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perception by the indiwiriual of the stand to which majority is gravitating. Important role in her investigations is also played by the trend of opinion change, or the individuars assessment what stand is gaining in supporters, and which is losing them. On the basis of these factors she formulates her famous hypothesis of the “spiral of silence” maintąing that when people discover that the opinions they favour lose social support they become less inclined to voice their opinions, and in result they reinforce the domination of opposite views. The fate of those who think that the majority is against them has given the name to this hypothesis: “the spiral of silence”, because they are being silenced as their opponents seem to gain the public sway.

In the paper the author first discusses the significance of Hume’s thesis that “every government (authority) relies upon opinion”, and next proceeds to consider various possible approaches to the term “public opinion’’, then intro-duces such variables of the model of public opinion change as “opinion cli-mate” (and its perception), the trend of changes, readiness to articulate opinions. Finally he presents the basie assumptions of the hypothesis of the “spiral of silence” in Noelle-Neumann’s formulation, and the detailed sugges-tions concerning the hypothesis in Taylor’s study. The paper is concluded by methodological implications for empirical research resultaing of this concep-tion of public opinion. (Author’s abstract)

Jerzy Mikułowski Pomorski: RETURNING TO INFORMATION

The problems of Information are nowadays gaining special urgency due to the growing role of information in cconomic and social processes. The author recalls the context in which information has appeared in press-research — Information as tool in the hands of sender — showing journalist information as opposed to propaganda, social agitation, science and education. He reminds that the c!ivision into information, propaganda, and activity is developed still in three-component theory of attitudes. It is stated that the traditional problems of Information in press-research have been exhausted, although these subjects can still induce interesting theoretical suggestions (Ahmavara 1969, Nordenstreng 1972). Next, problems of information are discussed seen from the viewpoint of its user — the receiyer, the discussion being illustrated by the analyses of Ch. R. Wright 1959, Bell-Rokeach and Defleur 1976, and M. Berton and F. J. Frazier 1976. Studying information as inter-human co-operation the author invokes the precious inspirations from the mathe-matical theory of information (Wiener, Shannon, Mazur). Its application in press-research study over information augurs a change of paradigm in social Sciences. Examples of new approaches in press-research can be found in suggestions of the theory of co-orientation (Chaffee, McLeod 1973) and the model of convergence (Rogers and Kincaid 1982). A further conseąuence in developing these new approaches should consist in reviving the traditions of humanist sociology (F. Znaniecki), which would create an alternative direction to neo-positivist conceptions of press-research. (Author’s abstract)

Tadeusz Kowalski:    LORENZ CURVE IN RESEARCH OVER PRESS

CONCENTRATION

Concentration means an accumulation of a certaiin value around another one, and consists in the fact that a definite part of elements accumulates a large percentage of the value of the ,investigated feature, at the expense of the remaining part of the elements. To measure the concentration of press objective and quantitative measures can be applied, independently of the dif-ferent sense attributed to this phenomenon in yarious socio-political Systems. Lorenz curve is one of such possible measures (see the figurę). The concentration ratio .is the relation of area delimited by the diagonal OB and the concentration curve, to the area of the triangle OAB, thus to the area a plus b. This ratio assumes value from, zero to one and grows together with the tintensałty of concentration.