The Issue of Timing and Opinion Congruity in Spiral of Silence Research: Why Does Research Suggest Limited Empirical Support for the Theory?
The Issue of Timing and Opinion Congruity in Spiral of Silence Research: Why Does Research Suggest Limited Empirical Support for the Theory?
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DOI：
10.1093/ijpor/eds016
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发表时间：
2012-09-01
影响因子：
1.8
通讯作者：
Bodor, Tamas
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bodor, Tamas
本研究探讨了可能导致沉默螺旋理论实证地位薄弱的两个可能因素：不注意检验的时机和自变量的操作化不充分。有人认为，检验沉默假说本身与沉默螺旋框架不一致。沉默的螺旋式上升受到许多因素的严格制约。因此，这种现象只有在实际发生时才能被检测到。此外，将自变量操作为与感知的舆论氛围一致（不一致）在概念上与理论框架不一致。研究结果表明，由于时机不当或独立措施不足，沉默的螺旋可能会被忽视。
This study examines two possible factors that might contribute to the weak empirical standing of the spiral of silence theory: not paying attention to the timing of the test and the inadequate operationalization of the independent variable. It is argued that testing the silence hypothesis per se is inconsistent with the spiral of silence framework. The spiral of silence is strictly conditioned by a host of factors. Thus, the phenomenon may only be detected if and when it actually occurs. Moreover, operationalizing the independent variable as one's (in)congruity with the perceived opinion climate is conceptually inconsistent with the theoretical framework. The findings demonstrate how a spiral of silence may go undetected due to inadequate timing or an inadequate independent measure.