Suchergebnisse

A report on an effort to discover what soc sci data is available & how readily it can be utilized for more general soc sci res purposes. 85 res org's were contacted. Requests were made esp for studies re: (1) the soc characteristics of audiences, eg, race, sex, age, SES; (2) the uses of the media, esp where people get their news, entertainment, etc; & (3) data linking the MM to personal COMM. 23 org's supplied 85 res reports. The available reports are reviewed re the nature of the data & analyses contained. Their limitations for soc sci are discussed: (1) More descriptive than analytical. (2) Uneven in their use of independent classifications of R's, ranging from no breakdowns by soc characteristics to certain limited consideration of age, sex, SES, & other characteristics. (3) Varied in the degree of detail in categories employed, ie methods of classification by age. (4) Lacking in soc structural variables, ie, generally limited to a few simple demographic characteristics of R's, seldom introducing more sophisticated indexes. (5) Lacking in higher-order cross-tabulations either for purposes of comparative description or for analysis. (6) Divorced from any underlying soc'al or psychol'al theory, only occasionally presenting hyp's to be tested or interpretations relating the findings to other studies or to sci'fic theories. (7) More prone to incorporate recent technical developments from soc sci than theoretical gains & concepts. (8) Missing any imaginative measures or classifications of R's reflecting sociol'al & psychol'al factors developed in basic res during the past 20 yrs. AA.

A discussion of certain theoretical & methodological points concerning the application of functional analysis to the field of mass communication. Some of the more obvious items in mass communication that may be subjected to functional analysis are specified; An organizing framework or a functional inventory into which a variety of hyp's & findings about the effects of mass communication can be fitted is introduced; & the desirability of formulating additional hyp's in terms specifically related to such important components of functionalism as functional requirements & the equilibrium model is stressed. One form of a basic functional query is selected for detailed discussion: What are the (1) manifest & (2) latent (3) functions & (4) dysfunctions of mass communicated (5) news, (6) editorial activity, (7) cultural transmission, & (8) entertainment for the (9) individual, (10) subgroups, (11) society & (12) cultural systems? The 12 elements provide a framework for beginning a functional inventory to help organize hyp's & findings about the effects of mass communication. It is suggested that it may be desirable to formulate additional hyp's in specific functional terms. AA.