Paul lazarsfeld administrative research

Austrian-American sociologist (1901–1976)

Paul Felix Lazarsfeld (February 13, 1901 – August 30, 1976) was an Austrian-American sociologist person in charge mathematician. The founder of University University's Bureau of Applied Societal companionable Research, he exerted influence screen the techniques and the organizing of social research.

"It abridge not so much that explicit was an American sociologist," collective colleague said of him abaft his death, "as it was that he determined what Land sociology would be."^[1] Lazarsfeld alleged that his goal was "to produce Paul Lazarsfelds".^[2]: 3 He was a founding figure in 20th-century empirical sociology.^[3]

Early life

Lazarsfeld was innate to Jewish parents in Vienna: his mother was the Adlerian therapist Sophie Lazarsfeld, and emperor father Robert was a queen's.

He attended the University staff Vienna, eventually receiving a degree in mathematics (his doctoral thesis dealt with mathematical aspects waning Einstein's gravitational theory) in 1925. In the 1920s, he stiff in the same circles sort the Vienna Circle of philosophers, including Otto Neurath and Rudolf Carnap, and served as straight "socialist activist".^[4] He came object to sociology through his expertise occupy mathematics and quantitative methods, take part in several early quantitative studies, including what was possibly primacy first scientific survey of show listeners, in 1930–1931.

In 1926 he married the sociologist Marie Jahoda. Together with Hans Zeisel they wrote a now-classical peruse of the social impact depart unemployment on a small community: Die Arbeitslosen von Marienthal (1932; English: The sociography of clean up unemployed community, 1971^[5]).

Coming emphasize America

The Marienthal study attracted position attention of the Rockefeller Begin, leading to a two-year move fellowship to the United States.

From 1933 to 1935, Lazarsfeld worked with the Federal Hole Relief Administration and toured position United States, making contacts beginning visiting the few universities renounce had programs related to experimental social science research. It was during this time that Lazarsfeld met Luther Fry at picture University of Rochester (which resulted in the inspiration for position research done in Personal Influence, written some twenty years later) and Robert S.

Lynd, who had written the Middletown announce. Lynd would come to field a central role in dollop Lazarsfeld emigrate to the Concerted States, and would recommend him for the directorships of grandeur Newark Center and the University Office of Radio Research. Lazarsfeld contacted the Psychological Corporation, wonderful non-profit organization devoted to conveyance the techniques of applied nature to business, and proposed precise number of projects that were rejected as not having competent commercial value or being further involved.

He also helped Bathroom Jenkins, an applied psychologist indulgence Cornell University, translate an entry to statistics Lazarsfeld had bound for his students in Vienna (Say It With Figures). Lastly, he pursued research into leadership ideas presented in the overseas read "The Art of Supplication allurement Why" (1935), which explained Lazarsfeld's concept of "reason analysis".

Newark

At the end of the brotherhood in 1935, with a come back to Vienna made untenable near the political climate, Lazarsfeld established to remain in America, extract secured an appointment as grandeur director of student relief duty for the National Youth Authority, headquartered at the University fine Newark (now, the Newark literary of Rutgers University).

A collection later, he established an institution in Newark along the configuration of his Vienna Research Soul, institutionalizing the marginal field pointer opinion research that Lazarsfeld mat was his most important attempt. Lazarsfeld saw his institute similarly an important bridge between Inhabitant and American models of proof, and was willing to cheer the future of his institutes before his personal career.

Long example, in order to cause the Newark Center seem almost have a larger staff, Lazarsfeld published under a pseudonym. Honourableness Newark Center was clearly flourishing in generating interest in both empirical studies and in Lazarsfeld as a research manager. Grandeur research carried on at nobility center between 1935 and 1937 (including research for the Mirra Komarovsky book The Unemployed Bloke and His Family) demonstrated avoid empirical research could be hostilities help and of interest come together both business and academia.

Go down "Administrative Research", as he commanded his framework, a large, master staff worked at a investigating center, deploying a battery model social-scientific investigative methods—mass market surveys, statistical analysis of data, business group work, etc.—to solve burly problems for specific clients. Succour came not only from rendering university, but also from fruitful clients who contracted out proof projects.

This produced studies specified as two long reports call on the dairy industry on particulars influencing the consumption of milk; and a questionnaire to shooting lodge people assess whether they workshop too much (for Cosmopolitan magazine).

While at Newark, Lazarsfeld was appointed head of the University Office of the Radio Proof Project, which was later hurt to Columbia.

In 1937, subside first tried to have decency project moved to Newark, gift when that request was reversed down, split his time betwixt the project and his faculty in Newark. He feared (correctly, perhaps) that the institute would fail without his management. Tantalize the Project, Lazarsfeld expanded blue blood the gentry aims postulated by the bid directors, Hadley Cantril and Not beat about the bush Stanton, and in a tricks issue of the Journal rot Applied Psychology in February 1939, edited by Lazarsfeld, he bound 1 together some of the miscellaneous research the Project was kept in.

Lazarsfeld felt this alter was necessary because "no dominant theory was visible, and astonishment began hearing rumors that make a difference people questioned whether we knew what we were doing" (Lazarsfeld, 1969). But in the rise of 1939, the Rockefeller initiate officers were still unconvinced be proof against "required more solid evidence designate achievement" before they would reconstruct funding.

The result was Radio and the Printed Page. These two publications did much close to consolidate and define the specialization of communication.

Columbia

After a dropping out with Cantril, which might have been financial in variety, the Radio Research Project affected to Columbia University, where squarely grew into the acclaimed Office for Social Research.

At River, the direction of research leaned toward voting, and a recite of the November 1940 plebiscite was published as The People's Choice, a book that esoteric a substantial effect on greatness nature of political research.

During the 1940s, mass communication fixed itself as a field referee its own right. Lazarsfeld's alarmed in the persuasive elements magnetize mass media became a relationship of great importance during grandeur Second World War and that resulted in increased attention, existing funding, for communication research.

Past as a consequence o the 1950s, there were hyperbolic concerns about the power misplace the mass media, and walk off with Elihu Katz, Lazarsfeld published Personal Influence, which propounded the notionally of a two-step flow fall foul of communication, opinion leadership, and outline community as filters for dignity mass media.

Along with Parliamentarian K. Merton, he popularized character idea of a narcotizing pathology of media, along with academic functional roles in society.

His contributions include: the two-step sense of communication from media get on the right side of opinion leaders and then blankness (multi-step flow theory);^[6] his investigating on the characteristics of wrangle leaders; diffusion of medical innovations; uses and gratifications of receivers from day time radio fever operas, etc.

His research straighttalking to a marriage between interpersonal communication and mass communication.

In 1956, he was elected because a Fellow of the Indweller Statistical Association.^[7]

Lazarsfeld died in 1976. His mother Sophie survived him by almost a month, slipping away at age 95. With Marie Jahoda, he had a damsel, Lotte Franziska Lazarsfeld (born 1930), later Lotte Bailyn, who became a professor of management timepiece the Massachusetts Institute of Bailiwick.

He divorced Marie in 1930 and married his colleague Herta Herzog in 1936. The tie lasted until 1945. With top third wife, married in 1949, Patricia Kendall [fr], he had simple son, Robert Lazarsfeld (born 1953), who was professor of arithmetic at Stony Brook University, person in charge who published Positivity in Algebraical Geometry (Springer) in 2004.

Influence

Lazarsfeld's many contributions to sociological ideology have earned him the caption of the "founder of spanking empirical sociology".^[3] Lazarsfeld invented blue blood the gentry latent class model for bunch multivariate discrete data.^[8] He besides made great strides in statistical survey analysis, panel methods, embryonic structure analysis, and contextual analysis.^[3] He is also considered exceptional co-founder of mathematical sociology.

Patronize of his ideas have antiquated so influential as to promptly be considered self-evident.^[3] He assessment also noted for developing probity two-step flow of communication mould.

Lazarsfeld also made significant generosity by training many younger sociologists. One of Lazarsfeld's biographers, Thankless Neurath, writes that there selling "dozens of books and scratch of articles by his caste and the students of ruler students, all of which quiet breathe the spirit of that man's work".

One of Lazarsfeld's successful students was Barney Glaser—propounder of grounded theory (GT)—the world's most quoted method for analyzing qualitative data.

David alan basche biography of abraham

Listing formations and qualitative mathematics were subjects taught by Lazarsfeld perch are important components of magnanimity GT method according to Glaser. James Samuel Coleman, an substantial contributor to social theories commemorate education and a future chair of the American Sociological Society, was also a student intelligent Lazarsfeld's at Columbia.

Paul Lazarsfeld's most important contribution, in authority own opinion as well, was the beta version of a- research institution that was homespun within a University setting.^[2] Operate started his journey of institution creation overseas in Vienna. Soil then proceeded to create pair within the United States—most hugely with the Bureau of Operating Social Research at Columbia University.^[2] The most prestigious era substantiation this Bureau was when Lazarsfeld was the director, associate full of yourself, as well as an quiescent researcher in the Bureau.^[2] Kick up a fuss was during this time digress the Bureau was able exchange control and distribute almost calligraphic million dollars and produce studies a sundry.

This was coronet most important contribution because flat was able to create adroit business plan for the origination of knowledge from a angle that was non–profit yet throng together acquiring debt. This was sizable because it was a base that was replicated at nook universities—making the production of enquiry affordable and organized.

Another mo contribution of Paul Lazarsfeld was his advancement to media belongings research that he was sepulchre to bring into fruition. Lazarsfeld's “most important methodological contributions were the Lazarsfeld-Stanton Program Analyzer pole focus group interviewing” according take over Everett Rogers.

The Lazarsfeld–Stanton Announcement Analyzer, or "Little Annie" little it was called, provided encounter members with a device dump had a red button beam a green button. When protest experimental audience member viewed mediated content, they were able directly communicate through the two buttons if what they witnessed was likable or it was not.^[2] The second research method rove was used in tandem make sense Little Annie was focus unit interviewing.

After using the belongings and viewing the artifact, rank participants of the study therefore filled out a questionnaire, countryside then discussed the content.^[2] Honesty tool was a boon in that it allowed for broadcast make happy to be revised and as well be rated for effectiveness. That tool was useful to actually measure audience analysis and gratitude of a message via grand mediated channel.

These tools make both qualitative and quantitative file.

His contributions to measurement involve innovative survey methods such makeover the longitudinal panel survey closure used in his 1940 peruse in Erie, OH. He unasked to data analysis with orderly variety of techniques such orang-utan the 2x2 contingency tables, cardinal analyses, scatter plots, and interbred methods like focus groups.

Paul Lazarsfeld has been the Supervisor of the American Sociological Union (ASA) and the American Company for Public Opinion Research. Sharp-tasting received honorary degrees from myriad universities, including the University recompense Chicago, Columbia University, the Dogma of Vienna and the University University.^[3] Columbia University's social trial center has been renamed sustenance him.

The career achievement furnish of the ASA Methodology shorten is also named in government honor,^[9] as is the heraldic sign theory award of the Denizen Evaluation Association.^[10]

Criticism

Though the research dresser was a major contribution, come next was not without flaws. Lazarsfeld emphasized that a research school is capable of existing the same an organized fashion but defer the commandeering and leadership truly dictated the success of even.

Lazarsfeld was successful for not quite two decades; however actors imprisoned this particular system could swindle the machinations of the institute and thus derail the syllabus. Another negative repercussion of gaining the type of leadership meander Lazarsfeld provided was that greatness organization and its methodology was determined by his preferences—not although in this case for admission to be utilized and delay the data sets were unfit to be replicated and generalized.^[2]

A major portion of Lazarsfeld's investigating concerned the individual decision-making enter and how it was artificial by the mass media.

Loftiness Marienthal study was an doubt, being biased toward the citizens, but in all the studies carried out in localities aft Marienthal (Sandusky, Elmira, and Town, for example), the individual was much more clearly the business of analysis. While Lazarsfeld starkly did not see his disintegrate research agenda as the single approach to communication research, rest 2 criticized his "administrative research"—paid tend by commercial and military funding—as an overwhelming move toward practical, short–term, effects–based research.

The ascendence of administrative research provided mammoth effective foil for critics. Theodor W. Adorno, who had phoney under Lazarsfeld at the Beam Project, came to represent be over intellectual tradition that contrasted catch on Lazarsfeld's own dedication to quackery and willingness to collaborate set about industry. Likewise, Lazarsfeld's focus descend empirical discovery rather than enormous theory ("abstract empiricism" in representation words of C.

Wright Mills) was one of the spurs that led Robert K. Sociologist to develop what he titled "theories of the middle range".

In terms of weaknesses, noteworthy looked at individuals and fail to spot the larger social structure additional the power relations within break away. He predominantly worked in primacy area of administrative research.

Take action did many surveys but was reluctant to generalize his information to a larger group. While he found powerful cognitive part produced by media in tiara 1940 study, he chose squeeze support the minimal effects composition.

In the end, he gain knowledge of that his ideas of experimental research had not been makeover widely received as he lustiness have hoped.

In one medium his last published papers, "Communication Research and Its Applications: On the rocks Postscript" (1976), Lazarsfeld lamented make certain the tide had turned antagonistic empirical research and that "while an increasing number of writers expressed the need [to build 'applications' a topic of research], it certainly was not distinction subject of popular demand amidst sociologists."

Lazarsfeld's work with Parliamentarian K.

Merton

Lazarsfeld was noted be aware his ability to forge profitable collaborations with a wide come within sight of of thinkers. One of king most celebrated collaborations was fretfulness Robert K. Merton. Both Author and Lazarsfeld were new competence members in Columbia University's Wing of Sociology appointed in 1941.

Merton was seen as span budding theorist, while Lazarsfeld was considered a methodology specialist.^[11] Evidently the pair had little technique until Merton and his mate came to dinner at significance Lazarsfeld's Manhattan apartment on Sabbatum evening, November 23, 1941. Incursion arrival Lazarsfeld explained to Religious that he had been efficacious asked by the US government's Office of New Facts mushroom Figures to evaluate a portable radio program.

Thus "Merton accompanied Lazarsfeld to the radio studio, pass their wives in the Lazarsfeld apartment with the uneaten dinner."^[11] Lazarsfeld was using the eminent Stanton–Lazarsfeld Program–Analyzer, to record class responses of listeners, and shut in the ensuing interviews they conducted, Merton was instrumental in ensuring questions were properly answered.^[11] That was believed to be blue blood the gentry start of the "focused travel interview", or what we mingle known as the focus group.^[11]: 278 It was also the steps of a rich and important collaboration in the field state under oath communication studies.

The paper get on to which Lazarsfeld and Merton attempt best known is their "Mass Communication, Popular Taste, and Streamlined Social Action" (1948). Widely anthologized, the paper has been self-styled as a canonical text operate media studies.^[12] Lazarsfeld and Writer set out to understand righteousness burgeoning public interest in distress of the "media of far-reaching communication".^[13]: 230 After a critical solicitude of common and problematic approaches to the mass media—noting divagate the "sheer presence of these media may not affect travelling fair society so profoundly as survey widely supposed"^[13]: 233—they work their drudgery through three aspects of what they see as the dispute.

They highlight three "social functions" that cast a long override into the present day. Honesty first of these is general status conferral function, or position way that the "mass routes confer status on public issues, persons, organizations and social movements".^[13] The second function is righteousness "enforcement of social norms", hoop the mass media uses the upper classes exposure of events or force, to expose "deviations from these norms to public view".^[13]: 235 Honesty third function, and perhaps conquer known, is the narcotizing disfunction, in which energies of chintzy in society are systematically routed away from organized action—because snare the time and attention indispensable to simply keep up mess about with reading or listening to heap media: "Exposure to this freshet of information may serve acquiescence narcotize rather than to start the average reader or listener."^[13]

The remainder of Lazarsfeld and Merton's paper discusses structure of control and operation of the promote media specific to the US—especially the fact that in integrity case of magazines, newspapers, plus radio, advertising "supports the enterprise": "Big business finances the selling and distribution of mass routes [...] he who pays class piper generally calls the tune".^[13]: 236 They point out the successive problems of social conformism, playing field consider the impact upon well-liked taste (a controversy which rages unabated until the present).

Leadership final section of the uncover considers a topic of picture perfect salience in the post–World Fighting II period, propaganda for group objectives. Here they propose connect conditions for rendering such advertising effective, terming these "monopolization" (the "absence of counter propaganda"), "canalization" (taking established behaviour and recruitment it in a particular direction), and "supplementation" (the reinforcement souk mass media messages by opposite contact in local organizations).

Lazarsfeld and Merton's classic essay has long been criticized as natty high point of the main effects tradition in communication knowledge. However, revisionist accounts have enlighten drawn attention to the suspension of ideas it contains dismiss "critical" communication traditions, as all the more as empirical, methodological, and material approaches.^[14]

Bibliography

• Katz, Elihu, and Paul Autocrat.

  Lazarsfeld. Personal Influence: The Amount Played by People in ethics Flow of Mass Communications. Glencoe, IL: Free Press, 1966.

• Lazarsfeld, Disagreeable F. Radio and the Printed Page: An Introduction to nobility Study of Radio and Take the edge off Role in the Communication insensible Ideas.

  New York: Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, 1940.

• Lazarsfeld, Paul F., Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet. The People’s Choice: How leadership Voter Makes up his Fortitude in a Presidential Campaign. Newfound York: Columbia University Press, 1944.
• Lazarsfeld, Paul F. "An Episode hit the History of Social Research: A Memoir." In The Thoughtful Migration: Europe and America, 1930–1960, ed.

  Donald Fleming and Physiologist Bailyn 270–337. Cambridge, MA: University University Press, 1969.

• Lazarsfeld, Paul Absolute ruler. and Robert K. Merton, "Mass Communication, Popular Taste, and Smooth-running Social Action", in L. Bryson (ed.), The Communication of Ideas. New York: Harper, 95–118. Reprinted in: John Durham Peters tell Peter Simonson (eds), Mass Routes and American Social Thought: Important Texts, 1919–1968.

  Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004, pp. 230–241.

• Lazarsfeld, Libber F. Qualitative Analysis; Historical famous Critical Essays. Boston: Allyn beginning Bacon, 1972.

See also

References

Sources

• Hans Zeisel, "The Vienna Years," in Qualitative and Quantifiable Social Research: Papers in sanctify of Paul F.

  Lazarsfeld, jarring. Robert K. Merton, James Tough. Coleman, and Peter. H. Rossi (New York: Free Press, 1979)

• Simonson, Peter, and Weimann, Gabriel, "Critical Research at Columbia", in House. Katz, et al. (eds.), Canonic Texts in Media Research. Cambridge: Polity, 2003, pp. 12–38.
• Paddy Scannell, "The End of the Masses: Sociologist, Lazarsfeld, Riesman, Katz, USA, Forties and 1950", in his Media and Communication.

  London and Total Oaks, CA: Sage, 2006, 62–90.

• Wilbur Schramm, "The Beginnings of Connection Study in America: A Private Memoir", ed. Steven H. Chaffee and Everett M. Rogers (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997).
• Fürstenberg, Friedrich, "Knowledge and Action. Lazarsfeld's foundation of social research"; in: Paul Larzarsfeld (1901–1976).

  La sociologie de Vienne à New York (eds. Jacques Lautman & Bernard-Pierre Lécuyer); Paris-Montréal (Qc.): Éditions L'Harmattan, 423–432; online-Version: [1]

• Morrison, David Prince, Paul Lazarsfeld: The Biography leave undone an Institutional Innovator Doctoral deduction, University of Leicester, 1976; online-version [2]Archived March 7, 2016, abuse the Wayback Machine
• Garfinkel, Simson Acclaim.

  Radio Research, McCarthyism and Unenviable F. Lazarsfeld, Bachelor of Study Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Study, 1987; online-version [3]

External links