Noting that there is growing interest in systematic, ethnographic studies of mass media and their primary audiences (families), this paper seeks to encourage additional ethnographic study of audience behavior by discussing some theoretical concerns that bear on the qualitative research enterprise. To do this, the paper first introduces a variety…

Approximately 500 people participated in a study that examined the relationship between generalized uses-and-gratifications statements and specific magazine reading behaviors. The subjects responded to a telephone survey that elicited information concerning demographics, media usage, and reactions to 14 uses-and-gratifications statements that had…

As part of a research program designed to explicate the construct "power," a formulative research strategy was used to identify 37 personal orientations toward power. A preliminary instrument based on these orientations was administered to samples of corporate executives, government employees, law enforcement personnel, and sales associates. A…

A study was conducted to determine how Washington, D.C., reporters cover business policy issues and to explain why they report this news as they do. The study used J. Grunig's situational theory of communication behavior as a basis for developing a typology of Washington reporters based upon their perceptions of four business policy issues. A…

Communication competence has been approached primarily from three perspectives in the communication literature: (1) as cognitive understanding of communication, (2) as a capability of performing certain communication skills, and (3) as achieving effective communication. Most scholars who write about communication competence view competence either…

It has been suggested that surveys dealing with the incidence of crime among the elderly do not take into account the varying individual and group levels of fear and exposure to threat of victimization. Data from Law Enforcement Assistance Administration surveys were used to review the personal victimization of older persons, incorporating the…

Some distinct advantages in utilizing theory-oriented research as opposed to nontheoretic data gathering research are examined in this paper. Further, the need for theory-based research is suggested by defining the nature of theory and by reviewing two theory-oriented research developments. The funnel model of causality from the area of political…

Although videotape is the preferred method for recording behavior, there are many natural settings in which it is impractical or too intrusive. The ability to collect data in such settings and in real time has been enhanced by the advent of light, powerful laptop computers. This poster (with paper) describes a set of eight programs (developed in…

Critical Incident Technique (CIT) involves the collection of real-world examples of behavior that characterize either very effective or very ineffective performance of some activity. The principal advantage of the CIT is that it generates data based on actual behavior rather than on a particular researcher's subjectivity. The CIT has much to offer…

A methodology that will allow teachers to assess a child's behavior problems within both Disruptive (D) and Nondisruptive (ND) contexts was developed, and a questionnaire that would attend to the issues of Manageability and Contagion, as well as Tolerance and Severity, was prepared. Initial questionnaire research using the Devereux Elementary…

This study was designed to determine the relationship between children's reflection-impulsivity and responses to a forced choice of a toy for play (labelled as impulsivity) and the length of continued play with the selected toy (labelled as latency). A group of twenty four-year-olds, male and female, were observed making a choice between toys. The…

This paper presents arguments for greater use of sophisticated research strategies and statistical analyses of data in dealing with the real-life complexity of social interaction. Three possible procedures are proposed and illustrated in a study of interactions between mothers and their 8- to 18-month-old children. The first strategy is to…

A time lapse camera loaded with Super 8 film was employed to photographically record the area in front of a conventional television receiver in selected homes. The camera took one picture each minute for three days, including in the same frame the face of the television receiver. Family members kept a conventional viewing diary of their viewing…

Systems descriptions vary in two essential ways. First, they vary in terms of the kinds of behaviors used in describing the system. Second, they vary in terms of the way the data are handled. The analysis of interaction patterns in dyads, groups, and larger systems has been difficult to describe. In this paper, an attempt is made to present a…

The hypothesis that individual differences in psychological differentiation are related to the perceptions of the independence of leadership behaviors was tested. After viewing a supervisor-subordinate interaction sequence on closed circuit television tape, subjects responded to questionnaires measuring their perception/judgments of the…