Empirical Methods in Communication Essay Example

Empirical Methods in Communication Essay Empirical Methods in Communication Name: Institution: Empirical Methods in Communication We will write a custom essay sample on Empirical Methods in Communication specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Empirical Methods in Communication specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Empirical Methods in Communication specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Question 1 Palomares and Lee’s experiment subjected female and male participants to tests on emotion, tentative language and apologies to examine whether gendered avatars affected individuals’ language and communication. The experiment sought to find out the effect of computer aided communication on the participants. They had observed a certain influence of gender in online communications. The 2x2x2 factorial design of the experiment involved three variables: the participant’s gender, the avatar’s gender and the gender of the partner’s avatar. They used this system to analyze the participants using a six tier evaluation across the three conditions. The hypothesis of the study was, â€Å"Women, but not men, use more gender-typical language (a) references to emotion, (b) apologies, and (c) tentative language—when the gender of their avatar matches their true gender than when it mismatches† (Palomares Lee, 2011, p.9). The participants were manipul ated based on gendered avatars and communication using the between-subjects research design. There were six conditions overall in the experiment. For participant gender (male or female), avatar’s gender (male or female) and for partner’s avatar (male or female). The participant’s avatars were tested wherever there was matching or mismatch in gender to show their reaction to both avatars of the same and the opposite gender. Question 2 The research employed a fast-food scenario in examining the participants’ linguistic reactions to gender-based avatars. The researchers knew that fast food scenarios show some level of gender neutrality thus ensuring that the method used did not favor one particular gender. They thus controlled the experiment from the influence of external factors or gender unfair methods that may influence the results of the study (Palomares Lee, 2010, p.13). The use of fast food scenarios ensured the research results were not skewed towards one gender type. The researchers employed two research assistants who were completely unaware of the research hypothesis and design were employed to aid in the research (Palomares Lee, 2010, p.12). They understood the need to use research assistants with no preconceived assumptions on the outcome to achieve a reliable and unbiased result. The researchers chose not to inform the participants of the experiment’s purpose in order to obtain reliable and unbiased information from them. The lack of knowledge ensured that the information they gave was credible and not influence by any presumptions like if they knew the purpose of the experiment. Question 3 The researchers carried out a validity test of the gendered avatars during the pretest to establish their suitability for the research. They understood the need to confirm the validity of the manipulation method used on the independent variable. An invalid method would produce inaccurate results. They manipulated gendered avatars to represent masculinity and femininity. They asked the fifty students were then required to describe whether the avatars were feminine or masculine (Palomares Lee, 2010, p.11). The results showed that the feminine avatar was more feminine than the masculine avatar thus making the avatars suitable for the research. The researchers also carried out a pretest involving fifty students, 66% of whom were female (Palomares Lee, 2010, p.12). They were thus able to confirm that their methods were valid and reliable for the experiment. The pretest involved a fast food trivia where the participants attempted to identify whether the research questions were gender biased (Palomares Lee, 2010, p.13). The results of the pretest showed that both male and female participants could identify gender inclinations in text during interactions with other people in computer-aided communication. Question 4 Palomares and Lee, knowing that the primary variables did not have a direct relationship, measured three mediating variables. The three mediating variables included emotion, tentative language and apologies (Palomares Lee, 2010, p.5). The three factors showed the influence of the gendered avatars on the performance of linguistic communication of the participant. For instance, participants exhibited emotive reactions in their communications with the gendered avatars. They took the participants through a series of examinations that would enable them to describe variable relationships. Women exhibited reactions that are more emotional with avatars matching their gender. Men, on the other hand, were more emotional when it came to avatars of the opposite gender, according to the findings. In the tentative language tests, females showed a lot of tentative use when the avatar representing their gender appeared while men showed more use of tentative language in both scenarios. The results for tentative use were, however, not statistically significant to warrant a comparison between the female and male participants (Palomares Lee, 2010, p.14). In the test for apologies, women used more apologies while communicating with avatars matching their gender than those of the opposite gender. Men, on the other hand, were indifferent across all avatar genders. Women, however, employed more apologies when compared to men. Question 5 Palomares and Lee understanding that their research was not perfect and the results cannot be applied across different populations identified the limiting factors of the study. There are several limitations to the ability to generalize from these findings. The researchers observed the notion that the linguistic factors used in the testing of language were predominantly feminine thus the research could have been biased towards women (Palomares Lee, 2010, p.17). This explains the higher female scores in the avatar tests. The results might reflect the correct state of affairs, but the use of the three tests is a limiting factor that might have influenced the results of the study. they also identified that gender salience is known to have a profound influence on the reactions of participants to gendered avatars yet they did not include it in the experiment (Palomares Lee, 2010, p.15). Thus, generalization of the results is difficult due to the factors of measurement that might have el icited stronger reactions from the women, and the gender salience issue that has a significant influence on participant reactions particularly female participants. Reference Palomares, N., Lee, E. J. (January 01, 2010). Virtual Gender Identity: The Linguistic Assimilation to Gendered Avatars in Computer-Mediated Communication. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 29, 1, 5-23.