Ch 1: Interpersonal Process Flashcards
3 notable reasons for studying communication (2)
new perspective on an old subject; the staggering amount of time we spend on it; improve our effectiveness
Importance of Communication (4-7)
physical health, sense of identity, social satisfaction & survival, practical needs
“Wild Boy of Aveyron” (5)
famous case of isolated boy discovered in Jan 1800 in French village; no sense of being human
“Genie” (5)
12 yr old girl discovered in 1970; spent life isolated in dark room; could not speak; did not consider herself a person
“the human career” (6)
Walter Goldschmidt (anthropologist) calls this the drive for meeting social needs
“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).
importance of communication in the realm of our physical health
Abraham Maslow’s (psychologist; 1968) hierarchy of needs (8)
physical, safety (protection from threats), social, self-esteem, self-actualization (develop our potential)
communication (8)
the use of messages to generate meanings
feedback (8)
a discernible response of a receiver to a sender’s message; (potential limitations)
transactional (communication models) (8) & (11)
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
environments (10)
both the physical setting in which communication occurs and the personal perspectives of the people involved; sometimes called contexts
noise (10)
external, physiological, and psychological distractions that interfere with the accurate transmission and reception of a message
channel (11)
the medium through which a message passes from sender to receiver
insights from the transactional communication model (9-10)
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
Communication Principles (11-13)
communication… is transactional; …has a content dimension and a relational dimension; …can be intentional or unintentional; …is irreversible; …is unrepeatable
communication and dancing (11)
there is “the mutual influence that occurs when we interact” and it “depends on the behavior or a partner”
content dimension (12)
the dimension of a message that communicates information about the subject being discussed
relational dimension (12)
the dimension of a message that expresses the social relationship between two or more individuals
“In this sense, we are like transmitters that can’t be shut off” (13).
in regards to our intentional and unintentional verbal cues; ie, slips of tongue, sour facial expression, impatient shifting, sigh of boredom, non-response, etc.
“It is no more possible to “unreceive” a message than to “unsqueeze” a tube of toothpaste. Words said and deeds done are irretrievable” (13).
in regards to communication being irreversible; sometimes further explanation can help, but other times nothing can erase the impact made
Why is communication unrepeatable?
“Because both you and the other person have changed. You’ve both lived longer. The behavior isn’t original” (13).
Communication Misconceptions (13-15)
not all communication seeks understanding; more is not always better; it will not solve all problems; effective communication is not a natural ability
examples of communication not intended for understanding (14)
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.)
quantitative interpersonal communication (15)
any interaction between two people
dyad (15)
two communicators who interact with one another; (dyadic communication = interpersonal communication)
qualitative interpersonal communication (16)
communication in which people treat each other as unique individuals as opposed to objects
the opposite of interpersonal communication in the quantitative context (15)
group, public, or mass communication
the opposite of interpersonal communication when quality of interaction is the criterion (16)
impersonal interaction
distinguishable traits of qualitatively interpersonal communication (16)
uniqueness (personal & custom), irreplaceability (one-and-only’s), interdependence (life’s affect one another), disclosure, intrinsic rewards
why the rarity of qualitatively interpersonal communication isn’t necessarily unfortunate
“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).
the importance of small-talk
“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).
the importance of daily conversations in relationships
“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).
communication competence (20)
the ability to achieve one’s goals in a manner that is personally acceptable and, ideally, acceptable to others
“There is no single “ideal” or “effective” way to communicate (20)
“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)
“Competence is situational” (21)
“It’s more accurate to talk about degrees or areas of competence” (21); varies across age groups or situations
“Competence can be learned” (21)
can be learned, but much of our ability to practice communication competence depends on our biology
Characteristics of Competent Communication (22-25)
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
cognitive complexity (23)
the ability to construct a variety of frameworks for viewing an issue
self-monitoring (24)
the process of attending to one’s behavior and using these observations to shape the way one behaves
relational culture (Wood)
“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).
distinguishing interpersonal communication from impersonal communication
“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).
empathy/Perspective taking (Redmond)
“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).
