Review Review from Last from Last WeekWeek

Can you name the five characteristics of innovations?

Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Complexity, Trialability, Observability

What are the two types of communication channels?

Mass Media, Interpersonal

What is the difference between Homophily and Heterophily?

The degree to which two individuals are alike or different

What are the five steps in the Innovation Decision Process?

Knowledge, Persuasion, Decision, Implementation, Confirmation

What are the four main types of innovation decisions?

Optional, Collective, Authority, Contingent

History of History of Diffusion Diffusion ResearchResearchALEC 640

Diffusion research is thus emerging as a single, integrated body of concepts and generalizations , even though the investigations are conducted by researchers in several scientific disciplines.Everett M. Rogers with F. Floyd Shoemaker, 1971

ObjectiveObjectivess

Describe a research traditionDiscuss questions concerning diffusion researchDescribe three early diffusion research paradigms

Discuss nine major diffusion research traditionsAnalyze diffusion case studies in terms of research tradition, population, and importance

Identify the eight types of diffusion research used today

Locate and analyze a diffusion study Describe contributions and criticisms of diffusion research

Research Research TraditionTradition

A series of investigations on a similar topic in which successive studies are influenced by preceding inquiries.

QuestionsQuestions??

Where did diffusion research come from?

How and why did it grow to its present position of wide recognition by scholars, and its widespread use and application by policy makers?

How has the acceptance of the classical diffusion model limited the originality and appropriateness of the work of diffusion researchers?

In the In the BeginningBeginning….….

Gabriel Tarde and ImitationGeorg Simmel’s StrangerBritish and German-Austrian Diffusionists

Three groups—each group tell us about one of these historical references

What did they do? Why was it important?

The Nine The Nine Major Major Diffusion Diffusion Research Research TraditionsTraditionsRefer to Table 2.1 in your textbook

Each of you will take one and report to the class

What did they study? How did they collect data? What was the main unit of analysis? What were the major types of findings?1.Anthropology

2.Early Sociology

3.Rural Sociology

4.Education

5.Public Health and Medical Sociology

6.Communication

7.Marketing and Management

8.Geography

9.General Sociology

Case Case Study Study ExamplesExamples

For your assigned case study, describe which research tradition it follows, what was studied, and what was learned.

1. Miracle Rice in Bali: The Goddess and the Computer (pp 50-52)

2. The Diffusion of Modern Math in Pittsburg (pp 62-63)

3. Worldwide Diffusion of Kindergarten (pp 63-64)

4. The Columbia University Drug Diffusion Study (pp 65-68)

5. The Taichung Field Experiment (pp 70-71)

6. Stop AIDS in San Francisco (pp 72-73)

7. Diffusion of News of the September 11 Terrorist Attacks (pp 79-81)

8. Opinion Leaders and Mavens in the Diffusion of Electric Cars (pp 87-89)

9. Networks in Recruitment to Freedom Summer (pp 91-93)

10.Pure Drinking Water in Egyptian Villages (pp 107-109)

Eight Eight Types of Types of Diffusion Diffusion ResearchResearchTable 2.2

1. Earliness of knowing about innovations

2. Rate of adoption of different innovations in a social system

3. Innovativeness4. Opinion Leadership5. Diffusion Networks6. Rate of adoption in different

social systems7. Communication Channel

Usage8. Consequences of Innovation

Find an Find an ArticleArticle

Using the links on our website for this class session, find an article related to our textbook (diffusion, innovation, opinion leadership, etc.) For your article be prepared to:

•Share the journal you found it in

•Topic studied

•Type of diffusion research

This may be your article for your article review or it could be a different one. Questions about that assignment?

ShortcomiShortcomings of ngs of Diffusion Diffusion ResearchResearch

Pro-Innovation BiasPro-Innovation BiasThe implication of most diffusion research that an innovation should be diffused to and adopted by all members of a social system, that it should be diffused rapidly, and that the innovation should be neither re-invented nor rejected.

Individual-Blame BiasIndividual-Blame BiasThe tendency to hold an individual responsible for his/her problems, rather than the system of which the individual is a part.

Recall ProblemRecall ProblemLeads to inaccuracies when respondents are asked to remember the time at which they adopted a new idea.

Issue of EqualityIssue of EqualitySocioeconomic gams among the members of a social system are often widened as a result of the spread of new ideas.

ShortcomiShortcomings of ngs of Diffusion Diffusion ResearchResearch

Are any of Are any of these these shortcominshortcomings evident gs evident in your in your article?article?

Pro-Innovation BiasPro-Innovation BiasThe implication of most diffusion research that an innovation should be diffused to and adopted by all members of a social system, that it should be diffused rapidly, and that the innovation should be neither re-invented nor rejected.

Individual-Blame BiasIndividual-Blame BiasThe tendency to hold an individual responsible for his/her problems, rather than the system of which the individual is a part.

Recall ProblemRecall ProblemLeads to inaccuracies when respondents are asked to remember the time at which they adopted a new idea.

Issue of EqualityIssue of EqualitySocioeconomic gams among the members of a social system are often widened as a result of the spread of new ideas.

OverviewOverview

Described a research traditionDiscussed questions concerning diffusion research

Described three early diffusion research paradigms

Discussed nine major diffusion research traditions

Analyzed diffusion case studies in terms of research tradition, population, and importance

Identified the eight types of diffusion research used today

Located and analyzed a diffusion study Described contributions and criticisms of diffusion research

““Who Who Moved Moved My My Cheese?” Cheese?”

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