Selection effects are distortions that arise when people choose content or channels because of traits they already have, so that outcomes reflect who was exposed rather than the influence of exposure. They can inflate or misidentify media effects and call for designs that separate selection from response.
- Entry typeKey concept
- Category of its source unitTheories & Explanatory Models
- DomainMedia, Publics & Society
What these mean
Editorial orientation · Entry type
Key concept
Key concepts are the working vocabulary of the field: the terms that the models and tools rely on and that a decision about communication has to use precisely. Each entry defines the term and sends you to the brief or the self-guided audit where it is put to work.
Editorial orientation · Category
Theories & Explanatory Models
Explains how or why a communication process works by relating mechanisms, conditions or variables. Its value is an account that can guide inquiry into what produces an outcome, rather than a name for the outcome alone.