CHPT 11: Analyzing Texts and Other Artifacts (pp 212-220)

Question 1

Social artifacts

Answer 1

they capture a social or cultural interaction, left behind after being created for some purpose

Question 2

texts

Answer 2

specifically refer to a written language

Question 3

Quantitative content analysis

Answer 3

involves the systematic measurement of variables found within fixed texts or artifacts, as opposed to people

For example, [blank] could also be used to see whether news programs give more time to Democrats than Republicans, whether advertisements are more likely to show White consumers than those of other races, or whether video games tend to show women as more sexualized than men.

Question 4

Why/uses

Answer 4

Content analysis is also useful when a nonobtrusive form of measurement is needed. Asking people to share their opinions about a workplace might be challenging and bias responses, but reading comments in an anonymous forum and then subjecting them to systematic analysis could provide more detailed insights with less bias. Content analysis is even used when researchers want to convert open-ended items from surveys or other research projects into quantitative data describing basic patterns in participant responses.

Question 5

Unitizing

Answer 5

the decision to break the social artifact into different pieces—or units

Consider trying to study the tone of election ads. You might decide to focus on the individual ads, selecting and coding each to see how negative it is. However, not all advertisements air an equal number of times. If you had data about when each ad aired, you could choose to look at blocks of time, coding every ad that appeared on television within a sample of 30-minute blocks.

Question 6

Sampling

Answer 6

The choice you make about how to unitize the social artifacts determines the [blank]

Question 7

Coding and the coding process

Answer 7

measurement involves a process of evaluating the units of analysis and assigning a value for each of the variables being observed. This process of assigning values is referred to as [blank]

Question 8

Coding Guide

Answer 8

All definitions, descriptions, and procedures for a content analysis are provided. This includes the conceptual and operational definitions and, in many cases, examples of how variables are to be coded

Question 9

Coding sheet

Answer 9

assigned values are recorded on a [blank] that lists all of the variables being coded and provides appropriate space for the recorded values.

In most cases, each coding sheet corresponds to the coding for one unit of analysis, thus your total sample size will typically match the number of coding sheets you have completed

Question 10

Computer-Aided Content analysis

Answer 10

is a useful tool that researchers can employ to analyze large and often complicated sets of data, and it works by having a computer analyze digital content looking for patterns in the presence (or absence) of particular words and phrases

Question 11

Latent Content

Answer 11

refers to the meaning that is implied or hidden beneath the surface

ex: might include the idea of differentiating character and issue attacks in a political advertisement.

Question 12

Manifest Content

Answer 12

Content that is surface level and easily observable is referred to as manifest content.

easier to achieve higher levels of intercoder reliability, and the coding process tends to be less time-consuming.

ex: political advertising might be whether the name of the opponent is included in the ad.