Design and briefly outline an alternative study to the one presented - Essay Example

The results of the study demonstrated that there were no significant statistical differences in perceptions of the speaker’s credibility in the control video (no obscenity) and the obscenity videos. However, perception of the speaker’s intensity and persuasiveness were higher for the obscenity videos than for the control video. An alternative study for measuring the effect of obscenity on people’s positive attitudes for a topic would have necessarily involved using a female speaker. Scherer and Sagarin (2006) argue that in more recent times the public has become more tolerant of obscene language than previously.

In order to test the authenticity of this claim, female speakers in the videos would have more appropriately confirmed this contention. For example a study conducted by Bostrom, Baseheart and Rossiter (1973) demonstrated that when obscene language is used in communications by males there is no significant changes in attitudes on the part of those receiving the communications. However, when a female speaker uses obscene language in communications, there are negative changes in attitude toward her (Bostrom, et. al., 1973). . In this regard, Scherer and Sagarin’s (2006) involved an entirely light subject matter in that it merely involved information about the lowering of tuition.

Moreover, the study did not involve controversy or intensity and likewise did not use language that might be considered offensive. The word used is arguably a common word used so frequently and widespread that it is perhaps more appropriately characterized as slang as opposed to obscenity, at least in the context that the word was used. Had the word damn been used in an offensive way, such as “damn you”, then it would have been considered obscene language (Smith, Wright, & Ostroff, 1998, p. 447). An alternative study measuring the effect of obscenity on the positive attitudes of people toward a topic would have used a more diverse educational group of participants.

The study conducted by Scherer and Sagarin (2006) consisted of psychology college students only. A study conducted by Robins, Fraley, Roberts and Trzesniewski (2001) indicated that college students tend to grow more open as they progress through college. Therefore the results of Scherer and Sagarin’s (2006) may simply confirm that college students, and in particular psychology students are more open than ordinary citizens. Thus an alternative study would involve a number of individuals of varying ages and varying educational levels to decrease the risk of other explanations accounting for the results of the study.

An alternative study would also use a qualitative study in that instead of using questionnaires, the study would have included the use of semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured interviews will allow the