Question

Explain the role of theories and hypothesis in media effects research.

Answer 1

Explain the role of theories and hypothesis in media effects research.

Media effects research implies to the tradition in which research is carried out in mass communication. This helps to understand what impact media is having on the general population, along with a try to explain those effects followed by predicting those effects.

Research methods have been widely used for studying the changes that occur in the population as a result of certain kind of mass media exposure. In order to carry out these experiments, it is very important that hypothesis be formulated.

Formulation of hypothesis is important since it gives us a basis of the ideas that we would want to check. Unless we are clear of what we would want to identify the impact of, we would not be able to devise questionnaires or further be able to ask or develop an experiment. This plays the role of a general statement, that would be used for studying relationship of a dependent variable with an independent variable.

Theories provide us with the link between the dependent and the independent variable on the basis of experiment that has been conducted.

Thus hypothesis forms the base of what is to be studies and theories provide a complete relationship between the variables to be studied.