An integrated approach to communication theory and reserach

Secon d Editio n

A n Integrate d Approa c

t o Communicatio n

Theor y an d Researc h

V

Edite d b v

D o n W . Stack s

Michae l B . Salwe n

A N INTEGRATE D APPROAC H T O

COMMUNICATIO N THEOR Y AN D RESEARC H

This volume provides an integrated overview of communication study for the student. In prepar￾ing to teach introductory graduate courses, the authors could not find a single text that provided

both theoretical coverage of the broad scope of communication study, as well as a text that

integrated the theory with the research. This book puts theory into research and explains how

research operates within theory. To explicate the integration process, the chapter contributors—

experts in their respective areas—offer samples in the form of hypothetical studies, published

studies, or unpublished research, showing how theory and research are integrated in their par￾ticular fields.

The book is different from other texts available for the graduate student or faculty member who

wants a good overview of not only the field, but also sample research stemming from its various

component parts. The material presented is designed to further understanding among scholars

and students regarding the mass/human communication divide, as well as different approaches

to integrating theory and research in different areas of communication. The editors hope that

this volume will pique scholarly interest, and challenge theorists and researchers to look at

the broader scope of communication study, and begin to work together in formulating a truly

grounded communication approach to communication theory and research.

Don W. Stacks (Ph.D., University of Florida, 1978) is Professor of Communication and Director

of the Public Relations Program at the School of Communication, University of Miami. He is

the author of six books on communication topics, a member of the Arthur W. Page Society, and

serves as a Trustee or Board member for the Institute for Public Relations, Association for Educa￾tion in Journalism & Mass Communication, and International Public Relations Association. He

has received numerous awards and was recently voted as a Research Fellow by the Eastern Com￾munication Association, as well as the Jackson, Jackson & Wagner Behavioral Science Prize

winner and named as a winner of the Provost's Award for Scholarly Activity.

Michael B. Salwen (Ph.D., Michigan State University, 1985) was professor of communication

at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL. His research focused on the social effects of mass

communication and international communication. He'd worked as a reporter for several local

newspapers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He developed a keen interest in the third-person

effect and sought to identify and predict the underlying factors of this perceptual process with

different mass media issues. He was a prolific scholar, authoring and editing several books, and

was an associate editor for journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly.

COMMUNICATIO N SERIES

Jennings Bryant/Dolf Zillman, General Editors

selected titles in Communication Theory and Methodology subseries (Jennings Bryant, series

idvisor) include:

PLANNING STRATEGIC INTERACTION

Attaining Goals Through Communicative Action

Berger

MEDIA EFFECTS: ADVANCES IN THEORY AND RESEARCH

Third Edition

Bryant/Oliver

AMERICAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

The Remembered History

Dennis/Wartella

CRAFTING SOCIETY

Ethnicity, Class, and Communication Theory

Ellis

MESSAGE PRODUCTION

Advances in Communication Theory

Greene

HUMAN COMMUNICATION THEORY AND RESEARCH

Concepts, Contexts, and Challenges, Second Edition

Heath/Bryant

HOLLYWOOD PLANET

Global Media and the Competitive Advantage of Narrative Transparency

Olsson

AMERICAN PRAGMATISM AND COMMUNICATION RESEARCH -

Perry

ANALYZING MEDIA MESSAGES

Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research

Riffe/Lacy/Fico

A N INTEGRATE D APPROAC H

T O COMMUNICATIO N

THEOR Y AN D RESEARC H

Second Edition

Edite d b y

D o n W . Stack s

Michae l B . Salwe n

| J Routledge

jjj^^ Taylor & Francis Group

NEW YORK AND LONDON

First published 1996 by LEA

This second edition published 2009

by Routledge

270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016

Simultaneously published in the UK

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

© 1996 LEA, 2009 Taylor & Francis

Typeset in Goudy by EvS Communication Networx, Inc.

Printed and bound in the United States of America on acid-free paper by Edwards Brothers, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or

by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including pho￾tocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in

writing from the publishers.

Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and

are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

An integrated approach to communication theory and reserach / edited by Don W. Stacks and

Michael B. Salwen. — 2nd ed.

p. cm.

1. Communication—Methodology. 2. Mass media—Methodology. I. Stacks, Don W. II. Salwen,

Michael Brian.

P91.I558 2008

302.201—dc22

2008016359

ISBN 10: 0-8058-6381-8 (hbk)

ISBN 10: 0-8058-6382-6 (pbk)

ISBN 10: 0-203-88701-8 (ebk)

ISBN 13: 978-0-8058-6381-9 (hbk)

ISBN 13: 978-0-8058-6382-6 (pbk)

ISBN 13: 978-0-203-88701-1 (ebk)