Exam 22: Spiral of Silence Theory

In his study that asked participants to indicate which of the lines on the right of the sheet were equal in length to the line on the left side, Asch discovered

With which communication tradition(s) is SST most closely associated?

Maria reads in the morning paper that the price of gasoline is about to increase. On her way to work, she hears the same story on the local radio station, and, when she watches the evening news, she hears the story again. This is an example of which characteristic of the news media?

Noelle-Neumann defines _________ as the attitudes or behaviors one must express in public if one is not to isolate oneself.

Consonance is produced from a tendency for news people to confirm their own thoughts and opinions, making it look as if those opinions were emanating from the public.

Marshall believes anyone caught drinking and driving should lose their driver's license. He compares his opinion to the results of a recent poll and finds that he holds the minority opinion on this topic. Spiral of silence theorists would predict that Marshall will

All of the following are assumptions of Spiral of Silence EXCEPT

Using the standard criteria for evaluating communication theories, evaluate Spiral of Silence Theory.

Which characteristic of news media allows for majority opinions to be heard over minority viewpoints?

Using the following topic, diagram how public opinion is communicated by the media: Drunk drivers are a danger to the citizens of the United States. Be sure to identify the majority view, the silent minority view, and the quasi-statistical sense.

Some researchers agree with Noelle-Neumann's view of the role of the media and claim that the media may provide the force behind the spiral of silence because it is considered a one-sided conversation, an indirect public form of communication where people feel helpless to respond.

Spiral of Silence Theory assumes that people remain silent because of a fear of isolation.

How would you go about testing whether the Spiral of Silence is occurring with respect to a particular opinion? Select an opinion, formulate a research question, and describe a study that could test whether Spiral of Silence is supported.

Spiral of Silence Theory has been criticized because

The hard core are part of the vocal majority.

During a recent conversation about birth control, Pablo told Mia that he had changed his mind during the conversation and now believes that Mia is right about birth control. He told her that he changed his mind because she cited the results of a survey demonstrating that a majority of people agree with Mia. Spiral of Silence theorists would argue that Pablo

The media's effects are always direct.

Which approach to knowing characterizes the research undertaken using SST?

In Noelle-Neumann's interviews with smokers, she found that in the presence of nonsmokers

How might Noelle-Neumann respond to the current technological developments as they relate to the silencing public opinion? Be sure to identify specific technologies and incorporate language from Noelle-Neumann's theory.