I want to start this essay with a very personal experience of constructivism. Once, when I was a teenage girl, I stand in front of a mirror (as girls do often), and suddenly asked myself: Who can tell me actually, that is me, I see in the mirror? Couldn’t it be, that it is only me who can see me in this mirror in this manner? Is it possible, that the mirror lies? Actually, I had discovered the closeness of perception. Then my sister arrived, I looked at her and concurrently at the image of her in the mirror. I had to realize, they are looking identically. My conclusion was, that it must be similar for her perception of me: I had discovered second order observation. Actually, every human being may have asked similar questions once in his life. But for most people reality and acting in this reality, tasting, smelling, seeing, talking, working are self-evident. Luckmann and Berger described impressively this way of understanding and interaction in every days life in the first chapter of their book about societal construction of reality (Berger & Luckmann, 1997). The question of reality and reality perception is not new in history. The cave allegory of Plato is probably one of the oldest illustrations of this question. Some constructivist researchers name a long and prominent series of ,constructivist’ thinkers in history. From Demokrit to ancient scepticism, from Descartes to Kant: Many philosophers dealt with the question of reality perception and objectivity. The answers were different, the consequences of this answers even more (von Glasersfeld, 1985). With establishing as discipline, this question became also relevant for communication science. Already Walter Lippmann realized, that our way of thinking about reality cannot be objective: „We shall assume that what each man does is based not on direct and certain knowledge but on pictures made by himself or given to him.“ (Lippmann, 1949, S.16). To shape the development and influence of constructivism in communication science, we will begin with the roots in natural science and humanities, followed by general assumptions. To enter into constructivist thinking in detail, it is necessary to present and explain the basic elements and terms, which are the precondition for applying constructivism for communication related issues. This part is mainly based on Niklas Luhmann’s system-theoretic concept.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The roots
2.1. Development of constructivist thinking
2.1.1. Natural science
2.1.2. Humanities
2.2. What is constructivist thinking?
3. Basic elements of constructivist thinking
3.1. System-Theory
3.2. Cognition and Construction
3.3. Communication
4. Developing constructivism in communication science
4.1. „Die Konstruktion der Realität in den Nachrichtenmedien“
4.2. „Making News“
5. Establishing constructivism
5.1. The constructivist community
5.2. A modell of constructing reality
6. Research areas and application
6.1. Constructivism and the role of the mass media
6.2. Journalism
6.2.1. The question of Objectivity
6.2.2. Journalism as social system
6.3. Media-schemata
6.4. Effect research
7. Criticism
8. Conclusions
Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this thesis is to examine the impact and relevance of constructivist paradigms within communication science, specifically focusing on how media processes shape our perception of reality. It addresses the central research question of what consequences constructivist ideas have for communication science and journalism.
- Historical roots of constructivism in natural science and humanities
- Application of system-theoretic concepts to communication research
- Analysis of journalism as a social system of construction
- Critique of objectivity and the move toward intersubjective viability
- Evaluation of the paradigm's practical utility in media research
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. System-Theory
Many constructivist argumentations are based on system-theoretic concepts and terms. There is no simple seperation between constructivist approaches and system-theoretic assumptions, they are interrelated, constructivist thinking is often built up on system-theoretic ideas, but doesn’t apply each assumption in detail. The sytem-theoretic terms were introduced in the constructivist discourse first by Maturana and his biolocial epistemology. He applied formerly biological concepts like autopoiesis, determined structures and closed systems on human beings and social systems. The following description of the system-theoretic impact on constructivsm refers mainly to Niklas Luhmann, who developed an operational constructivism, based on Maturanas concepts, but modified (Schmidt 1994. S.6).
Human-beings resp. observers are designed as autopoietic systems, which are operational closed toward their environment. Autopoietic means in this context, that the system is able to reproduce itself of elements that are elements of itself. The system is closed, because nothing else, but itself is able to operate, and the performed actions determine the following actions. With the help of a structural coupling to the environment, it is able to get resources and information (actually irritations, which are interpreted as information) from this environment. Essential for constructing reality are distinctions, which are a precondition for recognition.
Environment is first of all given, its is an „unmarked space“ (Spencer Brown, quoted from Schmidt, 1994, S.6). Distinctions are the operations that make the environment accessibly. Not until we recognized and defined a tree as tree, it is set apart from the surrounding. Following this argumentation, perception and recognition are constructions through distinctions, which could be different in another case. Roughly this means, that we aren’t able to observe an ,real’ reality, but we observe other observers and compare their observations to our observations. Precondition for observation is the „System-Umwelt-Differenzierung“ (Luhmann, 1985, quoted from Schmidt, 1994, S.7). Every system constitutes itself through self-reference, which means it recognizes itself in distinction to its environment.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents personal reflections on perception and outlines the shift from objective to constructivist questions in communication studies.
2. The roots: Discusses the development of constructivism in natural science (Maturana, Varela, Roth) and humanities (von Glasersfeld, Luhmann).
3. Basic elements of constructivist thinking: Explains the foundational concepts of system theory, cognition, construction, and the role of communication.
4. Developing constructivism in communication science: Highlights the pioneering works of Winfried Schulz and Gaye Tuchman regarding news production.
5. Establishing constructivism: Details the growth of the constructivist research community and Schmidt's model of reality construction.
6. Research areas and application: Applies constructivist theory to mass media roles, journalism, media-schemata, and effect research.
7. Criticism: Structures the debate by categorizing criticism of constructivism into epistemological, functional, and pragmatic aspects.
8. Conclusions: Evaluates the heuristic value of constructivist theory versus its practical limitations in empirical communication research.
Keywords
Constructivism, Communication Science, System Theory, Realities, Perception, Journalism, Objectivity, Autopoiesis, Intersubjectivity, Media Reality, Viability, Social Systems, News Factors, Cognition, Construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this thesis?
The work focuses on the constructivist argument within communication science, examining how reality is socially and cognitively constructed rather than objectively mirrored by the media.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Central themes include the philosophical roots of constructivism, the application of system theory to media, the construction of news, and the role of the individual in processing media content.
What is the central research question?
The thesis aims to answer how constructivist ideas impact communication science and what consequences they have for our understanding of reality perception through the mass media.
Which scientific methods are analyzed?
The author analyzes constructivist approaches, particularly system-theoretic concepts and the rejection of traditional objectivist methods in favor of observing construction processes.
What is covered in the main section?
The main section investigates specific applications of constructivism in journalism, media schemata, effect research, and provides a critical overview of the paradigm's reception.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include constructivism, communication science, system theory, reality construction, journalism, objectivity, and viability.
How does the author define journalism from a constructivist perspective?
Journalism is defined as a social system that does not reflect objective reality, but actively constructs meaning through specific professional routines and selection processes.
Why is "objectivity" criticized in the text?
Objectivity is criticized as a "strategic ritual" used by journalists to protect themselves from criticism, rather than as an accurate reflection of real-world events.
What is the conclusion regarding the paradigm?
The author concludes that while constructivism offers significant heuristic value for understanding processes, it is not always a practical or viable paradigm for overall empirical communication research.
- Quote paper
- Annette Schramm (Author), 2006, The constructivist argiment communication research, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/60077
