Two telephone surveys of adults living in North Carolina were conducted to determine the effects of various demographic and psychological characteristics on attitudes toward microcomputers. Results indicated that computer experience, income, education, and having children all predicted a positive attitude toward computers. In addition, findings…

Histories of media research commonly assume that models of mass media effects have progressed from direct or hypodermic effect models to indirect or multi-step models. Recently, however, B. Reeves and E. Wartella have objected to this assumption. To evaluate their alternative hypotheses, 163 studies from over 88 sources, representing nearly a…

Multiple discriminant analysis was used to analyze the structure of a perceived environmental uncertainty variable employed previously in research on public relations roles. Data came from a subset (N=229) of a national sample of public relations practitioners belonging to the Public Relations Society of America, who completed a set of scaled…

Coverage of Ronald Reagan's China policy in three major newspapers--the "Los Angeles Times," the "New York Times," and the "Washington Post"--immediately before and after he assumed the presidency was submitted to content analysis. Results showed that the newspapers differed significantly both in their treatment of…

In 1972, M. McCombs and D. Shaw introduced the idea that the mass media have the ability to tell the public which issues are of major importance in a political campaign by virtue of the amount of coverage they give each. This they termed the "agenda setting" function of the media. A study was conducted to investigate various aspects of…

Future developments in communication technology promise to have both positive and negative effects on information sources, messages, the media, and audiences. An increased tendency toward monopolistic control, for example, might accompany improvement in information management. A significant problem already in evidence among information…

A study examined the ideological rift reflected in two communist-oriented and one Western-oriented Nicaraguan newspapers. It was hypothesized that items in "La Prensa" would refer to the United States more favorably and more frequently than they would refer to the Soviet bloc, while items in "Barricada" and "Diario"…

To determine the relationship of referent group characteristics and communication variables to the public opinion process, interviews were conducted with 297 Madison, Wisconsin adults, located in 31 neighborhoods. Working within selected topics, opinions were measured through the use of a series of short statements about various controversial…

Research in the field of computer based instruction (CBI) has led to conflicting evidence on the efficacy of learner control over instruction. Typical implementations of learner control in CBI allow learners to proceed at their own pace, control the sequence of instruction, choose the amount of practice, or decide the level of difficulty…

News and editorial coverage of the Ponca controversy of 1879 was investigated in an effort to discover why and how this particular Indian story became a national crusade. The Ponca campaign helped promote reform-minded legislation which conferred new rights on the Indians and promised to speed their assimilation into mainstream society. The Dawes…

This paper examines the government's authority to regulate indecent broadcasts, beginning with a historical overview of the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) involvement with broadcast indecency and its application in case law. First Amendment considerations are discussed and some suggestions are made regarding how the Commission should…

A qualitative interdisciplinary study examined mediated women's discourse in the form of the women's page of the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" from the years 1915, 1920, and 1925. The material was subjected to qualitative content analysis. Findings indicated that women's advice columns mirrored the function of the mother for the culture by…

This paper poses and generates the answers to six questions about the use of newer media in education and the areas of disagreement that seem to recur as new media become available for teaching. Cast in the context of videodisks, those questions ask whether: (1) videodisk technology is more effective than traditional media in promoting learning;…

To examine Chinese journalists' opinions on a variety of global communication issues, a study interviewed 38 newspaper and broadcast journalists in Beijing, China, as well as advanced journalism students preparing for careers with "China Daily" or "Xinhua." Analysis used William Stephenson's Q-methodology, an analytic technique…

Television and television advertising, because of their pervasiveness and intrusiveness, have been identified by many as potent, formative, and usually negative influences within our culture. Print media, including magazine advertising, although perhaps less potent, are perceived as equally important. The effects of gender portrayals on audiences…