Beliefs about Internet: Methods of Elicitation and Measurement

New methods are proposed to elicit and measure the components of a social representation and a method is proposed, based on factor analysis of the individual implication matrices, to define whether the representation is shared in the examined group.

Abstract

In this study new methods were proposed to elicit and measure the components of a social representation. To elicit the representation field – the structure of the beliefs relative to the object – we applied the laddering technique, devised by Bagozzi and Edwards (1998) to measure cognitive schemas. The use of indices, proposed in network literature (see, e.g., Faust & Wasserman, 1992), allowed us to measure salient features of the cognitive structure (the level of Abstractness, Prestige and Centrality for the elements). We also proposed a method, based on factor analysis of the individual implication matrices, to define whether the representation is shared in the examined group. Finally, multiple regression was applied to test the dependence of attitude on the elements of the representation field. As an object of representation the use of Internet was considered.