Evans, cited reference, In a study to compare key-communicators with non-communicators, with regard to their role as change agents, the date of inter-personal interactions at different stages of adoption of three improved varieties of seeds, obtained from 94 families constituting an entire medium sized multicaste village were analyzed (sic). Key communicators were defined as those who had performed more than average acts of communication at different stages of adoption of three improved seeds. Non-communicators were those who had not performed any act of adoption. Twenty three key-communicators were identified. The most important way in which the former differed from the latter was in the frequency of their contact with extension agency (sic) working in the area. (original)
Evans, cited reference, The present paper briefly reviews the various methods used thus far for selecting key-communicators to show that none of these was found suitable in a similar study conducted in a multicaste village, with 94 farm families, near Delhi. The study recorded communication acts by each farmer in relation with three practices - ghana bajara, 2, 4-D and Pusa ruby tomato, at three different stages of adoption. The mean number of communication acts were taken to be the cutting scores. Scoring above the mean number in a particular innovation were regarded as key communicators, and those who did not perform a single act of key communication were designated non-communicators. (original)