Provides a content analysis of the New York "Times," Chicago "Tribune," and Los Angeles "Times" for 1955, 1965, 1975, and 1985. Finds that all three papers emphasized politics and government most in all periods, with economic activity a distant second. (MG)

Proposes a mathematical model to incorporate the strengths of both the classic approach to agenda-setting research and the time-series technique. Tests the model with data on three issues. Finds both mutual competition and one-way attraction among issues. (SR)

Defines involvement as the spread of activation through working and long-term memory, with topics resulting in more extensive and/or stronger activation resulting in higher involvement. Finds evidence from the measurement of reaction time for recognition in support of the model. (SR)

Reports that follow-up mailings are generally worth the time and money in communications surveys of elite groups, that they are essential in studies in which the return rate for the first mailing is quite low, and that they can sometimes make the difference between a worthwhile and a worthless study. (GW)

A study of the reported sampling methods and respondent/subject characteristics in 297 published communication research studies suggests that the vast majority of published communication research literature does not meet minimal scholarly standards for reporting research results. (GT)

Interviews newspaper reporters to show that journalists, like scientists, usually have hypotheses in mind in working a story. Finds, however, that unlike those of scientists, journalists' hypotheses were both explicit and implicit. (MG)

Lays out a systematic analysis of different experimental designs for message effects research. Discusses advantages of designs that include replications. Considers the issue of a fixed- versus random-effects analysis, and argues that replication factors should be treated as random except in very unusual circumstances. Examines in detail two…

Investigates the use of "vague quantifiers" (terms such as "often,""sometimes,""rarely," or "never") in communication research. Finds that these words do not always mean the same thing to different people, and thus may not constitute interval scales. Suggests that research outcomes based upon such…

Suggests that providing some instruction on new videotext technologies does not necessarily lead to a more positive initial experience or positive program evaluation except where a system is complex and the user task difficult. Suggests, however, that as systems become more complex personalized instruction on use may pay dividends in a number of…

Reports on a meta-analysis of 34 news diffusion studies to show that the general importance of a story is positively associated with the level of diffusion and likelihood of hearing the news interpersonally but not the rate of telling others. Indicates that news that is personally relevant to an individual is more likely to be discussed with…

Follows up on some recent calls for study of music as a mass medium. Finds that music serves as a powerful communication medium, speaking directly to the emotions (excitement, happiness, love) of high school students. Finds that women were somewhat more likely to associate emotions with music and to use music for mood management. (PRA)

Examines the presentation of economic arguments in 351 articles (from 1965 to 1988) that focused on some economic aspect of communication in three core journals in communications. Uses citation analysis to identify core referents for these articles. Finds that communications scholars cite other communication journals more than economic journals.…

Examines the impact of sex role stereotyping in advertising on the perception of the degree to which women possess managerial attributes considered requisite for success in business. Finds that depicting women in professional roles in magazine ads results in higher evaluations by male subjects of the degree to which the nonrole female possessed…

Presents an essay by a pioneer scholar in the field broadly summarizing the collective body of findings from hundreds of studies of agenda-setting over the past 20 years. Suggests fruitful research lines for the future. (SR)

Explores how to achieve rigor in applying methodology to research questions regarding quantitative approaches, specifically regarding statistical analysis, measurement, and sample decisions. (SR)