Deck 8: Content Analysis: Explaining and Interpreting Message Categories

Question 1

Which of the following is a quantitative social science paradigm characteristic of content analysis?

A) Content analysis is used to explain and predict message characteristics
B) Content analysis aims for generalizable conclusions
C) Content analytic studies are replicable
D) All of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which claim could be investigated with content analysis?

A) Explaining and predicting the frequency with which particular messages will occur in a given context.
B) Evaluating and reforming political talk about gay marriage.
C) Interpreting the communication code used on the t.v. show American Idol.
D) All of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Historically, content analysis was first used to analyze

A) the discourse of Roman emperors
B) European folk music
C) Swedish hymns
D) Early English newspapers

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following could be content analyzed?

A) Newspaper photographs and headlines
B) Facebook advertisements
C) Text messages of dating couples
D) All of the above

Question 5

If researchers were to analyze the manifest content of television beer commercials, they would pay attention to:

A) The commercials' hidden messages
B) The pictures and messages of the commercials evident to the viewers
C) The symbols and languages used to create the commercials' messages
D) Both a and c

Question 6

If researchers were to analyze the latent content of television beer commercials, they would pay attention to:

A) The commercials' hidden messages
B) The pictures and messages of the commercials evident to the viewers
C) The symbols and languages used to create the commercials' messages
D) Both a and c

Question 7

The first step in conducting a content analysis is to:

A) Identify the unit of analysis to be used
B) Define the message population to be studied
C) State a research question or hypothesis
D) Decide on the method of selecting data

Question 8

In content analysis, the researcher's concern for coding message content includes:

A) Developing overlapping categories.
B) Training coders to report results that are consistent with the hypothesis.
C) Finding convenient samples.
D) None of the above.

Question 9

The definition of a message population will depend upon:

A) The elements and items most pertinent to a research question or hypothesis
B) The timeframe of the planned study
C) The medium in which the messages appear
D) All of the above

Question 10

If you code for the number of "shares" that resulted from Facebook posts about climate change during a given time period, what unit of analysis are you using?

A) Physical distinctions
B) Syntactical distinctions
C) Categorical distinctions
D) Propositional distinctions

Question 11

When researchers do not have a sampling frame from which to randomly select a message sample, they should:

A) Content analyze all the messages available on a topic
B) Use some element of chance to reach an adequate sample size
C) Use messages that are most conveniently available
D) None of the above

Question 12

A content analytic researcher analyzes 245 "knock-knock" jokes; what is the coding unit of analysis?

A) Categorical distinctions
B) Physical distinctions
C) Propositional distinctions
D) Thematic distinctions

Question 13

A well-defined set of messages pertinent to a given research question or hypothesis is called a:

A) Message population
B) Textual data sample
C) Message construction task
D) Sampling frame

Question 14

Which of the message populations below would be best suited to doing content analytic research?

A) Letters to the editor of a newspaper
B) Social media posts
C) Telephone conversations
D) Both a and b would provide good data for content analysis

Question 15

Which unit of analysis is most likely to yield high reliability estimates for unitizing and coding textual data?

A) Physical distinctions
B) Propositional distinctions
C) Syntactical distinctions
D) Thematic distinctions

Question 16

You are planning to code television news portrayals of sea-level rise, focusing on broadcast source, length of the story, types of images shown, and the name used for sea-level rise. To make sure you capture the data effectively, you create:

A) A sampling frame
B) A code book
C) A unit of analysis
D) Both a and b

Question 17

In a framing analysis, a frame that recommends a particular course of action is known as a:

A) Diagnostic frame
B) Motivational frame
C) Prognostic frame
D) Frame dispute

Question 18

A disadvantage of using computerized content analysis is:

A) The length of time for the computer to run the analysis
B) The tedious work of unitizing and categorizing data
C) The difficulty of categorizing thematic or propositional units of analysis
D) The inability to scan large message databases

Question 19

To demonstrate valid measurement in your content analysis study, you must show that:

A) Your coding scheme is accurate and sufficient for explaining and predicting message content
B) Your coders have consistently unitized and categorized textual data
C) Your sample data represents an entire message population well
D) All of the above

Question 20

If two coders fail to achieve .70 agreement on their coding decisions, then

A) The operational definitions should be reviewed and refined
B) Additional training should be provided for the coders
C) The findings from the study should not be believed
D) All of the above
Essays:

Question 21

Describe two ways that you could work to protect participants' rights to freely choose research participation, maintain privacy, and be treated honestly, when doing content analysis of Internet chat room data, instant message exchanges (IM), or web logs (blogs).

Question 22

Discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of coding decisions made by people versus those made by computer software.

Question 23

Discuss the main steps to conducting a content analysis. For each step, identify potential problems in validity and reliability that might be encountered.