University Microfilms, a XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
| 71-27,584 I WILLIAMS, Jr., Dwight Archibald, 1940- | MASS MEDIA PREFERENCE PATTERNS: A CROSS MEDIA STUDY. The-Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1971 "Mas s- Communications University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan ©Copyright by Dwight Archibald Williams, Jr. 1971 THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED MASS MEDIA PREFERENCE PATTERNS: A CROSS-MEDIA STUDY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Dwight Archibald Williams, Jr., B.A., M.A. The Ohio State University 1970 Approved by Adviser Department of Speech PLEASE MOTE: Some pages have indistinct print. Filmed as received. UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am especially grateful to Professor Robert R. Monaghan who served as adviser for this dissertation. More than that, he has been my guide on an intellectual journey which began in the Pall of 1964* I atn grateful to others who shared that journey with me and helped make it an exciting adventure, especially Joseph Plummer, David Rarick, and David Erickson. We knew the comraderie of those who venture into the unknov/n together. This dissertation is one of several that rose from the intel lectual ferment along the way. I am grateful to all these colleagues for their many helpful suggestions in the planning of this study. I want to thank David Rarick and Betty Pflummer for helping with the interviewing. I am grateful for the suggestions made by the members of my reading committee, Professor James Golden, Professor Wallace Potheringham, and Professor Pranklin Knower. I also appreciate the editorial assistance of Mr. Michael Kruger. Pinally, I want to thank ray parents, Dwight Archi bald and Ruth Seals Williams, and my wife, Mary Lee Wegner Williams, for their support, encouragement, and patience. It has been a long trip, and I could not have made it without them. ii VITA Dec’ember 5, 1940 Born--St. Louis, Missouri 1962 ............ B.A., Memphis State University, Memphis, Tennessee 1964 ............ M.A., Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 1964 ............ Salesman, Procter & Gamble, Inc. St. Louis, Missouri 1965-1967. Teaching Assistant, Assistant Debate Coach, Department of Speech, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1966 ............ Research Assistant to Professor Robert Monaghan on program development project for MGM- Television 1968 ............ Accepted position as Assistant Professor of Speech, University of Missouri-St. Louis FIELDS OP STUDY Major Field: Speech Communication Studies in Communications Theory and Research. Professors Robert R. Monaghan, Franklin H. Knower, and Wallace C. Fotheringham Studies in Rhetoric. Professors James L. Golden, Harold Harding, and Gordon Hostettler Studies in Broadcasting. Professors James E. Lynch and Richard M. Mall iii CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................. ii VITA ............................................... iii LIST OE TABLES .................................. vii LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS ............................ x Chapter I. THE PROBLEM ............................ 1 Statement of the Problem ............ 1 Need and Specifications for the Study 3 Questions .............................. 5 Review of Literature ................ 5 II. THE DESIGN .............................. 30 Selection of the Methodology .... 30 Theoretical Rationale ................ 33 Procedures in Conducting the Study. 39 Development of the Instruments. 39 The People I Interviewed ......... 44 The Interviews ..................... 48 Processing the D a t a ................ 50 Drawing Inferences ................ 53 III. MEDIA PREEERENCE PATTERNS .............. 56 The Six Basic Preference Types . 56 The Information Seelcer ............ 57 The Entertainment Seeker ......... 59 The Youth-Oriented T y p e ............ 59 The Sophisticate ................... 60 The Human-Interest T y p e ............ 61 The Successful Adjustment to Life T y p e .............................. 61 Television Viewer Eactors ............ 62 The Younger Information Seeker . 62 The Older Information Seeker ... 70 The Entertainment S e e k e r ......... 80 iv Chapter Page The Youth-Oriented T y p e ........... 87 The Sophisticate .................. 95 Radio listener Factors .............. 101 The Sophisticate .................. 102 The Entertainment Seeker ......... 112 Two Information Seekers ........... 118 The C r i t i c ......................... 121 The Sports F a n ................ 129 Movie Y/atcher F a c t o r s ................ 135 The Information Seeker ........... 136 Two People-Oriented Types ......... 147 The Human Interest T y p e ........... 149 The Successful Adjustment to life Type . ......................... 157 Magazine Reader Factors .............. 164 The Information Seeker ........... 164 The Entertainment Seeker ......... 170 The Youth-Oriented T y p e ........... 176 Toothpaste Commercial Viewer Factors. 186 The Entertainment S e e k e r ......... 186 The Information Seeker ........... 195 Political Message Viewer Factors . 202 The Information Seeker ........... 203 The Entertainment Seeker ......... 212 The Youth-Oriented T y p e ........... 221 IV. INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCE PATTERNS .... 229 The Single-Case Study .......... 229 Some Examples ......................... 234 Mary Goodwin ....................... 234 John O l s o n ......................... 242 Pat B a k e r .................. 248 Jack Hathaway ....................... 254 V. CONCLUSION ...................... 263 S u m m a r y ................................ 263 Suggestions for Further Research . 272 APPENDIXES A. Definitions of Construct Elements of Style and Content ..................... 277 B. Coding of Construct Elements in Items . 286 C. The Six Media Instruments .............. 287 D. Interview Schedule and Questionnaire . 337 v APPENDIXES Page E. Correlation Matrixes for the Six Q - S o r t s ................................... 347 P. Fractional Contributions of Rotated Q P a c t o r s .............................. 354 ^ G. Correlation Matrixes for Case Studies . 361 * H. Fractional Contributions of Rotated Q F a c t o r s .............................. 366 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................... 369 vi LIST OP TABLES Table Page 1. Distribution of Persons by A g e ............ 45 2. Relationships of Preference Types Across the M e d i a .......................... 58 3. Data Array, Television Factor I: The Younger Information Seeker ......... 64 4. Data Array, Television Factor II: The Older Information Seeker ............ 73 5. Data Array, Television Factor III: The Entertainment S e e k e r ................ 83 6 . Data Array, Television Factor IV: The Youth-Oriented T y p e .............. 89 7. Data Array, Television Factor V: The Sophisticate .......................... 97 8 . Data Array, Radio Factor I: The Sophisticate .......................... 103 9. Data Array, Radio Factor.II: The Entertainment Seeker ................ 114 10. Data Array, Radio Factor III: The C r i t i c ......................... 123 11; Data Array, Radio Factor IV: The Sports F a n ............................ 130 12. Data Array, Movie Factor I: The Information Seeker ................... 137 13- Data Array, Movie Factor II: The Human Interest T y p e ................... 150 14. Data Array, Movie Factor III: The Successful Adjustment to Life Type . 157 vii Table Page 15. Data Array, Magazine Factor I: The Information Seeker .................. 166 16. Data Array, Magazine Factor II: The Entertainment S e e k e r ................ 172 17- Data Array, Magazine Factor III: The Youth-Oriented T y p e .................. 178 18. Data Array, Toothpaste Commercial Factor I: The Entertainment Seeker ................ 187 19* Data Array, Toothpaste Commercial Factor II: The Information Seeker .................. 196 20. Data Array, Political Message Factor I: The Information S e e k e r ........... 204 21. Data Array, Political Message Factor II: The Entertainment Seeker ................ 214 22. Data Array, Political Message Factor III: The Youth-Oriented T y p e .................. 223 23. Data Array, Mary Goodwin Factor I: Radio and Toothpaste Commercials .... 237 24. Data Array, Mary Goodwin Factor II: T e l e v i s i o n ................................ 238 25. Data Array, Mary Goodwin Factor III: M o v i e s .................................... 239 26. Data Array, Mary Goodwin Factor IV: Political Messages ........... ..... 240 27. Data Array, John Olson Factor I: Radio and Toothpaste Commercials .... 243 28. Data Array, John Olson Factor II: M a g a z i n e s .................................. 244 29. Data Array, John Olson Factor III: M o v i e s .................................... 245 30. Data Array, John Olson Factor IV: Political-Messages .......... ,............ 246 viii Table Page 31. Data Array, Pat Baker Pactor I: Radio and M o v i e s ......................... 249 32. Data Array, Pat Baker Factor II: Political Messages ...................... 250 33. Data Array, Pat Baker Factor III: Magazines . ............................. 251 34. Data Array, Pat Baker Factor IV: Toothpaste Commercials .................. 252 35. Data Array, Jack Hathaway Factor I: M a g a z i n e s ........................... 256 36. Data Array, Jack Hathaway Factor II: M o v i e s ........................... .. 257 37. Data Array, Jack Hathaway Factor III: Political Messages ...................... 258 38. Data Array, Jack Hathaway Factor IV: T e l e v i s i o n ...............................