Theme 4: Quantitative research

The research paper that I've chosen is called "An experimental procedure to obtain sound power level of tire/road noise under Coast-By conditions (C. Davo et. al)".

It has an impact factor of 1.097. 
The aim of the research was to test how much sound power that was generated from the interaction between the tires and the road due to the speed of the vehicle.

1. Which quantitative method or methods are used in the paper? Which are the benefits and limitations of using these methods?

The test was carried out by multiple testing of the different speeds. The paper doesn't actually mention exact numbers for how many times the tests were conducted, it only says "The test was carried out multiple times..". The benefit of this quantitative test is that the mean average error will decrease. The limitation in this test is much harder to answer. If you think about it, the test is just concluded one car in a controlled environment (sort of) that does the exact same motion, so I don't really see a downside using multiple testing in this case. 

2. What did you learn about quantitative methods from reading the paper?

This test differs from other tests where for example humans are involved, due to the fact that the human is much more complex than a machine. Due to this I think that the data that comes out from multiple testing of a machine can be considered as much more accurate than a compiled survey. 
I believe that you can, based on a specific test, be pretty sure whats gonna happen if you have quantitative data. For instants, a car whit a certain weight, speed and tires. It will probably have the same result as if you only look at the quantitative measures that someone else did. If you however asks a person, that you don't know at all a specific question I would say that it is nearly impossible to predict the answer. So the tings that I've learned is that you can make better conclusions if the human factor is ignored. 

3. Which are the main methodological problems of the study? How could the use of the quantitative method or methods have been improved?

The overall methodological in this research-paper is I think very well completed. The authors are well aware of the measuring-techniques. they use multiple microphones at different locations, and they also take the microphones frequency-response into account. Due to this, the real sound-power at specific frequencies can be calculated, instead of just measured.  
There was only one methodological problem that I saw. The title of the research is "..tire/road noise.." but the authors only measures one tire-type at one road-type. They could instead increased the numbers of both tiers and road conditions to get more quantitative data. The authors has only given a mathematical formula for both road and tire and given out a prediction of the sound-power. This is however a factor that has been criticized by the authors themselves. 

Physical activity, stress, and self-reported upper respiratory tract infection

This paper is a study concluded by different people within different areas of expertise. It is a 
study that has the aim of finding the relationship between, perceived stress, physical activity and the occurrence of self-reported URTI (Upper respiratory tract infection). The test was conducted by population-based prospective cohort study of 1509 persons. The test persons was to report physical activity and incidence of URTI. The conclusions was that high physical activity was associated with lower risk of contracting URTI.


4. Which are the benefits and limitations of using quantitative methods?

One benefit could be that with quantitative method is, as I described above that you gather a lot of data which make the average error lower. This is a perfect way of gathering data if you are dealing with something less complex. In this paper, the persons was measured according to a scale called MET witch is a physiological measure expressing the energy cost of physical activities. so in this case it gives a pretty good result. It is however limit in the case to get a good average result if you are dealing with more complex questions, like people.  

5. Which are the benefits and limitations of using qualitative methods?

The benefit with the qualitative methods are almost the exact opposite as I described above. It is a much better method to use when you'r dealing with more complex test-objects, humans for instance. By making a more qualitative questionnaire face to face with the person in question, you would more likely get a more accurate result compared by an easy survey. The limitation however with this method is that it is very time-consuming and sometimes it takes a long time to get a result. If you however don't have time to wait you would need to hire people and it would be cost-full.       

  

Theme 3: Research and theory (post)

This theme has been for me pretty hard to actually understand. I was in the beginning aware that there were lots of different ways how to for example to gather some data or fact about a specific topic that was going to be written a journal. And by this I make the distinction between the practical points and the theory points. I however did not know that there were different ways of marking out different types of theories.
The text that we read tried in a way to explain what was and what theory wasn't. I had a hard time actually understanding Sutton's text, because I think explain what something isn't, is pretty confusing to me. Therefore, Gregor's text was a lot easier to understand.
The things that I have learned isn't so staggering. The major things that I´ve learned is just that there are different kinds of theories that you can apply at different text and research.
 

Theme 3: Research and theory

The journal that I’ve read is called “Journalism and theory of journalism: Contradiction of interaction”. The journal is “focused on complex problems which characterise relationships between modern theory and practice of journalism. Special attention is paid to situation in the Russian media community. After the crash of the Soviet political system domestic press has lost former methodological base. It started to develop spontaneously by empirical ways. In these conditions the ideas of a denying any theory appeared, in different forms and variations.”
The journal can be found on page 123 on this link: http://www.scientific-publications.net/download/media-and-mass-communication-2012.pdf

1. Briefly explain to a first year student what theory is, and what theory is not.

To understand what theory is and what theory isn't, we need to look at the word theory. Theory comes from the greek word “theoria” meaning viewing or beholding something. Many would say that the opposite to theory is practice, meaning doing from the greek praxis. So, just by looking at the word definitions, theory means that you observe and “not theory” means doing.
One other way to look at theory and “not theory” is by looking at innovation in different areas. for instance Darwin went around the earth and found and named species. This work that he did was mostly based on practise, but then later in order to categorize the different species, theory could have been used.    
The ultimate way for best result is then to have skills in both areas of theory and “not theory”.

2. Describe the major theory or theories that are used in your selected paper. Which theory type (see Table 2 in Gregor) can the theory or theories be characterized as?

in the journal that I have chosen, he talks about the difference between “journalism and theory”. The major theory type that he uses in his paper is Analyse theory. Since they are doing the research on gathered data, most of the context in this journal is by analysing this data and trying to make conclusions.

3. Which are the benefits and limitations of using the selected theory or theories?

The benefit of using theories is that you don't really lose any “thoughts” or information. This is similar as what we talked about during the seminar. We mentioned for instance that newspaper (we assumed) says the truth about fact (many political issues), but it doesn't necessarily need to be the entire truth. It could be the same with only selected theories. The selected theories that are mentioned could be true, but it doesn't says all of the theoretical knowledge. I don’t really have any example of that, but if anyone has, please share it with me on the comments.
The limitations of using all you will kind of be sucked into much reading and eventually start getting confused about what you really are reading. I have an example of that, and that is a common math course here at RIT. In the beginning, after some selected new theories, you are still able to keeping up with everything. But after a while, when all theories has been teached, you start having problem understanding.   

Theme 2: Critical media studies

1. What is Enlightenment?

Enlightenment is a movement that wanted to get rid of all the myths that exist in society and instead replacing it with knowledge and science. Many people bases their ideas on experience , traditions and superstition etc. and the enlightenment movement thinks that the ideas should be based on knowledge based on science. In the Enlightenment the human is believed to be “the master of nature”.

2. What is the meaning and function of “myth” in Adorno and Horkheimer’s argument?

Myth is a tradition that has emerged from the beginning of mankind and it is a response to mystery and tends to serve as an explanatory solution to enigmas and unexplained phenomena. H&A describes myth as synonymous to false clarity and that it seeks to explain phenomena, just like enlightenment, and is in that sense quite similar.

“Myth is already enlightenment, and enlightenment reverts to mythology.”

3. What are the “old” and “new” media that are discussed in the Dialectic of Enlightenment?

Couldn't really find any answer to the (old) part of the question question, but i think that  radio is a (new) version of the printing press. The TV is described as something very close to radio and film.

4 What is meant by “culture industry”?

The cultural industry is, for me, a way for the media to introduce a sort of a third party. There is so much power in this, the TV / Radio broadcasts everything in one direction, so the listener has no possibility of answering, and many listens blankly at what is being said. It can, at worst, become a kind of propaganda machine if things go badly

5. What is the relationship between mass media and “mass deception”, according to Adorno and Horkheimer?

I think this is a merger between question one, three and four. In the fourth question, we talk a lot about the media as a kind of propaganda machine, that is, if a news company gives out scary facts about any business or similar. However, it is important that these new companies follow enlightenment, otherwise possibly false revolted occur, named in question three and four.

6. Please identify one or two concepts/terms that you find particularly interesting. Motivate your choice.

Actually, I thought this book, was pretty uninteresting to read and due to the fact that we didn't had any lectures or seminars this week. I did however found the questions interesting to analyze based on the text, mainly the question about why people dent to speak of fact where there isn't really any fact and reflect over that. When i read these question I thought to myself that I  actually does it myself.

Theme 1: Theory of science

1. What does Russell mean by "sense data" and why does he introduce this notion?

In the beginning in chapter one, Russell describes the sense data as “things that are immediately known in sensation”. It could be things such as color, a smell or a specific feeling that are known to us.

He explains the sense data and compares it with a physical object. Even if two,or more, persons sees an object, for instance a brown cube, these people will see the same physical object, but receive two different sense data.

2. What is the meaning of the terms "proposition" and "statement of fact"? How does propositions and statement of facts differ from other kinds of verbal expressions?

The proposition means that somethings are explained by a person based on some facts but also much on the person's experience or knowledge. This is always common when people try to explain some facts with own words. A statement of fact however is just what it is called, a statement of fact without any own additional words.    

In chapter 5 ("Knowledge by Acquaintance and Knowledge by Description") Russell introduces the notion "definite description". What does this notion mean?

That means you only need to be aware of the sense data of an object, a place you are at, or anything about a certain person. With a "Definite description", you mean a word or a phrase that in any way describes one of these three things.

In chapter 13 ("Knowledge, Error and Probable Opinion") and in chapter 14 ("The Limits of Philosophical Knowledge") Russell attacks traditional problems in theory of knowledge (epistemology). What are the main points in Russell's presentation?

Russell believes that true faith is the same as knowledge. Russell also says that all the knowledge we have about the truth always contains a certain amount of doubt. Therefore, one can question whether it really can be no real knowledge of any kind, or only a belief in true knowledge.