Deck 13: Media Research

Question 1

What does the sample size determine?

A) The number of correct responses and guesses
B) The number of questions and the order in which they are asked
C) The margin of error and the confidence level
D) The size of the population and the quota size
E) The sampling method and respondent selection

Answer 1

C

Question 2

When mass media companies seek information that can be put to use,this is called

A) theoretical research.
B) hypothetical research.
C) applied research.
D) profitable research.
E) reactive research.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Who conducted the first serious poll in history for a political candidate?

A) Dan Rather
B) A.C. Nielsen
C) Archibald Crossley
D) George Gallup
E) Ola Babcock Miller

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which method does the PMB use to measure readership of Canadian magazines?

A) Total readership
B) Recent reading
C) Units sold
D) Circulation volume
E) Subscription sales

Question 5

The margin of error is dependent on the

A) number of questions.
B) sample size.
C) question choice.
D) population size.
E) number of responses.

Question 6

How many people are needed in a sample for 95 percent confidence with less than 5 percent margin of error?

A) 384
B) 1067
C) 9605
D) 2401
E) 600

Question 7

The greatest ferment in mass communication scholarship has involved questions about

A) technology.
B) policy.
C) effects.
D) opinion.
E) theory.

Question 8

A researcher who counts how many minutes of a sports news broadcast cover women's sports is conducting what kind of research?

A) Effects study
B) Technological research
C) Process study
D) Opinion survey
E) Content analysis

Question 9

The kind of research that helps media executives to make content decisions is called

A) effects studies.
B) theoretical research.
C) opinion survey.
D) policy analysis.
E) technological research.

Question 10

CBS learned about the Dan Rather "sweater factor" from

A) opinion surveys.
B) critical studies research.
C) process studies research.
D) technological research.
E) effects studies research.

Question 11

Why is it important to know how the questions were worded?

A) Because some people might not understand the language
B) Because leading questions can skew results
C) To determine if respondents lied
D) Because this increases the margin of error
E) Because pronunciation is vital to understanding

Question 12

Why are straw polls statistically unreliable?

A) Because respondents select themselves
B) Because straws are used rather than random number generators
C) Because they cost too much
D) Because they are quota samples
E) Because the questions may be leading

Question 13

What kind of research examines how and why individuals use the mass media?

A) Uses and gratifications studies
B) Effects studies
C) Content analysis
D) Process studies
E) Opinion surveys

Question 14

Nielsen Media Research is known mostly for ratings in which mass medium?

A) The internet
B) Magazines
C) Television
D) Radio
E) Newspapers

Question 15

Why are surveying companies important in the mass media industry?

A) They help develop new technologies.
B) Their findings determine programming.
C) They provide jobs for many people.
D) They don't allow one company to get too big.
E) They keep the industry democratic.

Question 16

Why is it important to know when a poll was taken?

A) Some phases of the moon may cause respondents to be hostile.
B) The time of day affects a respondent's willingness to answer a questionnaire.
C) The time of year may alter one's perspective on political issues.
D) Opinions shift over time.
E) The time of the month may influence a respondent's mood.

Question 17

Who pioneered the probability sampling method?

A) Archibald Crossley
B) A.C. Nielsen
C) George Gallup
D) Arbitron
E) Roper Polls

Question 18

In probability sampling,

A) there is a high probability of being right.
B) everyone in the population has an equal chance to be sampled.
C) the predictions are less accurate.
D) the entire population is surveyed.
E) some groups have a higher chance of being sampled.

Question 19

Why did Gallup abandon quota sampling?

A) The results were influencing elections.
B) It was not as accurate as probability sampling.
C) He wanted to focus on his mother-in-law's political campaign.
D) It was difficult to get a large enough sample size.
E) It was too costly.

Question 20

Why is it important to know who paid for a poll?

A) The people who pay restrict what other work a pollster may be able to do.
B) Some companies are not good at polling.
C) The people who pay have a vested interest in the outcome.
D) The cost may not be justified.
E) This affects the confidence level and margin of error.

Question 21

Straw polls frequently offer highly meaningful results.

Question 22

PPMs pick up inaudible signals transmitted with the programs.

Question 23

Increasing the sample size will reduce the margin of error.

Question 24

Viewers calling or texting in votes on Canadian Idol is an example of

A) straw polling.
B) probability sampling.
C) Gallup polling.
D) quota sampling.
E) random sampling.

Question 25

Who measures web audiences using a two-track system?

A) Birch
B) Nielsen
C) Arbitron
D) Media Metrix
E) BBM

Question 26

Which VALS category represents the largest percentage of the population?

A) Socially conscious
B) Emulators
C) Achievers
D) Belongers
E) Integrateds

Question 27

Which company is best known for tracking network ratings in Canada?

A) Crossley Statistical Group
B) The Gallup Organization
C) Arbitron
D) BBM Nielsen Media Research
E) Audit Bureau of Canada

Question 28

Cohort analysis involves surveys of people

A) who work within a particular company.
B) who belong to a particular generation.
C) who work within a particular industry.
D) in friendship groups.
E) from particular parts of the country.

Question 29

The Audit Bureau of Circulations

A) audits the financial accounts of all print media.
B) audits the accounts of potential subscribers to newspapers.
C) determines taxes due.
D) removes the temptation for publishers to inflate their claims to hike ad rates.
E) audits the accounts of potential subscribers to magazines.

Question 30

Uses and gratifications studies measure how the mass media is affected by mass communication.

Question 31

Which of the following research methods is referred to as a "heartthrob approach"?

A) Mash letters that direct stations' programming decisions
B) Heart monitors attached to viewers as they respond to sports stars
C) EKGs administered following soap opera viewing
D) Hiring decisions based on the applicants' sex appeal
E) Galvanic skin checks that favour short, photogenic stories and good-looking, smooth anchors

Question 32

What is one disadvantage of focus groups?

A) The moderator always contaminates the results.
B) Most respondents lie.
C) They only work for print media.
D) They reflect the opinion of the loudest respondent.
E) They are expensive to organize.

Question 33

The level of confidence and margin of error are inversely related.

Question 34

Which program did Nielsen introduce in 2006 to integrate audience measurements on a wide range of video platforms?

A) A2/M2
B) AM²
C) M2/A2
D) AM/AM
E) AM/PM

Question 35

What technique was introduced by Nielsen in the 1970s to improve accuracy?

A) Meters
B) Portable meters
C) Diaries
D) Telephone interviews
E) Computer monitoring

Question 36

Which tracking technology was developed by Ron Kolessar of Arbitron?

A) Real-time Viewer Calculator
B) Media Metrix
C) Portable People Meter
D) Internet Tracking Device
E) Television Programming Measure

Question 37

Which term describes the emerging phenomenon in which members of a family no longer sit on the couch together to watch a television program?

A) Family feud
B) Disassociation
C) Family breakdown
D) Audience fragmentation
E) Viewer dispersion

Question 38

Which term describes a prototype television show that is given an on-air trial?

A) Sweep
B) Pilot
C) Tester
D) Newbie
E) Rate-getter

Question 39

What is a black week?

A) A week without commercial interruptions
B) A week when ratings are not conducted
C) When the station goes off the air
D) A week without network programming
E) A week of reruns

Question 40

Which name is given to the demographic cohort that came of age in the 1990s and early 21st century?

A) Mini Boomers
B) Generation X
C) Baby Boomers
D) Millennials
E) Rappers

Question 41

The habits of youth stick with a generation as it gets older.

Question 42

It is not yet possible to gauge billboard readership.

Question 43

The Audit Bureau of Circulations surveys TV and radio in Canada.

Question 44

People's values remain constant throughout their lives.

Question 45

The VALS system established absolute categories into which each of us neatly fits.

Question 46

Scholars consider applied research to be on a higher level than theoretical research.

Question 47

Media Metrix uses a two-track system to determine how many people view websites.

Question 48

Newscast ratings go up for stations that consistently deliver graphic video.

Question 49

The confidence level of an opinion survey cannot be changed.

Question 50

Respondents to surveys always answer truthfully.

Question 51

Ratings services are helpful to advertisers because they measure the viewing of commercials.

Question 52

PRIZM is a system that has grouped every zip code by geodemographic characteristics.

Question 53

Major discrepancies in ratings can result from flawed methodology.

Question 54

Cohort analysis surveys people who belong to a particular generation.

Question 55

George Gallup preferred using quota sampling.

Question 56

Nielsen uses A2/M2 to measure audiences on a wide range of video platforms.

Question 57

Focus groups accurately reflect the views of the whole population.

Question 58

George Gallup invented the Personal People Meter.

Question 59

Magazines can customize their advertising and editorial content to match the interests of readers through sophisticated geodemographic audience analysis.

Question 60

The order of questions can affect respondents' answers.

Question 61

In Canada,__________________ measures television,radio,and web audiences.

Question 62

The number of copies a newspaper or magazine puts out is its __________________.

Question 63

The VALS program is a __________________ measure.

Question 64

Baby Boomers came of age in the 1940s.

Question 65

The process of __________________ involves viewers who use hand-held remote control units to change channels and avoid commercials.

Question 66

? Increasing the sample size will reduce the __________________.

Question 67

The degree of certainty that a survey is accurate is the __________________.

Question 68

Psychographics measure variables such as age,gender,and income.

Question 69

Mass media conduct surveys to learn about their audiences and to prove their attractiveness to advertisers.

Question 70

Theoretical research does not seek profit-generating information.

Question 71

PPMs can track a fragmented audience.

Question 72

The characteristics of groups within a population being sampled,including age,gender,and affiliations,is called __________________.

Question 73

Accuracy depends entirely on the size of the population.

Question 74

Blue Bloods are a psychographic group.

Question 75

In cohort analysis,__________________ is comprised of people who came of age in the late 1980s.

Question 76

When the demographics of a sample coincide with those of the whole population,the researcher is employing __________________ sampling.

Question 77

Achievers are heavy television watchers.

Question 78

When viewers use a DVR or TiVo to record programs and eliminate commercial breaks,it is called __________________.

Question 79

Millennials are the oldest cohort still alive.

Question 80

Galvanic skin checks measure audience reactions to media content.