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Methodologies for Assessing Effects of Media
There are myriad methods for assessing media effects in both traditional and digital environments, from basic surveys to netnography to neuromarketing. This entry reviews a selection of quantitative and qualitative research methods that are currently used to examine consumer behavior, and thus media effects. The entry focuses on tried-and-true methods of assessing media effects as well as new exploratory research that is being done in the physiological and neuromarketing space.
Surveys and Consumer Panels
Surveys using consumer panels are an effective and efficient method for collecting consumer responses to media from a representative sample of consumers. Online surveys and traditional mail panels differ from each other only in the medium through which they are given: Internet versus print. Thus, online surveys have essentially the same strengths and weaknesses as traditional mail surveys. However, the use of the Internet to assess media effects exaggerates some of the weaknesses associated with surveys. During any survey data collection, participants will eventually reach the point of “satisficing” if they lose interest or become impatient for whatever reason. Satisficing occurs when participants begin to focus on simply completing the survey rather than providing accurate answers to the questions. This can happen for a number of reasons, but the most common cause is poorly designed or long surveys. The self-administered nature of online surveys exacerbates this behavior because there is no researcher present to engage the participant. To prevent satisficing, T. Downes Le Guin and colleagues (2012) have recommended that both off- and online surveys should be kept as short as possible, employ simple language, and have a well-organized design.
Many researchers have argued that the design of an online survey creates an experience for participants that will be similar to their experiences during other web-based activities. Therefore, surveys should include visual and interactive features that can be supported by the Internet. Surveys must be enjoyable and engaging (or at least not a burden) for participants, otherwise participants will quickly move on to one of the many other activities that the Internet has to offer. Some of these new design techniques include drag-and-drop features rather than radio buttons for selecting answers, and the use of color and images to define answer categories. Other research has shown that participants prefer more traditional HTML-based survey designs over interactive designs that focus on rich media. Rich media designs may lead to unintended results and are more likely to suffer survey abandonment, which can be counterproductive to the research project.
Media Effects Experiments
To overcome the control issues associated with online surveys, many researchers have looked to both on- and offline experiments to assess media effects in a more controlled environment. Some researchers have used laboratory facilities to conduct experiments in which the participants can be observed as they participate in the experiment; this observation can be both visual and physiological (e.g., eye tracking, galvanic skin response). In such an environment, researchers can limit the impact of confounding variables while also monitoring the capture of participants’ choices and behaviors. Despite advances in technology and the use of computers in experiments, researchers are still aggregating their participants in a physical location during their data collection. If experiments were to be conducted online, researchers would be able to reduce the costs of their projects; however, the validity and reliability of the results would suffer. Similar to online surveys, online experiments would suffer not only from satisficing but from other control complications as well. Some researchers speculate that despite this cost advantage, experiments do not commonly take place online because many researchers are apprehensive about their ability to recruit and pay participants via the Internet as well as achieve internal validity.
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- General Aggression
- Aggression and Affect
- Aggression and Anger
- Aggression and Attachment
- Aggression and Brain Functioning
- Aggression and Culture
- Aggression in Youth
- Aggression, Definition and Assessment of
- Aggression, Risk Factors for
- Aggressive Behavior
- Aggressive Personality
- Bullying, Definition and Laws of
- Cognition: Schemas and Scripts
- Cognitive Psychology of Violence
- Cognitive Script Theory and the Dynamics of Cognitive Scripting
- Cyberbullying, Definition and Effects of
- Gender and Aggression
- Genetics of Aggressive Behavior
- Group Aggression
- Memory and Violence
- Priming Theory
- Psychobiology of Violence
- Psychopathology and Susceptibility to Violence
- Reasons for Consuming Violent Entertainment
- Relational Aggression
- Trait Aggression
- Media Content
- Grand Theft Auto
- Advertising, Violent Content in
- Arousal and Aggressive Content, Theory and Psychology of
- Character Development Within Violent Content
- Competition, Sports, and Video Games
- Cultivating Content and Social Representation of Violence
- Cyberbullying, Violent Content in
- Drench Hypothesis
- Fantasy Genre, Violence and Aggression in
- Films, Representation of Violence and Its Effects in
- Media Violence, Definitions and Context of
- Music Videos and Lyrics, Violent Content in
- National Television Violence Study
- Pornography, Violent Content in
- Realism of Violence Content, Real-World Violence on Television, and Their Effects
- Sexualized Aggression
- Sports, Violence and Aggression in
- Stereotyping in Violent Media Content
- Television Violence
- Violence, Definition of
- Violent Artistic Expression
- Virtual Reality, Violent Content in
- Media Effects
- Attitude, Effects of Media Violence on
- Audience Interpretation of Media Violence, Effects of
- Bobo Doll Studies
- Comedic Violence, Effects of
- Demographic Effects
- Desensitization Effects on Society
- Developmental Effects
- Effect Size in Media Violence, Research and Effects of
- Effects From Violent Content, Short- and Long-Term
- Effects of Media Violence on Relational Aggression
- Emergent Public Health Issue: Effects of Violence
- Ethical Development, Effects on
- Ethical Issues in Researching Media Violence Effects
- Fear Reactions to Violent Content
- First-Person Perspective, Violent Content From
- Gender, Effects of Violent Content on
- General Aggression Model
- Identity, Media Violence and Its Effects on
- Interactive Media, Aggressive Outcomes of
- Internet Content, Effects of Violent
- Media Effects Perspectives of Violence
- Media Rating Systems
- Moral Development, Effects of Media Violence on
- Narrative, Effects of Violent
- News, the Presentation and Effects of Violent Content in
- Parasocial Relationships
- Pediatricians and Media Violence
- Peer Influence on Violent Content Effects
- Pornography, Violent Content in: Effects of
- Rap Lyrics, Effects of Violent Content in
- Rape Perceptions
- Screen Size and Violent Content, Effects of
- Sex in Media, Effects on Society
- Situational Influences on Aggressive Reactions to Media Violence
- Social Isolation
- Socialization of Violence in Media and Its Effects
- User Involvement in Violent Content, Effects of
- User Trends Toward Aggressive Games
- Uses and Gratifications Perspective of Media Effects
- Video Game Platforms, Effects of
- Video Games, User Motivation
- Violence in Media, Effects on Aggression and Violent Crime
- Virtual Reality, Effects of Violent Content in
- Weapons in Violent Media Content: Use, Policy, and Effects
- Media Policy
- Advertising Laws Regarding Violent and Aggressive Content
- Bullying, Definition and Laws of
- Censorship of Violent Content
- Cyberbullying Laws
- Federal Communications Commission
- First Amendment Protections and Freedom of Expression
- International Perspective on Media Violence
- Internet Blocking
- Internet Violence Laws
- Legislating Media Violence: Law and Policy
- Marketing of Violence
- Media Education and Media Literacy
- Rating Systems, Film
- Rating Systems, Television
- Rating Systems, Video Games
- Regulating Systems, Internet
- Video Game Industry, Regulation Within the
- Research Process
- Society and Media
- Grand Theft Auto, Social Representations in
- Advertising, Influence on Society
- African Americans in Media, Character Depictions and Social Representation of
- Asians in Media, Character Depictions and Social Representation of
- Cross-Cultural Perspectives
- Cultivating Content and Social Representation of Violence
- Cultural Voyeurism
- Culture of Violence
- Effect Size in Media Violence, Research and Effects of
- Exposure to Violent Content, Effects on Child Development
- Gender Stereotypes, Societal Influence on
- Internet Violence, Influence on Society
- Latinos in Media, Character Depictions and Social Representation of
- Media as a Reflection of Society
- Race-Based Attributes in Video Games, Influence on Hostility
- Social Learning From Media
- Theories of Media Influence
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