Deck 14: Technology and Media Processing

Question 1

All of the following scholars contributed to the development of agenda setting theory, EXCEPT:

A) Maxwell McCombs
B) Donald Shaw
C) Caroline Haythornthwaite
D) Bernard Cohen
E) Walter Lippmann

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Agenda setting theory was developed in response to concerns that scholars had about which of the following paradigms?

A) The magic bullet paradigm
B) The hypothermic needle paradigm
C) The interpretive paradigm
D) All of the above
E) A and B only

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Rather than read a variety of websites, Mckenzie relies on a blogpost called "The Skimm" for the latest news and information on current events. According to agenda setting theory, Mckenzie's news has passed through:

A) First-level agenda setting
B) Second-level agenda setting
C) Third-level agenda setting
D) Public agenda setting
E) Policy agenda setting

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In-between classes, Jordan likes to peruse the latest headlines from his CNN and MSNBC apps on his smartphone. He also likes to listen to NPR on his drive home from school. According to agenda setting theory, Jordan is likely to be well-informed about which of the following agendas?

A) The media agenda
B) The public agenda
C) The policy agenda
D) The educational agenda
E) The societal agenda

Question 5

According to agenda setting theory, framing can be accomplished through all of the following strategies, EXCEPT:

A) The size and placement of a news item or story.
B) The narrative form and tone of language used to explain the news item.
C) The inclusion or exclusion of particular subtopics.
D) The use of color photos rather than black and white photos in a news story.
E) The details included in the media coverage.

Question 6

Maria has extended family members who live in Mexico but are seeking to come to the United States. When President Trump announced his plans to build the "wall," news stories surrounding the announcement caught her attention. She knew very little about the details surrounding the timeline for construction and how the wall would affect immigration laws in the U.S. According to agenda setting theory, Maria's high interest and high uncertainty best reflect which of the following concepts?

A) Issue obtrusiveness
B) Need for orientation
C) Framing
D) Policy agenda
E) First-level agenda setting

Question 7

Which of the following statements about issue obtrusiveness are true?

A) The less experience the audience has had with a topic, the more obtrusive the topic is.
B) The less experience the audience has had with a topic, the less susceptible the audience becomes to the media's agenda setting effect.
C) The results of agenda setting should be the strongest for unobtrusive issues.
D) People who have had direct contact with an issue are more affected by media coverage in terms of how they think.
E) All of the above statements are true.

Question 8

Agenda setting theory makes all of the following claims, EXCEPT:

A) The media guide and direct both what is on the public's agenda and how the public should think about it.
B) Framing influences how citizens think about issues.
C) The more time people spend thinking about issues the media have primed, the more important those issues become.
D) The results of agenda setting should be strongest for obtrusive issues.
E) Because people have limited information-processing capabilities, primed topics help them make sense of news stories that contain ambiguous information.

Question 9

Uses and gratifications theory was influenced by which of the following perspectives on human behavior?

A) Social network analysis
B) Functional sociological analysis
C) Action/motivation frameworks
D) All of the above
E) B and C only

Question 10

Uses and gratifications theory makes all of the following assumptions, EXCEPT:

A) Audience members are passive information seekers who make subconscious choices about media content and type.
B) Audience members take initiative in linking media choices with gratifications.
C) Media compete with other sources of need fulfillment for individuals.
D) People can verbally explain their interest and motives in their media consumption.
E) A host of individual and cultural factors influence the use of different media.

Question 11

A host of individual and cultural factors influence the use of different media.

A) Use
B) Gratifications
C) Media satisfaction
D) Audience need
E) Active audience

Question 12

According to uses and gratifications theory, audience need consists of:

A) Using media to create satisfying cognitive stimulation.
B) Using media as a diversion from the stressors of everyday life.
C) Using media to enhance our sense of self.
D) All of the above.
E) A and B only.

Question 13

As technological innovation enhances our ability to participate in media, we experience greater:

A) Gratifications
B) Interactivity
C) Audience need
D) Need for orientation
E) Infotainment

Question 14

Haythornthwaite developed media multiplexity theory by examining which of the following communication contexts?

A) How family members use a variety of media to keep in touch.
B) How long-distance romantic partners use a variety of media to maintain their relationships.
C) How men use Xbox Live and other gaming platforms to develop and sustain friendships.
D) How students in distance learning classes used different media to develop a sense of community.
E) How members of an organization used different media to exchange latent ties.

Question 15

Media multiplexity theory is a ___ theory that emanates from the ___ paradigm.

A) Social scientific; interpretive
B) Humanistic; critical
C) Social scientific; post-positivist
D) Humanistic; interpretive
E) Critical; critical

Question 16

Media multiplexity theory makes all of the following assumptions, EXCEPT:

A) It is the medium of social interaction, not the messages that are exchanged, that determines the nature of the tie between conversational partners.
B) The characteristics of ties hold in the mediated environment as they do in the offline environment.
C) Online exchanges are as real as offline exchanges in terms of their effects on relationships.
D) A social tie drives the number and types of exchanges that occur between conversational partners.
E) People often switch back and forth between communicating online and offline.

Question 17

After reading through the latest news on her LinkedIn account, Morgan discovered a colleague of a friend with whom she shared similar professional interests. According to MMT, to Morgan, this "friend of a friend" represents a:

A) Weak tie
B) Strong tie
C) Latent tie
D) Ideal tie
E) Hypothetical tie

Question 18

Media multiplexity theory suggests all of the following about network ties, EXCEPT:

A) Strong ties provide us with a sense of belonging, emotional fulfillment, and greater access to personal and professional resources.
B) The value of weak ties is the access they provide to a diverse range of information, resources, and contacts.
C) More strongly tied pairs make more use of the available media.
D) Latent ties depend on structures governed by system administrators.
E) A weak tie exists only in a theoretical sense until one member chooses to contact the other, at which point the tie becomes a latent tie.

Question 19

In his communication theory class, Austin exchanges email addresses with the members of his group so that they can compare schedules and set up meeting times for their group project. After the semester is finished, however, he visits with the members of his group only when the opportunity presents itself. According to MMT, Austin's group members represent:

A) Strong ties
B) Latent ties
C) Dissolved ties
D) Weak ties
E) Unnecessary ties

Question 20

When establishing the idea that media use indicates tie strength, Haythornthwaite observed which of the following in networks of weak ties?

A) They take advantage of passive opportunities to interact (e.g., hallway encounters).
B) The use only organizationally established media (e.g., e-mail).
C) The communicate infrequently via one or two media.
D) All of the above.
E) A and B only.

Question 21

According to agenda setting theory, the media influence society by directing people's opinions about a given topic.

Question 22

The public agenda represents issues that legislators and other government officials believe are important.

Question 23

Uses and gratifications theory seeks to explain how people use media rather than how they are affected by it.

Question 24

According to media multiplexity theory, online exchanges are as real as offline exchanges in terms of their effects on relationships.

Question 25

According to media multiplexity theory, adding or subtracting a communication medium has more of an effect on a strong tie than on a weak tie.

Question 26

The process by which the news media lead the public to assign relative importance to various public issues is called ___.

Question 27

___ agenda setting focuses primarily on the topics that appear on the media's agenda and how they match the topics that the public identifies as being important, whereas ___ agenda setting focuses on the media's influence to shape how people think about those topics.

Question 28

___ theory is focused more so on how audiences use media than how they are affected by it.

Question 29

The anticipated interest, value, and benefit of media that satisfies social and psychological needs is referred to as ___.

Question 30

According to Haythornthwaite, when more strongly tied pairs make more use of available media, they are demonstrating ___.