Print media exposure and the attitude of graduating mass and broadcast communication students toward classified ads

Abstract

Hypothetically, frequency of exposure to an object or idea affects one’s attitude toward it. Such premise was used for this particular study. An attempt is made to determine if any relationship exists between exposure to print media, specifically to newspapers, and attitude toward the classified ads. Totalling 67 in all, graduating Mass and Broadcast Communication students of School Year 1986-87 in Iloilo City, were made as respondents. A set of questionnaires were handed out to them and the line of inquiry covered the areas from frequency of newspaper reading to behavioral inclinations or action tendencies toward the classified ads. Aside from trying to determine the frequency of exposure and what the respondents think of the ads, the questionnaire was also designed to deal with the three components of attitude: the cognitive, affective and the behavioral. One concept about the nature of attitude is taken from the Latent Process Viewpoint which incidentally is used as a guide in this study. The viewpoint surmises that attitude is a hidden mental or neural process which takes place in the individual. As such, one limitation in the study of attitude is that it is not directly observable. Inferences about one’s attitude can only be based from the study of overt behavioral responses. Theoretically, exposure is considered as the independent variable and attitude as the dependent variable. In actuality however, attitude is more of an intervening variable because the study focuses on the stimulus-response set-up with "attitude" seen as a possible explanation for the causation of response or responses to the stimulus. Based on the data gathered, the respondents are in general, favorably disposed toward the classified ads. The positive attitude is connected somehow with the respondents' belief that the classified section is primarily informative and entertaining at the same time. To prove or disprove the hypothesis, a contingency table was constructed for the computation of the chi-square. The table included the respondents’ frequency of newspaperreading and whether they like or dislike the ads. The computation of the chi-square nullifies the hypothesis that students who like and dislike the classified ads differ in their frequency of reading the newspapers. Similarly, based on the data gathered, a couple of hypotheses were formulated. One, students who have a favorable and unfavorable descriptions of the classified ads differ in belief on the ads’ capacity to provide for their purposes or motives in reading them. Two, students who have and don’t have any action tendencies toward the classified ads differ in their belief on possible gains which can be derived from them. The study of attitude per se is complex thus further researches are recommended.