Mass Communication Theories: Explaining Origins, Processes, and Effects

The second edition of this innovative textbook provides a comprehensive overview of mass communication theories, as well as their origins and empirical supports in psychology, sociology, political science, and philosophy.

Each chapter presents a specific theory, describing its basic structure in simple formal terms and providing an accessible summary of the research studies and scholarly writings from which it developed. It breaks each complex theory down into five or six interlinked basic propositions, making them easily digestible for students. This new edition includes up-to-date research; improved coverage of all theories presented; expanded treatments of theories such as cultivation theory, the spiral of silence, and framing; contemporary and social media examples; chapter discussion questions; and informative charts and figures.

This textbook serves as an accessible core text for undergraduate and graduate Mass Communication, Communication Theory, and Communication and Society courses.

ISBN-13: 9780367533533

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Publication Date: 05-03-2022

Pages: 366

Product Dimensions: 7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

Melvin L. DeFleur held the title of Distinguished Professor at the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University. Previously, he was Director of the School of Mass Communication at Boston University and held the John Ben Snow endowed Chair at Syracuse University. He served on the faculties of eight universities and was responsible for the development and administration of several Ph.D. programs. Melvin DeFleur is one of the most recognized scholars in the field of mass communication. He wrote numerous articles and books, including Milestones in Mass Communication Research, many of which have been translated into several languages. Margaret H. DeFleur is Professor Emerita at Louisiana State University. She served as Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research at the Manship School of Mass Communication. Previously, she was the director of a graduate program in the College of Communication at Boston University and also taught at Syracuse University. She is the author or co-author of a number of articles and books, including Fundamentals of Human Communication: Social Science in Everyday Life.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: SHAPING THE AMERICAN MASS MEDIA: AN OVERVIEW Chapter 2: INTRODUCTION TO THE ORIGINS, NATURE, AND USES OF THEORIES Chapter 3: THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY: THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PHILOSOPHY Chapter 4: PUBLIC OPINION AS SHAPED BY THE PRESS: THE CONTRIBUTION OF POLITICAL SCIENCE Chapter 5: COGNITIVE PROCESSING: THE CONTRIBUTION OF PSYCHOLOGY Chapter 6: THE CONCEPT OF MASS SOCIETY: THE CONTRIBUTION OF SOCIOLOGY Chapter 7: JAMES BRYCE’S 19^th CENTURY THEORY OF PUBLIC OPINION AND THE PRESS Chapter 8: WALTER LIPPMAN’S 1920s THEORY OF UNINTENTIONAL NEWS DISTORTION: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NATURE OF PUBLIC OPINION AND PUBLIC POLICY Chapter 9: THE "MAGIC BULLET" THEORY OF UNIFORM EFFECTS Chapter 10: THE SELECTIVE AND LIMITED INFLUENCES THEORY Chapter 11: THE TWO-STEP FLOW OF COMMUNICATION THEORY Chapter 12: GATEKEEPING THEORY Chapter 13: AGENDA-SETTING THEORY Chapter 14: FRAMING THEORY Chapter 15: USES AND GRATIFICATIONS THEORY Chapter 16: MODELING BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY Chapter 17: SOCIAL EXPECTATIONS THEORY Chapter 18: MEDIA-INFLUENCED DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY Chapter 19: A THEORY OF AUDIENCE AND MEDIA DEPENDENCY ON POPULAR CULTURE Chapter 20: CULTIVATION THEORY Chapter 21: CRITICAL CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES: INTERPRETATIONS OF MEDIA INFLUENCES ON INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY Chapter 22: ADDITIONAL THEORIES AND CONCEPTS

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