COMM 88 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Social Desirability Bias, Platonic Idealism, Communication Studies
Comm 88 Research Methods
4/5/18
●Ways of knowing
○Also known as “epistemology” (the study of knowledge)
●Some “truths” -- how do you know?
○Ex: Vegetables are good for you
■You know from parents, doctors, nutritionists, media, personal experience
(perception of body and feeling of body), celebrities, peers, vegetable companies,
studies, etc.
○Ex: People who are similar to each other tend to like each other
■You know this is true from observation, uncertainty reduction theory, social
desirability, noticing how similar your own friends are to you, common sense (it
is logical)
●Some “everyday” ways of knowing (& their problems)
○Method of tradition/tenacity
■You don’t know where it originated yet everyone just knows
■Some truths are just traditions and get handed down and down
●Like celebrating birthdays (it is just part of life)
●Or eating turkey on thanksgiving (it is just a truth that everyone knows)
■Downside to learning things this way is there is a lot of resistance when one tries
to break or go against this truth
○Method of authority
■Ex: Mom, doctor, teacher, politician, or leader tells you something, so you trust
him or her.
●Problem is they can be wrong
○Problem with both of these methods: Authorities and handed-down truths can be
WRONG or make mistakes
○Method of observation
■Surface-level version: Personal experience
●Ex: You eat vegetables and start feelings better
■More rigorous version: “baconian empiricism”
Document Summary
Also known as epistemology (the study of knowledge) You know from parents, doctors, nutritionists, media, personal experience (perception of body and feeling of body), celebrities, peers, vegetable companies, studies, etc. Ex: people who are similar to each other tend to like each other. You know this is true from observation, uncertainty reduction theory, social desirability, noticing how similar your own friends are to you, common sense (it is logical) Some everyday ways of knowing (& their problems) You don"t know where it originated yet everyone just knows. Some truths are just traditions and get handed down and down. Like celebrating birthdays (it is just part of life) Or eating turkey on thanksgiving (it is just a truth that everyone knows) Downside to learning things this way is there is a lot of resistance when one tries to break or go against this truth. Ex: mom, doctor, teacher, politician, or leader tells you something, so you trust him or her.
