Communication Commons^™

Priming, Rap News And Public Diplomacy: Reporting On An Ngo-Led Media Initiative In Uganda, Lee Shaker, Paul Falzone

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mediated public diplomacy campaigns are proliferating around the world. Governments are joined by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), terrorists, and others that seek to effect change on the international stage by speaking directly to global populations. As these initiatives spread, they also use new and creative communication tactics. This study contributes to the evolving public diplomacy literature in two key ways. First, it explores the design and effects of an NGO-led intervention that employs a novel message format—rap news—in Uganda. Second, it reports on the integration of priming theory and entertainment-education strategies into this intervention and its evaluation. Experimental results indicate that …

Metaphorical Framing Of Obesity, Ryan Paul Hofer

Dissertations and Theses

The study of metaphor has moved from abstraction and poetics into the realms of cognitive science and cultural studies. Rather than being seen as purely figurative and secondary to literal meaning, investigation of metaphors reveals a close relationship to our processes of reasoning, a capacity to both reveal and cover, and a plasticity that forms within surrounding cultural values. I reviewed current metaphor theory, including its concerns and justifications, and designed a simple survey experiment through the Qualtrix webpage. The survey was distributed via the Amazon Mechanical TURK system. The experiment, in two different versions, briefly described obesity and then …

Social Norms About A Health Issue In Work Group Networks, Lauren B. Frank

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this study is to advance theorizing about how small groups understand health issues through the use of social network analysis. To achieve this goal, an adapted cognitive social structure examines group social norms around a specific health issue, H1N1 flu prevention. As predicted, individual’s attitudes, self-efficacy, and perceived social norms were each positively associated with behavioral intentions for at least one of the H1N1 health behaviors studied. Moreover, collective norms of the whole group were also associated with behavioral intentions, even after controlling for how individual group members perceive those norms. For members of work groups in …

Inspiring Action: Measuring The Effect Of Motivational Frames On Social Movement Mobilization, Rebecca Louise Smith

Dissertations and Theses

In order to probe how social movement messages foster participant mobilization, this study utilized an experimental design to investigate collective action frames, core messaging tasks that define problems, assign blame, convey a plan of action, and inspire participation. The study compared the effects of climate change messages that contain motivational frames with those that do not, incorporating the influence of resonance, and exposure to competing and counter frames. Results revealed that motivational frames contributed to mobilization, especially intention to act, under conditions of resonance and with exposure to counter frames. Salience primed participants to respond to motivational frames, however for …

Information Scanning And Vaccine Safety Concerns Among African American, Mexican American, And Non-Hispanic White Women, Meghan Bridgid Moran, Lauren B. Frank, Joyee S. Chatterjee, Sheila T. Murphy, Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: A significant number of parents delay or refuse vaccinating their children. Incidental exposure to vaccine information (i.e., scanned information) may be an important contributor to anti-vaccine sentiment. This study examines the association between scanned information, trust in health information sources and vaccine safety concerns among African American, Mexican American, and non-Hispanic White women.

Methods: Women (N=761) in Los Angeles County were sampled via random digit dial and surveyed regarding use of and trust in health information resources and vaccine safety concerns.

Results: Analyses indicate that the sources of information associated with vaccine safety concerns varied by …

Network Structure, Network Flows And The Phenomenon Of Influence In Online Social Networks: An Exploratory Empirical Study Of Twitter Conversations About Youtube Product Categories, Nitin Venkat Mayande

Dissertations and Theses

Traditional marketing models are swiftly being upended by the advent of online social networks. Yet, practicing firms that are engaging with online social networks neither have a reliable theory nor sufficient practical experience to make sense of the phenomenon. Extant theory in particular is based on observations of the real world, and may thus not apply to online social networks. Practicing firms may consequently be misallocating a large amount of resources, simply because they do not know how the online social networks with which they interact are organized.

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate how online social networks …

The Media’S Presentation Of The Second Chance Act: Funding For Reentry Following Prison, Ailene Joyce Farkac

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

The US prison system has multiplied by four since 1980; each year about 730,000 people enter state and federal prisons and 700,000 people exit. As a result of this expansion, there is a massive increase of formerly incarcerated people reentering local communities every year. Budget cuts in prison programs and in local government’s social services are causing these individuals to be less educated and less prepared for reintegration; communities are also ill prepared to absorb them. The Second Chance Act was signed into law by President Bush on April 9, 2008. It authorized a pool of about $393m (renewed in …

Training And Application Of Correct Information Unit Analysis To Structured And Unstructured Discourse, Audrey Bretthauer Cohen

Dissertations and Theses

Correct Information Units (CIU) analysis is one of the few measures of discourse that attempts to quantify discourse as a function of communicating information efficiently. Though this analysis is used reliably as a research tool, most studies' apply CIUs to structured discourse tasks and do not specifically describe how raters are trained. If certified clinical speech-language pathologists can likewise reliably apply CIU analysis within clinical settings to unstructured discourse, such as the discourse of people with aphasia (PWA), it may allow clinicians to quantify the information communicated efficiently in clinical populations with discourse deficits. Purpose: The purpose of this study …

Use Of Role And Power In Parent-Teacher Relationships: Perceptions From The Parent Perspective, Sonja Taylor

Dissertations and Theses

Studies have increasingly shown that more parent involvement leads to higher academic achievement for kids. However, studies have also shown a difference in the ability of parents to effectively further their children's interest based on social class. Middle-class parents are described as being able to activate their cultural and social capital in order to further their interests, while working-class and low-income parents have been described as frustrated and marginalized- lacking the ability to activate their capital in a way that benefits themselves and their children.

The intent of this study is to explore how parents understand their role in the …

Coping With Information Technology: Mixed Emotions, Vacillation, And Nonconforming Use Patterns, Mari-Klara Stein, Sue Newell, Erica L. Wagner, Robert D. Galliers

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Achieving the promised business benefits of an IT system is intimately tied to the continued incorporation of the system into the work practices it is intended to support. While much is known about different social, cognitive, and technical factors that influence initial adoption and use, less is known about the role of emotional factors in users' behaviors. Through an in-depth field study conducted in two North American universities, we examine the role of emotions in how specific IT use patterns emerge. We find that there are five different characteristics of an IT stimulus event (cues) that, when interacting in a …

Discursive Security: F.B.I. Stings And The Nature Of Peace, Adam Testerman

Dissertations and Theses

The current study utilizes Critical Discourse Analysis and Thematic Analysis to study newspaper coverage of F.B.I. sting operations in The New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today. F.B.I. sting operations are a modern counter-terrorism policy designed to preempt acts of terrorism. This study develops a theoretical approach to understanding F.B.I. sting operations by reviewing the critique of security. The critique of security suggests that nations construct threats in order to produce and maintain ideological and practical hegemony. Thematic categories of the newspaper discourse are formulated and analyzed in the context of security. The study employs aspects of grounded theory …

The Impact Of Communication Impairments On The Social Relationships Of Older Adults, Andrew Demetrius Palmer

Dissertations and Theses

Communication forms the foundation of social interaction. For older adults, however, there is known to be an increased risk of developing conditions that interfere with the ability to communicate. These conditions may occur for a variety of reasons, including age-related changes in physical or sensory functioning, injury, and disease. It is estimated that 55% of all Medicare beneficiaries have a communication impairment of some kind. Social contact is known to be vital for older adults' mental and physical health but, because communication impairments often co-occur with other types of disability, it is difficult to generalize about the relative impact of …

Communicating With Technology In Our Workplace, Amelia Hill

Student Research Symposium

When modern technology took off in the 1990’s it surpassed all previous forms. It’s amazing how technology can be, it is used to keep families and friends in contact, and it has advanced medical research, and enables the growth of businesses. While technology can enhance communications within an organization, it can also cause misinformation, distraction, and there is always ‘technology difficulties’. These present a few organizational risks and challenges of human interaction in a work place that will be described in this essay. It is important to look into these problems so the professional world is aware of them and …

The Ability Of Narrative Communication To Address Health-Related Social Norms, Meghan B. Moran, Sheila T. Murphy, Lauren B. Frank, Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

Social norms are an important predictor of health behavior and have been targeted by a variety of health communication campaigns. However, these campaigns often encounter challenges related to the socially specific context in which norms exist: specifically, the extent to which the target population identifies with the specific reference group depicted and the extent to which the target population believes the campaign’s message. We argue that because of its capacity to effect identification among viewers, narrative communication is particularly appropriate for impacting social norms and, consequently, behavioral intention. This manuscript presents the results of a randomized trial testing the effectiveness …

The Considerations Of Editing Previously Published Works, Ariana Marquis

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

How, if at all, do editors adjust their methods when they are editing something that has been previously published (e.g. a short story that previously appeared in a literary journal and will now be published as part of a collection of short stories)? What is their justification for these adjustments (or lack thereof)? How does their understanding of these adjustments (or lack thereof) compare to the products of their efforts?

Changing Publisher-Author Relationships In The Midst Of Developing Crowd-Funded Publishing Platforms, Margaret Schimming

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

With the growth in crowd-funded publishing houses and imprints, it is high time to consider the implications of this type of publishing arrangement for author–publisher relationships. What are some of the factors that drive an author to this type of publishing arrangement? How do these relationships differ from traditional author-publisher relationships?

Critlib Unconference Planning Meetings Notes, Critlib Unconference 2015 Administrators

Critlib Unconference

Notes from planning meetings held prior to the Critlib Unconference 2015 held at Portland State University in March 2015. Planning meetings occurred from July 2014 and continued regularly until March 18, 2015. Notes cover all aspects of planning: attendees, programs, schedules, conference materials and more.

Session: Critical Tech, Emily Ford

Critlib Unconference

This document contains the notes taken during the Critical Tech session facilitated by Emily Ford. The session took place from 10:45-11:45 in Hoffman Hall on the Portland State University campus, as part of the Critlib Unconference 2015.

Discussion focused on MOOC's, technology in the library, and related topics such as digital badges.

Session: Instruction Fails, Critlib Unconference 2015 Session 3 Attendees

Critlib Unconference

Notes from Session 3 of the Critlib Unconference 2015, held at Portland State University in March 2015. The discussion revolved around critical evaluation of instruction, and the specifics of how that emerges within individual libraries.

Critlib Notebook, Critlib Unconference 2015 Administrators

Critlib Unconference

Original notebook design for Critlib Unconference 2015, held at Portland State University in March 2015.

Session: Intersectional Cultural Competence / Identifying Racism In Library Practice, Critlib Unconference 2015 Session 2 Attendees

Critlib Unconference

Contains notes from Session 2 of the Critlib Unconference 2015, held at Portland State University in March 2015. Discussion focused on intersectionality, cultural competency and standpoint theory,. Attendees discussed specific examples from their libraries, in reference, instruction and access services.

Session: Information Ethics, Critlib Unconference 2015 Session

Critlib Unconference

Notes from Critlib Uncinference 2015 Session 2, Information Ethics, held at Portland State University in March 2015. Discusses a variety of issues related to intellectual freedom, ethics, privacy and advocacy.

Acrl Framework And Critical Pedagogy, Critlib Unconference 2015 Session Attendees

Critlib Unconference

Notes from Session 2 of the Critlib Unconference 2015 held at Portland State University in March 2015. Discusses attendees experiences with implementations of the ACRL framework, open access, information literacy and related issues.

Session: Hegemonic Information Structures, Critlib Unconference 2015 Session Attendees

Critlib Unconference

Notes from Session 3 of the Critlib Unconference 2015, held in Hoffman Hall at Portland State University, March 2015. The discussion focused on hegemonic information structures in academic libraries, as embodied in authority control and controlled vocabularies in particular, and cataloging practices in general. The discussion also included remarks on academic discourse, citation and information literacy frameworks.

Lightning Talk: Feminist Pedagogy: How One Person Is Using It In The Library, Annie Pho

Critlib Unconference

Slides from a presentation given by the author at the Critlib Unconference 2015, helad at Portland State University in March 2015. Provides an introduction to feminist pedagogy and explores the ways in which it impacts library instruction.

Critlib Tech Manifesto, Critlib Unconference 2015 Session 2 Attendees

Critlib Unconference

This document contains the beginnings of a Critlib Tech Manifesto, started during session 2 of the Critlib Uncnference 2015 held at Portland State University in March 2015. Session attendees continued to add notes and commentary following the session. The goal of the manifesto is to address the engagement with and the use, adoption, and promotion of technology in libraries.

Session: Critical Theory: Some Basics, Lydia Willoughby

Critlib Unconference

Slides from a presentation given at the Critlib Unconference 2015 held at Portland State University in March 2015. Provides an introduction to critical theory, and offers a survey its major theorists and associated paradigms, ranging from structuralism and post-structuralism, to intersectionality and critical race theory.

Lightning Talk: Auotethnography As A Research Method For Librarians, Rick Stoddart

Critlib Unconference

PDF version of a presentation given at the Critlib Unconference 2015 at Portland State University in March 2015. Briefly probes the intersection of autoethnography and critical library studies.

List Of Attendees, Critlib Unconference 2015 Administrators

Critlib Unconference

This document contains a listing of all the persons who attended the Critlib Unoconference 2015, held at Portland State University in March 2015. The list contains attendee names, affiliations and Twitter handles.

The list was taken from the Unconference webpage: http://critlib2015.weebly.com/

Session: Guerilla Session 1, Critlib Unconference 2015 Session 1 Attendees

Critlib Unconference

Notes from Session1 of the Critlib Unconference 2015, held at Portland State University in March 2015. This was specified as a "guerilla" session, and was limited to ten participants. Discussion revolved around neutrality and ethics for librarians, as well as various aspects of reference instruction and student learning behaviors.