The Growth of Knowledge in Mass Belief Studies: An Epistemological Critique

Our of ideology and mass belief systems has evolved from a fairly general consensus about findings, the theoretical implications of findings, and the agenda of future research questions, to a state of increasing disagreement about these matters. A model of the basis of scientific consensus in the field explains the emergence of the central breakdowns in knowledge, and suggests four general alternatives for the future development of the fieeld. The model also identifies the key scientific practices responsible for problematic in mass belief studies. The identification of these practices provides a focus for a number of remedies that may move the major problems of knowledge in the field toward resolution.