Ch 1: Interpersonal Process

Question 1

3 notable reasons for studying communication (2)

Answer 1

new perspective on an old subject; the staggering amount of time we spend on it; improve our effectiveness

Question 2

Importance of Communication (4-7)

Answer 2

physical health, sense of identity, social satisfaction & survival, practical needs

Question 3

“Wild Boy of Aveyron” (5)

Answer 3

famous case of isolated boy discovered in Jan 1800 in French village; no sense of being human

Question 4

“Genie” (5)

Answer 4

12 yr old girl discovered in 1970; spent life isolated in dark room; could not speak; did not consider herself a person

Question 5

“the human career” (6)

Answer 5

Walter Goldschmidt (anthropologist) calls this the drive for meeting social needs

Question 6

“A study conducted with police officers found that being able to talk easily with colleagues and supervisors about work-related trauma was related to greater physical and mental health (Stephens & Long, 2000” (4).

Answer 6

importance of communication in the realm of our physical health

Question 7

Abraham Maslow’s (psychologist; 1968) hierarchy of needs (8)

Answer 7

physical, safety (protection from threats), social, self-esteem, self-actualization (develop our potential)

Question 8

communication (8)

Answer 8

the use of messages to generate meanings

Question 9

feedback (8)

Answer 9

a discernible response of a receiver to a sender’s message; (potential limitations)

Question 10

transactional (communication models) (8) & (11)

Answer 10

the dynamic process in which communicators create meaning together through interaction; and increasingly sophisticated models which attempt to depict all the factors that affect human interaction

Question 11

environments (10)

Answer 11

both the physical setting in which communication occurs and the personal perspectives of the people involved; sometimes called contexts

Question 12

noise (10)

Answer 12

external, physiological, and psychological distractions that interfere with the accurate transmission and reception of a message

Question 13

channel (11)

Answer 13

the medium through which a message passes from sender to receiver

Question 14

insights from the transactional communication model (9-10)

Answer 14

sending and receiving are usually simultaneous (unless it’s “snail mail” or e-mail, etc); meanings exist in and among people (not the words themselves); environment and noise affect communication; channels make a difference

Question 15

Communication Principles (11-13)

Answer 15

communication… is transactional; …has a content dimension and a relational dimension; …can be intentional or unintentional; …is irreversible; …is unrepeatable

Question 16

communication and dancing (11)

Answer 16

there is “the mutual influence that occurs when we interact” and it “depends on the behavior or a partner”

Question 17

content dimension (12)

Answer 17

the dimension of a message that communicates information about the subject being discussed

Question 18

relational dimension (12)

Answer 18

the dimension of a message that expresses the social relationship between two or more individuals

Question 19

“In this sense, we are like transmitters that can’t be shut off” (13).

Answer 19

in regards to our intentional and unintentional verbal cues; ie, slips of tongue, sour facial expression, impatient shifting, sigh of boredom, non-response, etc.

Question 20

“It is no more possible to “unreceive” a message than to “unsqueeze” a tube of toothpaste. Words said and deeds done are irretrievable” (13).

Answer 20

in regards to communication being irreversible; sometimes further explanation can help, but other times nothing can erase the impact made

Question 21

Why is communication unrepeatable?

Answer 21

“Because both you and the other person have changed. You’ve both lived longer. The behavior isn’t original” (13).

Question 22

Communication Misconceptions (13-15)

Answer 22

not all communication seeks understanding; more is not always better; it will not solve all problems; effective communication is not a natural ability

Question 23

examples of communication not intended for understanding (14)

Answer 23

social rituals we enact each day (“How’s it going?”); attempts to influence others and get what we want; deliberate ambiguity and deception (“I can’t make it.)

Question 24

quantitative interpersonal communication (15)

Answer 24

any interaction between two people

Question 25

dyad (15)

Answer 25

two communicators who interact with one another; (dyadic communication = interpersonal communication)

Question 26

qualitative interpersonal communication (16)

Answer 26

communication in which people treat each other as unique individuals as opposed to objects

Question 27

the opposite of interpersonal communication in the quantitative context (15)

Answer 27

group, public, or mass communication

Question 28

the opposite of interpersonal communication when quality of interaction is the criterion (16)

Answer 28

impersonal interaction

Question 29

distinguishable traits of qualitatively interpersonal communication (16)

Answer 29

uniqueness (personal & custom), irreplaceability (one-and-only’s), interdependence (life’s affect one another), disclosure, intrinsic rewards

Question 30

why the rarity of qualitatively interpersonal communication isn’t necessarily unfortunate

Answer 30

“In fact, the scarcity of interpersonal communication contributes to its value (Mehl et al., 2010). Like precious and one-of-a-kind artwork, interpersonal communication is special because it is rare” (17).

Question 31

the importance of small-talk

Answer 31

“Being able to discuss mundane topics like daily activities and the weather helps normalize a relationship that would otherwise feel much different from one nurtured by everyday contact” (18).

Question 32

the importance of daily conversations in relationships

Answer 32

“The researchers concluded that relational partners play important roles as “audiences for the articulation of one’s experiences and thoughts.” In other words, people want and expect their partners to provide a listening ear” (19).

Question 33

communication competence (20)

Answer 33

the ability to achieve one’s goals in a manner that is personally acceptable and, ideally, acceptable to others

Question 34

“There is no single “ideal” or “effective” way to communicate (20)

Answer 34

“For example, qualities like self-disclosure and straight talking that are valued in the United States are likely to be considered overly aggressive and insensitive in many Asian cultures, where subtlety and indirectness are considered important (Kim et al., 1998; Yeh, 2010).” (21)

Question 35

“Competence is situational” (21)

Answer 35

“It’s more accurate to talk about degrees or areas of competence” (21); varies across age groups or situations

Question 36

“Competence can be learned” (21)

Answer 36

can be learned, but much of our ability to practice communication competence depends on our biology

Question 37

Characteristics of Competent Communication (22-25)

Answer 37

a large repertoire of skills, adaptability, ability to perform skillfully, involvement (commitment to the other person & the relationship), empathy/perspective talking, cognitive complexity, self-monitoring

Question 38

cognitive complexity (23)

Answer 38

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

Question 39

self-monitoring (24)

Answer 39

the process of attending to one’s behavior and using these observations to shape the way one behaves

Question 40

relational culture (Wood)

Answer 40

“Communication scholar Julia Wood (2005b) coined the term “relational culture” to describe people in close relationships who create their own unique ways of interacting” (16).

Question 41

distinguishing interpersonal communication from impersonal communication

Answer 41

“Because interpersonal communication is characterized by the qualities of uniqueness, irreplaceability, interdependence, disclosure, and intrinsic rewards, it forms a small fraction of our interaction. The majority of our communication is relatively impersonal” (17).

Question 42

empathy/Perspective taking (Redmond)

Answer 42

“Empathy is such an important element of communicative competence that researcher Mark Redmond (1989, p.594) flatly states that “by definition, a person cannot produce a message that is empathic that is not also communicatively competent”” (23).