Ch 1: A First Look at Interpersonal Communication

Question 1

Communication

Answer 1

using messages to generate meanings

Question 2

instrumental goals

Answer 2

getting others to behave the way we want. Communication is the most widely used approach to attain these goals

Question 3

linear communication model

Answer 3

Model that depicts communication as something a sender “does to” a receiver

Question 4

sender

Answer 4

the person creating the message

Question 5

encodes

Answer 5

puts thoughts into symbols and gestures

Question 6

message

Answer 6

the info being transmitted

Question 7

channel

Answer 7

the medium through which the message passes

Question 8

receiver

Answer 8

the person receiving the message

Question 9

decodes

Answer 9

making sense of the message

Question 10

noise

Answer 10

distractions that disrupt transmission

Question 11

transactional communication model

Answer 11

model that updates and expands the linear model to better capture communication as a uniquely human process

Question 12

communicator

Answer 12

term used in transactional communication model that encompasses both the role of sender and receiver

Question 13

environments

Answer 13

fields of experience that affect how they understand others’ behavior. Not only a physical location but also personal experiences and cultural background that participants bring to a conversation

Question 14

physiological noise (transactional model)

Answer 14

biological factors that interfere w/ accurate reception: illness, fatigue, hearing loss, etc.

Question 15

psychological noise (transactional model)

Answer 15

forces within that interfere with the ability to understand a message accurately (unwillingness to listen, daydreaming,…)

Question 16

interpersonal communication

Answer 16

transactional process involving participants who occupy different but overlapping environments and create relationships through the exchange of messages, many of which are affected by external, physiological, and psychological noise

Question 17

dyad

Answer 17

quantatative term that social scientists use to indicate two interacting people

Question 18

impersonal communication

Answer 18

opposite of interpersonal communication. when quality of interaction is the criterion

Question 19

features distinguishing qualitatively interpersonal communication from less personal communication

Answer 19

uniqueness, irreplaceability, interdependence, disclosure, intrinsic rewards

Question 20

uniqueness

Answer 20

development of unique roles and rules. (unlike how impersonal exchanges are determined by social rules and roles

Question 21

irreplaceability

Answer 21

relationships fill our lives and none can replace the other

Question 22

interdependence

Answer 22

in an interpersonal relationship the other’s life affects your own

Question 23

disclosure

Answer 23

more comfortable in sharing thoughts and feelings in interpersonal relationships

Question 24

intrinsic rewards

Answer 24

pend time in qualitatively interpersonal relationships with friends, lovers, and others b/c you find the time personally rewarding. often doesn’t matter what you talk about: relationship itself is what’s important

Question 25

content dimension (of an exchange)

Answer 25

involves the info being explicitly discussed

Question 26

relational dimension (of an exchange)

Answer 26

expresses how you feel about the other person

Question 27

social media

Answer 27

collective description of all the media when you text message with friends or coworkers, send a tweet, exchange emails and instant messages, and when you social networking websites like Facebook

Question 28

richness

Answer 28

abundance of nonverbal cues that add clarity to a verbal message

Question 29

leanness

Answer 29

description for messages that are stark from lack of nonverbal information

Question 30

disinhibition

Answer 30

tendency to transmit messages w/o considering their consequences

Question 31

communication competence

Answer 31

how effective a communicator is. Seeks to be both effective and appropriate. A balancing act that requires looking out for both yourself and others

Question 32

3 factors in choosing a response

Answer 32

context, goal, knowledge of other person

Question 33

cognitive complexity

Answer 33

the ability to construct a variety of frameworks for viewing an issue

Question 34

empathy

Answer 34

feeling and experiencing another person’s situation, almost as they do

Question 35

self-monitoring

Answer 35

the process of paying close attention to one’s behavior and using these observations to shape the way one behaves

Question 36

commitment

Answer 36

1. commitment to the other person: desire to spend time with other w/o rushing, willingness to listen carefully instead of doing all the talking, use of language that makes sense to other, openness to change after hearing other’s ideas
2. care for the message: appear sincere, know what they are talking about, demonstrate through words and deeds that they care about what they say

Question 37

co-cultures

Answer 37

eg. age, occupation, sexual orientation, physical disability, religion, activity

Question 38

mindfulness

Answer 38

awareness of your own behavior and that of others

Question 39

mindlessly

Answer 39

oblivious of how their own behavior may confuse or offend others and how behavior that they consider weird may be simply different

Question 40

3 strategies for moving toward more competent style of intercultural communication

Answer 40

1. passive observation
2. active strategies
3. self-disclosure