, like a smaller percentage of the population.
For example, I’m researching on a topic what % of Americans support legalization of Marijuana,
I can’t take the survey of 330 million people as it’s near impossible, so we take a small
percentage of that population and that becomes our sample.

Sample size: The specific number of people in the sample become the sample size.

What is Probability Sampling?

It is based on chance, every member of the population has an equal chance to be the part of
your research study. Probability sampling are time consuming, more complex and more costly
than non-probability. In probability sampling the units of the population are randomly selected
and each unit’s selection probability can be calculated, reliable estimates can be made and
statistical inferences can be made from the population.
Content Analysis
Deriving conclusion and inferences from the content from content in menages.
It is an objectively systematic quantitative way of inferencing the already existing contents and
to study and measure the variables.

3 functions of content analysis

Objectivity: Research on the same topic by another researcher can give the same results
Systematic: It has a set no. of rules applied and not materials that support the researchers’
thoughts
Generalizability: Can be applied in situations that are similar to them.

Difference between quantitative and qualitative data

Qualitative:
It is a subjective analysis, and is concerned with non-statistical data.
Typical data include: Colour, nationality, gender etc
Try to understand why a certain phenomena occurs
Interpret and understands social interaction
Sample is small and is non-representative of the population
Research methodology- Exploratory

Quantitative analysis
It is an objective analysis and quantifies data
Typical data include: size, mass, length, weight etc
It is concerned with how many and how much a certain phenomena occurs
Test hypothesis and give future predictions
The sample is large but it can be generalized to cover the entire population
Research method: Conclusive