Ulga’s research is just about complete. Now, comes the worrying. She is concerned that the multiple studies she conducted over the course of six months might produce inconsistent and less-than-stable results. What is Ulga concerned about?

     

a. the generalizability of her     research 

    

b. the reliability of her     research 

    

c. the correlation of her     research 

    

d. the validity of her research 

You are conducting a study on the role of Baptist church leaders in determining voter patterns in small rural communities. Which one of these theoretical frameworks would best fit your project?

     

a. ethnographic research 

    

b. social learning theory 

    

c. multistep flow 

    

d. survey research 

Which of these scenarios provides the best example of a problem uses and gratifications theory would address?

     

a. An analysis of how     documentary filmmaking represents indigenous tribes. 

    

b. An analysis of the impact of     violent video games on teenagers. 

    

c. An analysis of why housewives     watch soap operas in the afternoon. 

    

d. An analysis of radio’s     negative effects on childhood attention spans. 

The effects of media violence are one of the most enduring topics in the annals of media effects research.

     

a.     True

 

b.     False

 

The     small and unrepresentative samples used in experimental studies, which     often consist of college students in introductory classes or the children     of university professors, raise questions about generalizability.

     

a.         True

 

b.         False

Through research, it is clear that people’s intended     use the media is for which of the following purposes?

     

a. to get more work         accomplished 

    

b. to entertain and relax         themselves 

    

c. to invest in new         technologies 

    

d. to further educate         themselves 

Which of these definitions best encapsulates the goal     of media effects research?

     

a. To help individuals         understand how hegemony is produced and maintained through media. 

    

b. To help individuals         understand how they can use media to enrich their daily lives. 

    

c. To help understand how         media exposure can produce certain behavioral or attitude change. 

    

d. To help understand how         technological innovations create massive social changes. 

Julia’s management team is conducting research in     which they’ll create profiles of media content and identify trends in     content over time. Their main objective is to find out how much sexually     explicit content there is in prime-time cable television. Their task will     be time-consuming, and so they will only be taking a limited sample     (probably one week’s worth). What type of research are Julia and her     management team conducting?

     

a. content analysis 

    

b. survey 

    

c. big data 

    

d. ethnographic 

Which of the following BEST explains Joshua’s     avoidance of long hours of video game play so that his mother does not take     away his PlayStation altogether?

     

a. cultivation theory 

    

b. the theory of limited         effects 

    

c. social learning theory 

    

d. uses and gratifications 

The degree to which we are actually measuring what we     intend to measure is the ________ of the research.

     

a. reliability 

    

b. validity 

    

c. generalizability 

    

d. correlation 

Your research team is trying to develop a     comprehensive report on how often local television news talks about the     Republican candidate for state governor. How would you investigate this     problem?

     

a. You would hold a focus         group to have television viewers talk about which candidate they         supported. 

    

b. You would use         quantitative methods that counted the number of times Republican         candidates are mentioned. 

    

c. You would use a         quantitative survey to determine which candidate viewers of each         television station preferred. 

    

d. You would use qualitative         methods to determine which political party television news staff and         reporters supported. 

The impact of new media on psychological well-being     remains _________.

     

a. unknown 

    

b. controversial 

    

c. very negative 

    

d. very positive 

Which of the following is TRUE of inductive research methods?

     

a. Critical theorists disfavor     them. 

    

b. They cannot be interpretive. 

    

c. They are often deductive. 

    

d. They can also be     interpretive. 

One type of content analysis (qualitative) counts the acts, and another type of content analysis (quantitative) examines how the acts should be regarded.

     

a.     True

 

b.     False

The theory of limited effects holds that the effects of the mass media on individuals are _______.

     

a. unlimited 

    

b. insignificant 

    

c. slight 

    

d. great 

You have been assigned to research behaviors related to various reactions to different types of media. The one firm directive you have been given is that you must observe the subjects in their natural settings. Which of the following is TRUE about the research you will be conducting?

     

a. It must not include either     qualitative or quantitative methods. 

    

b. It must include quantitative     methods. 

    

c. It must include both     qualitative and quantitative methods. 

    

d. It must include qualitative     methods. 

Which of the following is TRUE of studies conducted on media’s effect on violent behavior?

     

a. No study has ever effectively     correlated media exposure to violent behavior. 

    

b. Researchers disagree over the     validity of methods used and studies conducted on media exposure and     violent behavior. 

    

c. All studies point to a     correlation of media exposure and violent behavior. 

    

d. Researchers almost     unanimously agree on the validity of methods used and studies conducted on     media exposure and violent behavior. 

Which of the following is TRUE of experimental research?

     

a. It cannot rule out competing     explanations for the results. 

    

b. It studies media effects     under carefully controlled conditions. 

    

c. There is never a question     about generalizability. 

    

d. The division into groups of     experimental subjects must not be random. 

Some social scientists use quantitative methods to enumerate their findings and analyze statistical relationships between dependent and independent variables.

     

a.     True

 

b.     False

Which of the following is TRUE of administrative research?

     

a. It utilizes inductive     methods. 

    

b. It can result in a     “criticism” of the media. 

    

c. It critiques the basic     foundations of existing media institutions. 

    

d. It is interpretive. 

Roberta has come up with an idea for a gadget that will prevent headphone wires from tangling up into knots inside of users’ pockets. She is so excited about the idea, that she decided to get a patent for it. How long does Roberta have before others can start using her idea for this gadget?

     

a. 5 years 

    

b. 10 years 

    

c. 50 years 

    

d. 20 years 

Intellectual property laws protect the original ideas of individuals and institutions through patents, copyrights, and trademarks.

     

a.     True

 

b.     False

Which of the following would NOT be protected by the First Amendment’s Free Speech clause?

     

a. watching adult pornography in     the privacy of your home 

    

b. broadcasting a swear-filled     political speech over the radio waves 

    

c. walking door-to-door     “selling” your religious views to others 

    

d. speaking out in protest     against a celebrity’s stance on marijuana 

Margot’s company is a huge player in its industry of recording musical artists. Her company, combined with just three others of similar size and importance, control about 95% of the entire industry. Which of the following can be said about this situation?

     

a. It is an example of a monopoly.     

    

b. It is an example of an     oligopoly. 

    

c. It is in violation of the     First Amendment. 

    

d. It is in violation of the     fair use doctrine. 

Jeremy’s real estate investment company has divisions that cover sales, rentals, inspections, renovation, financing, real estate legal services. Which of the following terms applies to Jeremy’s company?

     

a. horizontal integration 

    

b. monopoly 

    

c. oligopoly 

    

d. vertical integration 

Which of the following BEST encapsulates the concept of fair use?

     

a. Jennifer, an aspiring     politician, has borrowed a large segment from a former candidate’s     copyrighted advertisement for use in her opening statements in the debate. 

    

b. John, a high school English     teacher, has photocopied a chapter from a copyrighted nonfiction book for     his classroom to read and discuss. 

    

c. Janet, an advertising     executive, has borrowed a tag line from another product’s copyrighted     marketing materials for use in a TV ad for a competing product. 

    

d. Joaquin, a successful     musician and talented artist, has used a small portion of a copyrighted     song for use in his newly released single. 

Copyrights are superior to a mere patent.

     

a.     True

 

b.     False

Limited frequencies and high initial costs pose ________ so that few people can actually participate in the “marketplace of ideas.”

     

a. barriers to entry 

    

b. cross-ownership issues 

    

c. violations of fair use 

    

d. freedom of speech violations 

Which of the following is TRUE of the Supreme Court?

     

a. It plays an important role in     the enforcement of general laws that apply to communications (such as the     Sherman Antitrust Act). 

    

b. It serves as the regulatory     body charged with domestic trade policy, such as monitoring trade practices     such as deceptive advertising. 

    

c. It interprets challenges to     laws written by Congress and rules made by the FCC and other federal     agencies to see whether they are consistent with the U.S. Constitution. 

    

d. It ultimately writes and     rewrites the communications laws of the land and involves itself in various     committees and subcommittees regarding such laws. 

Which Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…”?

     

a. The First Amendment 

    

b. The Fourth Amendment 

    

c. The Second Amendment 

    

d. The Eighth Amendment 

The NTIA was established within the Department of Commerce to _________.

     

a. enforce the Sherman Antitrust     Act 

    

b. interpret First Amendment     Rights 

    

c. advise on telecommunications     policy 

    

d. prosecute deceptive     advertising practices 

Why are cable television, satellite radio, and streaming media not covered by obscenity laws?

     

a. because Congress has no legal authority over these     institutions 

    

b. because they are enterprises that began after the     obscenity laws were written 

    

c. because Congress had to draw the line somewhere, and     that is where it was drawn 

    

d. because they require an extra fee and thus do not     enter the home “unbidden” 

Which of the following principles prevents media giant Xfinity from sifting through all of the content that passes through their portals in an attempt to favor their own content?

     

a. the First Amendment 

    

b. network neutrality 

    

c. cross-ownership 

    

d. fair use 

Dawn wrote her newspaper article about the local bank CEO’s alleged transgressions without the final approval from her editor. Days later, it was proven that the allegations of transgressions were false. Now, three weeks after the fact, she and her newspaper are being sued by the CEO. Dawn is very surprised to know that the words in her article may not be protected by the First Amendment. Why should she NOT be surprised?

     

a. because her article was     plagiarized, and therefore is not protected by the First Amendment 

    

b. because defamation (in this     case, in the form of libel) is not protected by the First Amendment 

    

c. because her article was     considered obscene, and therefore is not protected by the First Amendment 

    

d. because her article incited     insurrection, and therefore is not protected by the First Amendment 

Kiana’s sewing supplies company just purchased five of the only six existing sewing supply companies other than her own. Which of the following now exists in the sewing supply company industry?

     

a. an oligopoly 

    

b. a monopoly 

    

c. horizontal integration 

    

d. vertical integration 

Both vertical integration and horizontal integration violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

     

a.     True

 

b.     False

Which of the following concepts was first established by the Graham Act of 1921?

     

a. universal service 

    

b. fair use 

    

c. cross-ownership 

    

d. barriers to entry 

MediaNet, a dominant media firm, charges excessive amounts for their products, withholds many of its innovations, and regularly discourages new competitors by flexing their “corporate muscles.” Which of the following are they MOST LIKELY in violation of?

     

a. The Copyright Alert System 

    

b. The Sherman Antitrust Act of     1890 

    

c. The Constitution’s First     Amendment 

    

d. The 1996 Telecommunications     Act 

What does it mean to say that patents protect against reverse engineering?

     

a. Patents protect against     making an invention that performs the same functions but uses different     underlying technology or instruction. 

    

b. Patents protect against     making an invention that, although quite dissimilar, is sold through the     same media channels. 

    

c. Patents protect against     making an invention that performs the exact opposite function as one     already invented and patented. 

    

d. Patents protect against     making an invention that, while wholly different, appeals to the same     general audience of users. 

When a single company controls an industry, an oligopoly exists.

     

a.     True

 

b.     False