Research Methods in Persuasive Communication
Code: 104899 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2501935 Advertising and Public Relations | OB | 2 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Amparo Huertas Bailén
- Email:
- amparo.huertas@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- catalan (cat)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- Yes
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Prerequisites
No prerequisites.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The subject is part of the Communication Research area, along with Market and Consumer Research.
The main objective is to help students to:
a) Face up (and evaluate) a scientific research in the field of persuasive communication and advertising (know how to act)
b) Develop critical and self-critical ability to analyze communicative practices (know how)
c) Learn to make oral presentations (know how to defend own ideas)
Competences
- Introduce changes in the methods and processes of the field of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and demands of society.
- Relay complex concepts and data simply, using conventional tools for presenting and publicly disclosing research findings.
- Rigorously apply scientific thinking.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
- Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
- Use the different analysis methods and tools that are common in communication research.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse a situation and identify its points for improvement.
- Communicate using language that is not sexist or discriminatory.
- Describe the characteristics that differentiate quantitative studies from qualitative studies in the analysis and resolution of communication problems.
- Develop public presentations to defend case studies on advertising and public relations campaigns.
- Distinguish the methods and techniques of auditing organisational communication.
- Identify and select the object of study, the most relevant sources, hypotheses, variables, analysis protocols and the validation-verification of results.
- Identify situations in which a change or improvement is needed.
- Lead group discussions.
- Propose new methods or well-founded alternative solutions.
- Propose projects and actions that are in accordance with the principles of ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and obligations, diversity and democratic values.
- Propose projects and actions that incorporate the gender perspective.
- Rigorously apply scientific thinking.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Use oral presentation techniques in presenting research.
Content
Introduction: scientific activity and persuasive communication
- General characteristics of the scientific method (basic and applied)
- Thematic sections: content analysis (semantic-aesthetic / visual elements, audiovisual, sound, graphic design), audiences (reception and effects), legislation and professional activity.
- Types and main lines of general research: attitudes, behavior and consumption; credibility and empathy; evidence and effectiveness.
- Main sources in communication: academia, institutions and economic sector
Stages of the scientific process
- Subject of study and context (What do we want to know? Why does it important?)
- Developing theoretical framework (What do we know about that? Theories and Background)
- Developing methodological strategies/Fieldwork Planning (How can we get to know it? Information obtained)
- Descriptive analysis of the results (what do we know after doing the fieldwork?)
- Interpretative analysis of the results (conclusions)
Basic concepts in scientific methodology
- How to elaborate theoretical framework, theories (social psychology andcorporate social responsibility) and epistemology (concepts)
- Hyphotesis and questions
- Effects of variables (Typology)
- Universe / Sample - Corpus / Case Study
Social Research (experiences, interpretation, evaluation)
- Qualitative Methodology: Interviews, focus group, pretest, ethnographic observation and Digital ethnographic.
- Quantitative Methodology: Survey and questionnaires
- Triangulation: Qualitative and Quantitative Research.
Content Analysis (speeches, representations, stereotypes,...)
- Qualitative Methodology: Languages and narratives / Aesthetics and Symbols
- Quantitative Methodology: Big Data.
- Triangulation: Qualitative and Quantitative Research
ResearchTrends in Catalonia and Spain
- Main lines of research at international context
- The study of new professional practices
Methodology
The devolopment of the subject includes three types of activities:
Directed activities
- Theory Class: basic concepts
- Discussion seminars and debates: The objective is to deepen about the basic concepts through individual analysis and group reflection (individual and group work)
- Laboratory Practical: The objective is to deepen about basic concepts through the design of an own research project (group work)
Supervised activities
- Personal interviews to check the evolution of learning and to help students (online)
Autonomous activities
-The students will have to make the readings indicated as obligatory and all the activites planned for a correct development of seminars, laboratory practical and written exam.
The calendar will be available on the first day of class. Students will find all information on the Virtual Campus: the description of the activities, teaching materials, and any necessary information for the proper follow-up of the subject.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Discussion seminars and debates | 19.5 | 0.78 | 3, 8, 5, 6, 17 |
| Laboratory practical | 18 | 0.72 | 3, 8, 5, 6, 4, 17 |
| Theory Class | 15 | 0.6 | 3, 5, 6 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Custom tracking | 7.5 | 0.3 | 3, 5, 6 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Laboratory practical preparation | 15 | 0.6 | 6 |
| Reading and synthesis of scientific documents | 67.5 | 2.7 | 3, 5 |
Assessment
The subject will be evaluated from different procedures (the final grade will be the sum of all the scores):
- Written exam: 20% in the final grade. Individual - It can be repeated.
- Practice (Research project design/group work: 20% in the final grade and oral presentation of the practice: 10% in the final grade)
- Seminars (Preparation work and participation: 50% in the final grade). Individuals and group work - It can be repeated
The last two weeks will be dedicated to recovery activities, which can accommodate students who have made a minimum of 2/3 of all evaluable activities and who have obtained a minimum score between 3.5 and 4.9. After a mandatory face-to-face individual interview and depending on the grade obtained, it will be decided which exercises can be repeated (exam and / or seminars). In these cases student can get a maximum of 5 and the note can not go down.
Students who have obtained a grade in 8 can choose to upload a grade from an oral test. In this case, the final grade may go down.
In the event that the student performs any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation of an evaluation act, this evaluation act will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that could be instructed. In the event, that several irregularities occur in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject will be 0.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam | 20% | 2 | 0.08 | 1, 12, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 16, 15, 13, 14 |
| Oral presentation of the practice | 10% | 0.5 | 0.02 | 12, 2, 8, 4, 17 |
| Practice (research projecte design) | 20% | 2.5 | 0.1 | 1, 12, 3, 8, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 16, 15, 13, 14, 4, 17 |
| Seminars (preparation and participation) | 50% | 2.5 | 0.1 | 1, 3, 8, 5, 6, 9, 14, 4, 17 |
Bibliography
- Casas, Jordi; Nin, Jordi; Julbe, Francesc (2019). Big Data. Análisis de datos en entornos masivos. Barcelona: Editorial UOC
- Cuesta, Ubaldo (2000). Psicologia social de la comunicación. Madrid: Catedra
- García López, Javier (2015). Publicidad, comunicación y cultura. Perspectivas teóricas para el estudio de la publicidad. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
- Kellner, Douglas (2011). Cultura mediática. Estudios culturales, identidad y política entre lo moderno y lo posmoderno. Madrid: AKAL /Estudios Visuales
- Medina, Alfons i Busquet, Jordi (2019). La recerca en comunicació. Barcelona: Editorial UOC
- Merino Bobillo, Maria y Sánchez Valle, María (2020). Comunicación corporativa: estrategia e innovación. Madrid: Síntesis
- Morales i Gras, Jordi (2022). Hackear la ciencia social. Una invitación a la investigación social en entornos digitales. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
More information
Autocontrol [https://www.autocontrol.es/]
Col·legi del Màrqueting i la Comunicació de Catalunya [https://www.marquetingicomunicacio.cat/]
Portal de la Comunicación (InCom-UAB): [https://incom.uab.cat/portalcom/?lang=es]
Software
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