MSCR 4623 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Scientific Method, Human Behavior, Postpositivism

• School: Northeastern University
• Department: Media and Screen Studies
• Course: MSCR 4623
• Professor: Craig M.Robertson

Document Summary

Casual relationship: a direct relationship between one event and another, which is the consequence of the first. Scientific method: search for the truth through accurate observations and interpretation of the facts. Theory: scholar"s best representation of some state of affairs based on systematic observation. Role of theory: focus/isolate what is important order out of chaos . Why is it difficult to apply scientific method: most of the significant and interesting forms of human behavior are quite difficult to measure, human behavior is very complex. How can we be sure what caused what: humans have goals and are self-reflexive, the simple notion of causality is sometimes troubling when it is applied to ourselves. (third-person effect) Third-person effect: the idea that media affects others, but not me . Categories of communication theory : post-positivist theory. Positivism is the idea that knowledge could be gained only through empirical, observable, measurable, phenomena examined through the scientific method.