Handbook of visual communication research : theory, methods, and media

624 Pages·2005·48.283 MB·English

by  Ken Smith, et al

HANDBOOK

OF

VISUAL COMMUNICATION

THEORY, METHODS, AND MEDIA
LEA'S Communication Series
Jennings Bryant/DolfZiUmann, General Editors
Selected tides include:
Bryant/Zillmann • Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research, Second Edition
Heath/Bryant • Human Communication Theory and Research: Concepts, Contexts, and
Challenges, Second Edition
Newton • The Burden of Visual Truth: The Role of Photojournalism in Mediating Reality
Reichert/Lambiase • Sex in Advertising: Perspectives on The Erotic Appeal
Zillmann/Vorderer • Media Entertainment: The Psychology of Its Appeal
Riffe/Lacy/Fico • Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis
in Research
For a complete list of tides in LEA's Communication Series, please contact Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers,
at Terlbaum.com.
HANDBOOK

OF

VISUAL COMMUNICATION

THEORY, METHODS, AND MEDIA
Edited by
Ken Smith
University ofWyoming
Sandra Moriarty
University of Colorado
Gretchen Barbatsis
Michigan State University
Keith Kenney
University of South Carolina
LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS
2005 Mahwah, New Jersey London
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Editorial Assistant: Karin Wittig Bates
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This book was typeset in 11 /13 pt. Dante Roman, Bold, Italic.
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Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in
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other means, without prior written permission of the publisher.
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Handbook of visual communication research : theory, methods, and media / edited by
Ken Smith... [et al.].
p. cm.—(LEA's communication series)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 0-8058-4178-4 (alk. paper)—ISBN 0-8058-4179-2 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Visual communication. 2. Visual communication—Methodology. I. Smith, Ken
(Kenneth Louis), 1947- II. Series.
P93.5.H363 2005
302.23—dc22 2004018622
Books published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates are printed on
acid-free paper, and their bindings are chosen for strength and durability.
Printed in the United States of America
1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents

Preface ix
Introduction
From an Oak to a Stand of Aspen: Visual Communication Theory
Mapped as Rhizome Analysis xi
Sandra Moriarty and Gretchen Barbatsis
I: AESTHETICS
1 Aesthetics Theory 3
Dennis Dake
2 Creative Visualization 23
Dennis Dake
II: PERCEPTION
3 Perception Theory 45
Ann Marie Barry
4 Eye Tracking Methodology and the Internet 63
Shereejosephson
5 Perception and the Newspaper Page: A Critical Analysis 81
Ken Smith
III: REPRESENTATION
6 Representation Theory 99
Keith Kenney
7 Cultural Palettes in Print Advertising: Formative Research
Design Method 117
Sandra Moriarty and Lisa Rohe
V
vi CONTENTS
8 Content Analysis of Representation: Photographic Coverage
of Blacks by Nondaily Newspapers 127
Ken Smith and Cindy Price
IV: VISUAL RHETORIC
9 Theory of Visual Rhetoric 141
Sonja K. Foss
10 A Visual Rhetorical Study of a Virtual University's Promotional
Efforts 153
Keith Kenney
11 Visual Metaphors in Print Advertising for Fashion Products 167
Stuart Kaplan
12 Empowerment Through Shifting Agents: The Rhetoric
of the Clothesline Project 179
Trischa Goodnow
V: COGNITION
13 Cognitive Theory 193
Rick Williams
14 Children's Comprehension of Visual Images in Television 211
Georgette Communtziz-Page
VI: SEMIOTICS
15 Visual Semiotics Theory 227
Sandra Moriarty
16 An Intended-Perceived Study Using Visual Semiotics 243
Sandra Moriarty and Shay Sayre
17 The Image and the Archive: A Semiotic Approach 257
Dennis Dunleavy
VII: RECEPTION THEORY
18 Reception Theory 271
Gretchen Barbatsis
19 A Textual Analysis of Political Television Ads 295
Gretchen Barbatsis
CONTENTS vii
20 Phenomenology and Historical Research 315
Michael Brown
VIII: NARRATIVE
21 Narrative Theory 329
Gretchen Barbatsis
22 Using Narrative Theory to Understand the Power
of News Photographs 351
Trischa Goodnow
IX: MEDIA AESTHETICS
23 Aesthetics Theory 365
Herbert Zettl
24 A Content Analysis of Political Speeches on Television 385
Robert Tiemens
25 Examining Documentary Photography Using the Creative Method 405
Craig Denton
X: ETHICS
26 Visual Ethics Theory 429
Julianne H. Newton
27 A Survey of Reactions to Photographic Manipulation 445
Shiela Reaves
28 Studying Visual Ethics by Applying a Typology of Visual Behavior 459
Julianne H. Newton
XI: VISUAL LITERACY
29 Visual Literacy Theory 479
Paul Messaris and Sandra Moriarty
30 Media Literacy, Aesthetics, and Culture 503
Elizabeth Burch
XII: CULTURAL STUDIES
31 Cultural Studies Theory 521
Victoria O'Donnell
viii CONTENTS
32 A Burkean Analysis of a Television Promotional Advertisement 539

Joseph C. Harry
33 A Cultural Analysis of the Unisys "Monitor Head" Television
Commercial 553

Victoria O'Donnell
34 A Historical Approach to Understanding Documentary
Photographs: Dialogue, Interpretation, and Method 565

Gerald Davey
Author Index 577

Subject Index 589
Preface

In his 1990 book, Eye and Brain, Richard Gregory wrote, "We are so familiar with seeing
that it takes a leap of imagination to realize that there are problems to be solved (p. 17).
While we humans had to learn how to walk, talk, and read, we never had to learn how
to see. Thus, unlike walking or talking or reading, we are less cognizant of the many
processes that contribute to what we see. Scholars in the rapidly evolving field of Visual
Communication now attempt to identify and describe these many processes. Yet, the field
is so new, so diverse, and evolving so rapidly that recognizing all the processes involved
in seeing is difficult because few attempts have been made to compile the diverse and
varied work of Visual Communication scholars.
This book represents one such attempt to bring this work together. In the process, it
compiles the dominant theories used by scholars to explain the many processes that affect
vision, and it demonstrates many of the methodologies utilized by Visual Communication
researchers. The studies included in this volume relate to a wide scope of different media,
so this book also contributes to the knowledge of how viewers utilize and perceive
different media.
Although the book could be organized by methodology or by media type, it was instead
organized by theoretical area. The fundamental processes of seeing were grouped into
12 theoretical areas (as conceived and explained in the introductory chapter). Each body
of theory is then followed by exemplar studies that illustrate some of the types of research
used in exploring each of these areas. In no case are these methodologies the only ones
used to explore the theoretical area in question. Nor are studies of each specific medium
limited to the methodologies presented in this volume. Rather, the intent is to display
the wealth of methodologies available to visual communication scholars and to increase
the body of knowledge about the media types that they examine. Just as researchers are
beginning to discover evidence that relates to the way humans see, so also is this book
a starting point—one that attempts to group together the theories and methodologies
that aid in this understanding.
As a result this book is appropriate for the academic scholar, the visual communication
student, and the media practitioner. For academics and students, it serves as a compilation
for much of the theoretical background necessary to understand visual communication. It
also serves as a methodological handbook, of sorts, for visual communication researchers.
For the media practitioner, it aids in the understanding of how audiences use media, and
it can contribute to more effective use of each specific medium.
Much of the work in this volume is an outgrowth of a number of organizations. Pri­
mary among these is the unaffiliated Annual Visual Communication Conference initially
ix