Chapter 13 -- The Knowledge Gap Hypothesis Knowledge is power I. Unequal distribution of knowledge A. people struggling with financial poverty usually information-poor. B. book written Information-poor in America that consists of a list of questions of typical information needs of the disadvantaged adult in the United States. C. one must be well-informed to vote intelligently on particular issues. D. mass communication has the potential of reaching people who haven't been reached by any other means. These people include: disadvantaged in big cities of the U.S. and in poor, rural areas in Appalachia. II. The Role of the Mass Media A. educational television programming 1. broadcasted in 1969, "Sesame Street" attempted to achieve goals of the government Head Start programs for disadvantaged preschoolers. 2. "Sesame Street" wanted to reach a large audience of children and hold their interest by combining information and entertainment. B. phenomenon of the knowledge gap hypothesis 1. first proposed in an article "Mass Media Flow and Differential Growth in Knowledge" (1970) Tichenor, Donohue, & Olien. 2. hypothesis predicts that people of both low and high socioeconomic status will gain in knowledge because of additional information. III. Operational forms of the hypothesis A. knowledge gap hypothesis can be stated in two ways: 1. over time - acquisition of knowledge of a heavily publicized topic will proceed at a faster rate among better educated person than among those with less education. 2. at a given point in time - there should be a higher correlation between acquisition of knowledge and education for topics highly publicized in the media than for topics less highly publicized. B. supportive evidence of hypothesis by Tichenor and his associates 1. in 4 different polls, respondents were asked whether they believed man would reach the moon in the future. The results were the obvious gap between college-educated respondents and for those with lower education. 2. respondents were handed 2 articles to read and reiterate. The result was between education and understanding of the article is higher for a more publicized topic than the less publicized one. This falls into the knowledge gap hypothesis. III. 5 possible reasons for a knowledge gap (Tichenor, Donohue, & Olien A. there is a difference in communication skills between those in high & low socioeconomic status - difference in education. B. there is a difference in the amount of stored information or previously acquired background knowledge. C. people of higher socioeconomic status might have more relevant social contact. D. the mechanisms of selective exposure, acceptance, & retention might be operating. E. the nature of the mass media system itself is geared toward people of higher socioeconomic status. IV. The knowledge gap in public affairs A. people of higher socioeconomic status are more likely to be exposed to certain types of info. This results in them generally gaining more info knowledge than people in a lower status. 1. the knowledge-rich are getting richer & the knowledge-poor are getting poorer. 2. info campaigns might need to choose different media to reach different audience sectors. V. "Sesame Street" A. the prime target was disadvantaged inner-city kids. B. Thomas Cook (1975) said the gap still existed between kids with a higher level of education compared to kids with less. C. an exception - those that were the heaviest viewers - the gap was narrowed. D. creators of "Sesame Street" never intended to reduce the knowledge gap, but rather to bring all kids up to a basic level to prepare them for school. VI. Refinement of the hypothesis A. Donohue, Tichenor, & Olien (1975) explored some conditions to reduce or eliminate the knowledge gap: 1. when there's a perceived conflict over a local issue, the gap lessens. 2. widening occurs more in pluralistic communities with many information sources than homogeneous communities with informal & common communication channels. 3. when and issue has immediate & strong local impact the gap lessens B. what variables determine whether a knowledge gap widens or closes? Ettema & Kline (1977) cite 2 explanations for the gap's existence: 1. basic communication skills & other factors associated with socioeconomic status --> "transsituational" factors (education, income, occupation). 2. differences in motivation --> "situation-specific" factors. C. Lovrich & Pierce (1984) concluded that "a widening of the knowledge gap might not occur if people of lower socioeconomic status have a particular need or desire to acquire the information." others agree. VII. The generality of the hypothesis A. Rogers (1976) the gap should apply to attitude & overt behavior effects & not just effects of knowledge. 1. not limited to mass media efforts. 2. should include effects of interpersonal communications. 3. should be a combination of the mass & interpersonal comm. 4. should not involve socioeconomic status alone, but other variables. B. McLeod, Bybee, & Durall (1981): studied knowledge gain & several other variables in a research project dealing with effects of the '76 presidential debates. C. Genova & Greenberg (1981) found evidence that knowledge gaps are more related to audience interest than to socioeconomic status or education. They focused on 2 kinds of interests: 1. self-interest - perceived usefulness of info for oneself 2. social interest - perceived usefulness of the info to the individuals social milieu or interpersonal networks VIII. An influence gap? A. Brantgarde (1983) expanded the possible gap to include more than knowledge. 1. examined effects on information consumption, exposure on info retention, info dissemination, & political activity. 2. conclusion was that the information gap is not a homogeneous phenomenon. 3. Brantgarde states that his results are disturbing in that they suggest that the highly educated are more able to disseminate info & thus might be able to influence decision makers by making opinions known to them - called the influence gap instead of the information gap. IX. The knowledge gap and new technology A. Parker & Dunn (1972) suggest new technologies can be used to the benefit of people throughout society because of reduced unit cost & equal access. B. Lepper (1985) however, new info is expensive & may only be available to the well-to-do which may cause a widening of the knowledge gap. C. Rubinyi (1989) found evidence that non-profit organizations who adopt computer technology do not benefit in the same way from technologyas more affluent groups. D. Downing (1989) examples of way technology can make grassroots groups work better. X. Criticism of the hypothesis A. Dervin (1980) criticized the knowledge gap hypothesis for its "blaming the victim" & recommended that communication campaigns be more user-based.