Why was the inflation issue in the Yale experiment not a good test of agenda-setting?

Correct answer: The issue was already an important topic for most participants, so there was no room for it to move up.

Explanation

This detail from the Yale experiment illustrates an important condition for agenda-setting effects: the media has the most power to raise the salience of issues that are not already at the top of the public agenda. For issues that people already consider highly important, there is a 'ceiling effect' where media coverage can't make them seem much more important.

Other questions

Question 1

What is the basic hypothesis of agenda-setting theory?

Question 2

In the context of agenda-setting theory, what does the term 'public agenda' refer to?

Question 3

Which level of agenda-setting deals with the media telling us which issues to think about?

Question 4

In the original Chapel Hill study, what were the two main criteria used to determine the prominence of a news story?

Question 5

The idea that media not only tell us what to think about, but also how to think about it by emphasizing certain attributes of an issue, is central to which concept?

Question 6

In his book 'The Ultimate Assist', John Fortunato's analysis of the National Basketball Association showed its revenue grew from 10 million dollars in 1970 to what amount by 2012?

Question 7

What two factors does agenda-setting theory identify as fueling a person's 'need for orientation'?

Question 8

What is the term for the social process by which individuals combine agendas from various sources to create a personal picture of the world that fits their experiences and preferences?

Question 9

According to the chapter, news media that try to appeal to a broad, diverse audience, such as USA Today or major network broadcasts, are examples of what?

Question 10

Which experiment is credited with establishing a cause-and-effect chain of influence from the media agenda to the public agenda?

Question 11

The third level of agenda-setting examines how the media's issue map influences the public's issue map. What does this mean?

Question 12

According to the chapter, who are the 'gatekeepers' that ultimately determine what gets published or broadcast?

Question 13

What is the term for computer programs that filter information and decide what material appears in search engines and social media feeds?

Question 14

Clifford Christians' 'communitarian ethics' proposes that the primary goal of the press should be what?

Question 15

The study by Craig Trumbo, which monitored newspaper headlines about the flu virus, provided evidence for which aspect of agenda-setting theory?

Question 16

What is the term for clusters of people, like Tea Party activists or Black Lives Matter groups, who demand center stage for their one overriding concern?

Question 17

In the student analysis of the Blue Bell ice cream crisis, how did the framing by national media outlets differ from that of local media outlets?

Question 18

What does the Christian tradition of 'agape love', as described by Clifford Christians, mean?

Question 19

The chapter suggests that the typical person can only focus on about how many issues at any one time?

Question 20

According to Chris Vargo's study on fake news, what was the effect of the fake news agenda on more credible news organizations?

Question 21

What did political analyst Theodore White conclude about the role of the press in U.S. presidential elections?

Question 22

The mantra 'The media aren't very successful in telling us what to think, but they are stunningly successful in telling us what to think about' refers primarily to which level of agenda-setting?

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT listed as a source that helps shape the media agenda?

Question 24

The behavioral effect study that found a drop in admission applications to the University of Pennsylvania was linked to heavy news coverage of what?

Question 25

What is the primary critique of agenda-setting theory's longevity in the digital era?

Question 26

What term did Pulitzer Prize-winning author Walter Lippmann use to describe the role of media as a mediator?

Question 27

When one news source, like The New York Times, influences the agenda of smaller news organizations, this is an example of what?

Question 28

Horizontal media are news outlets that typically do what?

Question 29

What is the key difference between the first and third levels of agenda-setting?

Question 30

For prominence in television news, the Chapel Hill study defined a significant story as one placed as one of the first three news items or any discussion that lasted more than how many seconds?

Question 31

What does the concept of 'fake news' refer to in the context of the chapter?

Question 32

Clifford Christians argues that journalists have a social responsibility based on 'agape love' to do all of the following EXCEPT:

Question 33

What was the result of heavy news coverage of plane crashes or skyjackings, according to the studies on behavioral effects?

Question 34

According to the chapter, why is framing considered not optional for journalists?

Question 35

In James Tankard's definition of a media frame, what are the four activities that shape the context of a news story?

Question 36

What was the rank of the five major issues on the public agenda compared to the media agenda in the original Chapel Hill study?

Question 37

What is the primary function of the third level of agenda-setting?

Question 38

What is a major potential outcome of agendamelding in the digital news environment, according to a warning from McCombs?

Question 39

According to the chapter's critique, how does agenda-setting theory fare on the standard of 'relative simplicity'?

Question 40

During the 2016 campaign, journalists framing both candidates in terms of scandal, focusing on Hillary Clinton’s email server and Donald Trump’s lewd remarks, is an example of which level of agenda-setting?

Question 41

What does Christians' communitarian ethics identify as the 'essence of humanness'?

Question 42

In the Yale experiment by Iyengar, Peters, and Kinder, viewers who saw the media agenda focused on pollution and defense subsequently did what?

Question 43

McCombs presents intriguing findings that media priorities also influence people's behavior. Which of the following is NOT an example of a behavioral effect mentioned in the chapter?

Question 44

What is the name of the tech executive who coined the term 'algorithmic gatekeepers'?

Question 45

The 2012 study on agendamelding found that supporters of Obama and Romney differed in their mix of media use. Where did Romney's supporters primarily get their information, with one exception?

Question 46

What is the core idea of the third level of agenda setting, also known as network agenda setting?

Question 47

In the critique of agenda-setting theory, which of the following is NOT a point on which the theory is said to fare well?

Question 48

The definition 'The list of issues most salient to a single person at a given time' refers to which concept in agenda-setting theory?

Question 50

What does McCombs call the powerful ability of the media to shape our perception of reality?