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Kaho'olawe:A Case Study Of A Movement And The Media In Reclaiming A Hawaiian Island, Danielle Pedro Jan 2007

Kaho'olawe:A Case Study Of A Movement And The Media In Reclaiming A Hawaiian Island, Danielle Pedro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The reclaiming of land can provide for heated controversy between communities. The controversy at the outset may seem simple, but is actually quite complex involving hegemonic factors such as social, political, and economic influence. One such factor is the media. This research examines media coverage via framing in a battle between the United States Navy and the Hawaiian people to claim ownership of a Hawaiian island named Kaho'olawe. This research analyzes 519 newspaper articles from two Hawaiian newspapers--The Honolulu Star Bulletin and The Honolulu Advertiser--over a seven-year period. Six framing devices--advocate, economic, environment, Hawaiian, military, and political--are devised and implemented. …


College Students' Recall Of And Attitudes Toward Brand Placement In Reality Television Programming, Temitayo Fayemi Jan 2006

College Students' Recall Of And Attitudes Toward Brand Placement In Reality Television Programming, Temitayo Fayemi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis measures college students' attitudes toward, and the effectiveness of, brand placement in the genre of reality television. Surveys were used to discover the level of brand recall for the products and brands displayed in reality television programming and to discover viewers' reported reasons for paying attention to these brands. The study found that viewers tended to have positive attitudes toward brand placement in reality television and that focus on a brand was a major reason for recall. Furthermore, the study found no significant difference in the recall scores of reality television viewers versus non-viewers and no significant difference …


Looking Through Rose Colored Glasses:The Media's Influence On Perceptions Of Romance And Marriage, Brianne Straub Jan 2006

Looking Through Rose Colored Glasses:The Media's Influence On Perceptions Of Romance And Marriage, Brianne Straub

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between different media and expectations about romantic relationships and marriage. Participants were asked to complete a survey that measured different romantic constructs and the types of media exposures on a daily and weekly basis. The variables were measured to determine the effect the media play in a person's perceptions on romantic relationships and marriage. The results of the study concluded that although general television viewing does not predict perceptions about romance and marriage, the romantic genre of television programs as well as magazines do have a role in predicting romantic perceptions.


Myspace Or Ourspace: A Media System Dependency View Of Myspace, Andrew Schrock Jan 2006

Myspace Or Ourspace: A Media System Dependency View Of Myspace, Andrew Schrock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

MySpace is a type of "social networking" website where people meet, socialize, and create friendships. The way MySpace members, particularly younger individuals, interact online underscores the changing nature of mass media. Media system dependency states that individuals become reliant on media in their daily life because of fundamental human goals. This reliance, termed a dependency, leads to repeated use. Media system dependency was applied in the current study to explain how and why individuals became habitual MySpace users. To attain results a survey was administered to a convenience sampling of 401 adult undergraduates at the University of Central Florida. Members …


Media Influence On Young Adults Sexual Attitudes And Behaviors, Heather Hackbarth Jan 2006

Media Influence On Young Adults Sexual Attitudes And Behaviors, Heather Hackbarth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that sexual content is prevalent in television programming and that this content can have an effect on the viewer's attitudes about sex. This study examined this relationship within the theoretical framework of cultivation and social cognitive theories. This study used a survey to examine these relationships in young students at a large southeastern university. The researchers targeted freshmen, many in their first semester, for this study to get the best measure of attitudes, before they were influenced by college life. In addition to examining the effects of television viewing, the researcher looked at the effects of exposure …


A Social Cognitive Approach Towards Understanding The Effects Of Popular Poker Television Shows On College Students, Marc Londo Jan 2006

A Social Cognitive Approach Towards Understanding The Effects Of Popular Poker Television Shows On College Students, Marc Londo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tournament poker shows have become a leading ratings draw on American television. Since ESPN and the Travel Channel began airing their innovative poker shows in 2003, the game has reached a new following, particularly among college students. There are unique and psychologically significant factors that characterize the college population that make students particularly receptive to popular characterizations in media. This study investigates the potential exacerbating effect that these widely popular poker television shows have on the gambling behavior of college students. 444 college students completed a survey designed to assess gratifications sought through media along with measures of attitudes, gambling …


Surviving Reality: Survivor & Parasocial Interaction, Pedro Davila-Rosado Jan 2006

Surviving Reality: Survivor & Parasocial Interaction, Pedro Davila-Rosado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parasocial interaction is the name that Horton & Wohl coined to describe a viewer's attachmentent toward onscreen persona that they had never physically interacted with (1956). A. Rubin, Perse, & Powell (1985) continued the research and created the Parasocial Interaction Scale. The scale has become the standard in gauging parasocial interaction in various forms of media from soap operas to newscasts. The purpose of this study was top examine parasocial interaction and see if the concept could be applied to the current television trend of reality television. Simultaneously, the study also examined parasocial interaction and its possible connections to loneliness, …


Minority Physician Job Satisfaction: A Content Analysis Of Written Responses To Open-Ended Survey Questions About Professional A, Devorah Daniels-Kranz Jan 2006

Minority Physician Job Satisfaction: A Content Analysis Of Written Responses To Open-Ended Survey Questions About Professional A, Devorah Daniels-Kranz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few interpersonal and organizational communication studies examine the professional and organizational aspects of career satisfaction among minority physicians. Due to the underrepresenation of minority physicians, most studies resort to comparing aggregate groups of minority physicians in juxtaposition to non-minority physicians. These studies fail to uncover possible communication differences, which originate from cultural dissimilarities between disaggregate racial/ethnic groups. Even fewer studies examine physicians' written communication to open-ended survey questions about career satisfaction/dissatisfaction between disaggregate racial/ethnic minority groups and non-minorities. This study specifically examines written responses to two open-ended survey questions about professional and organizational dissatisfaction and compares responses from disaggregate minority …


The Kiosk Culture: Reconciling The Performance Support Paradox In The Postmodern Age Of Machines, Thomas Cavanagh Jan 2006

The Kiosk Culture: Reconciling The Performance Support Paradox In The Postmodern Age Of Machines, Thomas Cavanagh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Do you remember the first time you used an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM)? Or a pay-at-the-pump gas station? Or an airline e-ticket kiosk? How did you know what to do? Although you never received any formal instruction in how to interact with the self-service technology, you were likely able to accomplish your task (e.g., withdrawing or depositing money) as successfully as an experienced user. However, not so long ago, to accomplish that same task, you needed the direct mediation of a service professional who had been trained how to use the required complex technology. What has changed? In short, the …


Minority Physician Job Satisfaction: An Analysis Of Extrinsically-Controlled Organizational Factors, Shaun Fletcher Jan 2005

Minority Physician Job Satisfaction: An Analysis Of Extrinsically-Controlled Organizational Factors, Shaun Fletcher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few organizational communication studies examine the organizational aspects influencing career satisfaction specifically among non-white cultures in the medical physician population. This study examines minority physicians' perceptions of extrinsically controlled work environment factors in comparison to their white counterparts. Three research questions were analyzed from a 17-question survey tool to measure: physician satisfaction levels with autonomy over medical decision-making; autonomy over non-medical workplace decisions; and hospital cost containment efforts. These organizational variables have served as major points of discourse within the healthcare arena and they relate to the enigmatic nature of career satisfaction. Determined by the volume of respondents representing each …


A Content Analysis Of 2004 Presidential Election Headlines Of The Los Angeles Times And The Washington Times, Maureen Mccluskey Jan 2005

A Content Analysis Of 2004 Presidential Election Headlines Of The Los Angeles Times And The Washington Times, Maureen Mccluskey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research suggested Election 2004 involved many issue regimes and wedge issues (Kaplan, 2004; Drum, 2004; Fagan & Dinan, 2004). Preceding research proposed that the American perception of presidential candidates has been somewhat based on the mass media's increasing priming and agenda setting techniques (Scheufele, 2000; Kiousis & McCombs, 2004). Hence the research addressed two questions: Is there a bias for or against either candidate in the headlines of the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Times? If there is bias, which issues tended to produce the most positive, negative and neutral results? All election headlines, from February to November …


Becoming Transcultural: Filling The Cultural And Communication Gap Within The Black American Community, Quanda Le Boldin Jan 2005

Becoming Transcultural: Filling The Cultural And Communication Gap Within The Black American Community, Quanda Le Boldin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to define transculturalism by exploring the Black experience through collectivism/individualism, Black identity and the ability to be transcultural. The study included 83 male and female Black American, college students, graduate students and college graduates. The participants answered a 4-part survey that measured collectivism/individualism, Black identity, the ability to be transcultural and minority hardships. Results revealed that the Pre-encounter, Immersion, Emersion and Internalization phases of Black identity are predictors of minority hardships. There were also significant results for the Internalization phase of Black identity and the ability to be transcultural. In conclusion, Black Americans that …


Communicating Culture Through Capoeira, Desislava Georgieva Jan 2005

Communicating Culture Through Capoeira, Desislava Georgieva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The popularity of capoeira, a dance based in the martial arts and originating among slaves in Sixteenth-Century Brazil, has increased greatly in recent decades as it has spread worldwide as a performance representative of Brazilian history and culture. In 1974, capoeira was declared the national sport of Brazil. Today capoeira academies and competitions may be found wherever Brazilian culture is celebrated and communicated in many major foreign cities. My thesis, through the participant/observer method and the use of long interviews, examines capoeira as it is practiced in one particular academy far from the art form's place of origin. In the …


An Investigation Of The Effects Of Speakers' Vocal Characteristics On Ratings Of Confidence And Persuasion, John Montrey Jan 2005

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Speakers' Vocal Characteristics On Ratings Of Confidence And Persuasion, John Montrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This experiment furthered previous research on perceptions of speakers as a function of various vocal characteristics. A low relevance passage was recorded by male and female speakers, simulating voices of orotund, thin, thoaty, flat, breathy, as well as rate and pitch variations, so as to determine effects on persuasiveness and confidence. Main effects were found regarding gender across all vocal characteristics. While an orotund voice produced predominately positive effects of ratings of speakers' confidence and persuasiveness, a breathy effect elicited negative ratings. The male speaker was judged more harshly than the female speaker when the vocal characterization departed from the …


An Examination Of Third-Person Effect In The Context Of Contoversial Product Advertising, Keith Jensen Jan 2005

An Examination Of Third-Person Effect In The Context Of Contoversial Product Advertising, Keith Jensen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research seeks to determine if there is a third-person effect in the realm of controversial product advertising. A questionnaire was designed based on previous research and distributed to a convenience sample of college students at the University of Central Florida. Participants were asked to rate their perceived levels of personal offense to product categories as well as the expected levels of other groups of people. The results show that there is indeed a significant third-person effect recognized for all product categories except for racial extremist groups. A first-person effect was shown to be present for the category of racial …


The Status Of Advertising Education In The New Millennium, Joan Mccain Jan 2005

The Status Of Advertising Education In The New Millennium, Joan Mccain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advertising education is 100 years old in 2005. What was necessary to earn a degree in advertising, and how American universities prepared students for it, had a research champion in Billy I. Ross, who did extensive study on curriculum and degree requirements beginning in the 1960s. His last study was in 1991. The World Wide Web, Internet, digital communications and emerging consumer communication choices and preferences have educators discussing changes in advertising curriculum in the new millennium. Some challenges remain constant, while others present a new frontier. An advertising education summit in 2001, sponsored by the American Advertising Federation and …


Internet Advertising: Are We Breaking Ground Or Moving Dirt?, Jaime Marshall Jan 2005

Internet Advertising: Are We Breaking Ground Or Moving Dirt?, Jaime Marshall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Seeking to validate the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of Persuasion for the online advertising context, a laboratory experiment utilizing 240 undergraduates was conducted at a southeastern university. The quality of banner advertisement contents--product endorser (spokesperson) and arguments (headlines)--were manipulated testing the variables' effect on click-through and attitude toward the advertisement for groups with high and low levels of product category involvement. Exploring a replica of a popular music website, participants were exposed to the test banners on the site's homepage. Due to the limited number of click-throughs, the relationship between the independent variables and click-through could not be established. However, …


News Framing: A Comparison Of The New York Times And The People's Daily Coverage Of Sino-U.S. Spy Plane Collision Of April 1, 2001, Xiaoling Zhang Jan 2005

News Framing: A Comparison Of The New York Times And The People's Daily Coverage Of Sino-U.S. Spy Plane Collision Of April 1, 2001, Xiaoling Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On April 21, 2001, the United States and China faced their first major incident of the 21st century when a U.S. spy plane accidentally collided with a Chinese fighter plane. The dialogue that followed between the two countries, as well as the tenor of the incident as reported in the international press, provide some interesting and insightful glimpses into how these major powers handled the incident in the days and weeks that followed. Although the mainstream media in both China and the United States reported the key facts and elements of the incident in a similar fashion, the spin that …


News Or Speculation? A Comparative Content Analysis Of Headlines And The Prevalence Of Speculative Language In Corporate And Independently Owned Newspapers, Lindsay Hudock Jan 2005

News Or Speculation? A Comparative Content Analysis Of Headlines And The Prevalence Of Speculative Language In Corporate And Independently Owned Newspapers, Lindsay Hudock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study began with the question of whether the press is conveying messages that contain speculation of future events as opposed to the recounting of current events. Speculative language is a form of subjective speech and as such its presence in press content defies the journalist principle of objectivity. The analysis sought to identify two newspaper's use of speculative language within headlines in the news sections. Two other variables considered were article placement, and the ownership structure of the news organizations. Previous research supports the claim that the ownership structure of an organization can influence the content it publishes (Lacy, …


Genre And Persona In Activist Websites, Margaret M.F. Boreman Jan 2004

Genre And Persona In Activist Websites, Margaret M.F. Boreman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digital texts present significant challenges to technical communicators in terms of genre and persona. Because of the ubiquity of electronic media, we increasingly embrace digital formats over print-based documents. As a result, technical communicators must now devise the means to cue audiences to the purposes of digital documents in any given discourse community. We can only convey meaning to our Internet audiences through the use of appropriate standards and elements recognizable generic forms and rhetorical cues that we designate as conventions in specific digital discourse. Just as we use file and folder office metaphors for information stored on computers, digital …


The Combined Effects Of Frequency Of Satisfaction And Domain Equity On Relational Satisfaction, Amanda Dawn Coho Jan 2004

The Combined Effects Of Frequency Of Satisfaction And Domain Equity On Relational Satisfaction, Amanda Dawn Coho

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Romantic relationship research has yet to identify the relationship between conflict, an interpersonal variable, and equity, an intrapersonal variable. The current study represents the first attempt to understand these variables’ contribution, separately and interactionally, on individual partner’s feelings of relationship satisfaction. A total of 106 undergraduate and graduate participants completed questionnaires gauging their frequency of conflict and perceptions of equity across each of five relational domains: Love, Status/Power, Money, Services, and Sex, in addition to reporting general levels of relationship satisfaction. Data were interpreted in three separate relationships: conflict and satisfaction, equity and satisfaction, and the interaction of conflict and …


The Effects Of Psuedo-Altruistic Behavior On The Likelihood Of Reciprocity And Perceptions Of The Source, Reagan Rule Jan 2004

The Effects Of Psuedo-Altruistic Behavior On The Likelihood Of Reciprocity And Perceptions Of The Source, Reagan Rule

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study examines the roles of expectancy disconfirmation and pseudo-altruistic behaviors as communication strategies to increase receiver compliance, and their effects on perceptions of the source, including credibility and likeability ratings. While adding to the previous research, this investigation examines the effects on compliance when pseudo-altruistic practices are employed in a sales situation. Additionally, subjects’ compliance responses in the treatment groups are analyzed for relationships between compliance and several possible mediators, including participant’s evaluations of the source, and feelings of obligation and guilt. A focus group was held to discuss the face validity of the scenarios. Additionally, a pilot …


Ownership Diversity Within The Media Industry: Trends And Current Conditions, Thomas E. Vizcarrondo Jan 2004

Ownership Diversity Within The Media Industry: Trends And Current Conditions, Thomas E. Vizcarrondo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to determine if media ownership diversity remains at levels widely considered to be competitive and acceptable, despite consolidation within the media industry. The research augments the many studies analyzing programming diversity within the U. S. media industry. Rather than analyzing programming content, this study addresses ownership diversity by examining the diversity of media ownership within the context U. S. model, considered to be more of a decentralized, market-driven media industry when compared to other countries such as the United Kingdom or Canada. To measure diversity, the HerfindahlHirschman Index (HHI)—a measure of economic diversity widely used by economists …