Deck 1: Getting Started: Possibilities and Decisions

Question 1

Three "classic" appeals identified by Aristotle were:

A) athos, porthos, and aramis
B) ethos, logos, and pathos
C) ethos, logos, and mythos
D) logos, mythos, and nomos

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The statement that research should be done for a specific purpose is ______.

A) contestable
B) confirmed by communication research
C) generally agreed to by communication scholars
D) a demonstrable fact

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Communication Research is a scholarly journal that:

A) specializes in interpersonal communication
B) specializes in social media studies
C) specializes in organizational culture studies
D) covers a variety of topics

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following statements is the least contestable?

A) Observations capture an underlying reality.
B) Theories about human behavior can be generalized.
C) Human communication can be understood through research.
D) There is one best position from which to observe human behavior.

Question 5

______scientists often bring the assumption of an external "real" world that can be observed, understood, and agreed on to the study of human interaction.

A) Hard
B) Reality
C) Social
D) Real

Question 6

Which of the following questions might a communication researcher ask about an advertisement?

A) Does the advertisement work?
B) How much did the advertisement cost?
C) Who paid for the advertisement?
D) Is this the best product?

Question 7

Understanding human communication through observations is known as ______.

A) empiricism
B) interviewing people
C) analyzing message content
D) surveys

Question 8

The statement that observations about human communication capture an underlying reality is ______.

A) an assumption
B) a demonstrable fact
C) completely untrue
D) exists in quantitative research only

Question 9

Which of the following decision(s) are/is unavoidable in communication research?

A) the report-subjective or objective?
B) qualitative research
C) quantitative research
D) mixed-methods research

Question 10

The statement that researchers should distance themselves from their research participants is ______.

A) contestable
B) confirmed by communication research
C) generally agreed to by communication scholars
D) a demonstrable fact

Question 11

Which of the following decision(s) are/is unavoidable in communication research?

A) critical worldview
B) positivist worldview
C) the data-quantitative or qualitative?
D) mixed-methods research

Question 12

Which of the following decision(s) are/is unavoidable in communication research?

A) qualitative research
B) the researcher-dispassionate or involved?
C) quantitative research
D) mixed-methods research

Question 13

Which of the following decision(s) are/is unavoidable in communication research?

A) the sample-large or small?
B) qualitative research
C) quantitative research
D) mixed-methods research

Question 14

Communication theorist Kenneth Burke is most closely associated with an approach called:

A) empiricism
B) socialism
C) dramatism
D) modernism

Question 15

The statement that there is one best position from which to observe human communication is ______.

A) a demonstrable fact
B) debatable
C) exists only in qualitative research
D) exists only in quantitative research

Question 16

The statement that theories about human behavior can be generalized is ______.

A) contestable
B) confirmed by communication research
C) generally agreed to by communication scholars
D) a demonstrable fact

Question 17

Rhetoricians are essentially interested in the ______ or persuasive tactics used to persuade an audience to adopt the behavior.

A) fallacies
B) control moves
C) arguments
D) appeals

Question 18

Content analysis at its most basic involves:

A) interpreting
B) listening
C) reading
D) counting

Question 19

Questions about human communication might focus on which of the following?

A) scientific method
B) quantitative research
C) leadership
D) qualitative research

Question 20

NCA, in this course, should be understood as the:

A) National Cardiology Association
B) National Communication Association
C) Nominal Communication Association
D) New England Communication Association

Question 21

Action researchers engage in research aimed at improving people's lives.

Question 22

Triangulation is a process by which a researcher uses multiple methods to ensure that he or she has a good "fix" on a problem.

Question 23

There is always one best perspective from which to study human communication.

Question 24

Basically, surveys present a series of specific, predetermined questions to a predetermined group of respondents.

Question 25

A "pilot" study is a follow-up study done after an initial study.

Question 26

Social scientists assume that human behavior and thought can be measured objectively.

Question 27

Approaches such as ______ assume that it is respondents' subjective views of the world that are of interest but combine that research focus with quantitative, computational approaches to record and assess these views.

A) X-methodology
B) Q-methodology
C) Q-technique
D) X-technique

Question 28

The interpretive perspective seeks to understand how humans make sense of events in their lives.

Question 29

Research participants may not see a researcher's questions as important to them.

Question 30

When researchers use multiple methods providing multiple perspectives, it is called ______.

A) triangulation
B) comparison technique
C) multistudy analysis
D) comparative analysis

Question 31

Focus groups bring together a small group of people in order to elicit their reactions in their own words to a message, issue, or product.

Question 32

Which of the following research approaches is most likely to involve statistical analysis?

A) dramatistic analysis
B) critical analysis
C) content analysis
D) rhetorical analysis

Question 33

In communication research, a large sample is always better than a small sample.

Question 34

Generally, quantitative methods and statistics provide greater insight into human communication than qualitative methods.

Question 35

Focus groups depend on bringing together large groups of people.

Question 36

Critical analysis of communication starts from a basic assumption that communication maintains and promotes power structures in society.

Question 37

ICA, in this course, should be understood as the:

A) Interests in Communication Association
B) International Communication Association
C) Interpersonal Communication Association
D) International Conference Associates

Question 38

Research must always be done for a specific purpose.

Question 39

Researchers using survey or experimental methods typically will want to assume that the results of their research will apply to people who are similar to the study participants but not in the study.

Question 40

As a general rule, researchers should always distance themselves from research participants.

Question 41

Why is pilot study a useful step in the research process?

Question 42

Suppose you were offered the choice between surveying large numbers of people and interviewing one informed individual in depth. Which approach would you prefer, and why?

Question 43

Focus groups are a good research method for quantitative research.

Question 44

The scientific method is the only way to do communication research.

Question 45

Pathos is the use of emotion in rhetoric.

Question 46

Logos is the use of logic in rhetoric.

Question 47

How are ethos, pathos, and logos used in communication research? Be specific.

Question 48

What are the differences between quantitative and qualitative research? How do you know when to use each?

Question 49

Determining why different people prefer different types of music is a research topic for communication researchers.

Question 50

Surveys are a useful method for quantitative research.

Question 51

Ethos is the use of emotional appeals in rhetoric.

Question 52

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using words and language when compared with numbers and statistics to record and describe human behavior.

Question 53

How do content analyses and critical analyses differ?

Question 54

Explain the basic assumptions behind the rhetorical, critical, and interpretive approaches to understanding.

Question 55

Describe some potential topics or questions for communication research.

Question 56

Observation is a tool that can measure all communication phenomena.

Question 57

Why is triangulation important for research?

Question 58

Researchers should always remain distant from their participants.