Basic definitions
Term for an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual.
What is an innovation?
In diffusion, mass media often plays a major role in this first stage by creating awareness.
What is the knowledge stage?
Before the Industrial Revolution, diffusion and cultural change happened at this pace.
The innovation studied by Ryan and Gross.
What is hybrid seed corn?
The curve shape that shows adoption over time.
What is an S-shaped curve?
The term for how an innovation spreads to more and more members of a group over time.
What is diffusion?
These messages help make innovations known and encourage adoption of goods/services.
What is advertising?
This increase made mass communication expand quickly in the 1800s and beyond.
What is literacy?
The state where the farmers were interviewed.
What is Iowa?
The first 2.5% who adopt and are described as venturesome.
Who are early adopters?
Diffusion that happens within one group or society (not across cultures).
What is within-group diffusion?
The reading says people often make this type of decision influenced by media exposure.
What are media-influenced adoption decisions?
This 1830s mass medium helped reach large numbers of ordinary citizens.
What is the penny press (daily newspaper)?
The research method used to gather data from farmers.
What are personal interviews?
The two biggest groups, each 34%, who adopt around the average time.
Who are the early majority and late majority?
Diffusion that happens between different societies/cultures.
What is between-groups diffusion (or intercultural diffusion)?
In the hybrid seed corn study, this interpersonal source was the most trusted and influential.
Who are neighbors
This 1840s technology helped make communication “instantaneous.”
What is the telegraph?
Typical time between first learning and adopting hybrid seed corn.
What is 5–6 years?
The last group (16%) that tends to be most traditional and cautious.
Who are laggards?
The key idea in Rogers’ definition: something counts as new based on this factor.
What is perceived newness (new to the individual)?
In the study, this source was most common for first learning, but less trusted for influencing adoption.
Who are salesmen?
The Industrial Revolution increased inventions and also did this to society’s class structure.
What is expanded/created a more complex social class structure?
The key reason hybrid seed was a “trade-off” compared to traditional seed saving.
What is farmers had to buy new seed each year
Group with the highest opinion leadership and respected judgment.
Who are early adopters?