chapter 1: introduction to communication theory

Question 1

what is communication

Answer 1

there are man different definitions of communication and difficult to select only one

Question 2

definitions of communications

Answer 2

a. in business world, communication is synonymous with information
b. communication is viewed as simply one activity among others, such as planning, controlling, and managing
c. communication scholars understand communication as a complex process associated with sending, receiving, and interpreting messages

Question 3

dance’s definition of communication

Answer 3

1. level of observation
2. intentionality
3. normative judgement

Question 4

level of observation

Answer 4

the scope of what is included in the definition. is it just verbal?

Question 5

intentionality

Answer 5

must messages be sent consciously and on purpose to count as communication? some definitions are sad to take a source of orientation while others take a receiver orientation to communication. does speaker intent matter?

Question 6

normative judgment

Answer 6

do messages that are not understood count as communication? is success required for an interaction to be considered as communication

Question 7

contexts of communications

Answer 7

1. cognitive
2. individual differences
3. interpersonal
4. intercultural
5. persuasive
6. group
7. organizational
8. mediated
9. mass communication

Question 8

cognitive

Answer 8

the influence our thoughts have on the way we communicate

Question 9

individual difference

Answer 9

the nature-nurture debate and how individual differences and social roles play a role in the communication process

Question 10

interpersonal

Answer 10

interactions between two individuals who most often have a relationship with each other

Question 11

intercultural

Answer 11

interpersonal communication when two people are from different cultures

Question 12

persuasive

Answer 12

takes place in a variety of settings, ranging from inside one person’s mind to the mass media

Question 13

group

Answer 13

how groups function

Question 14

organizational

Answer 14

team members’ satisfaction

Question 15

mediated

Answer 15

how technology influences our interpersonal, group, and organizational communication

Question 16

mass communication

Answer 16

influence of mass-mediated messages on our thoughts and behaviors

Question 17

communication competence

Answer 17

a. is understood as achieving balance between effectiveness and appropriateness
b. understanding theory will allow for a proper balance of effectiveness and appropriateness

Question 18

effectiveness

Answer 18

the extent to which you achieve your goals in interaction

Question 19

appropriateness

Answer 19

fulfilling social expectations for a particular situation

Question 20

concepts, models, and theories

Answer 20

a. theories provide an abstract understanding of the communication process
b. theories move beyond describing a single event by providing means by which all like events can be described
c. theories can be defined as any systematic explanation about the nature of the communication process
1. functions include
- focusing attention on concepts
- classifying our observations
- predicting communication behavior
- generating personal and social change
d. theories are different from concepts and models
1. concepts refer to an agreed upon aspect of reality
2. models can be defined in 4 ways
- synonymous to theory
- precursors to theory
- a physical representation of s theory
- an application of a prediction

Question 21

3 types of theory

Answer 21

a. commonsense theory
b. working theory
c. scholarly theory

Question 22

commonsense theory

Answer 22

1. created through personal experiences

2. are often the basis for our decisions on how to communicate

Question 23

working theory

Answer 23

1. generalizations made in particular professions about the best technique for doing something
2. more systematic than commonsense theory because they represent agreed on ways of doing things in professions

Question 24

scholarly theory

Answer 24

1. undergone systematic research
2. provide more thorough, accurate, and abstract explanations
3. typically more complex and difficult to understand

Question 25

evaluating theory criteria

Answer 25

1. accuracy
2. practicality
3. succinctness
4. consistency
5. acuity

Question 26

accuracy

Answer 26

a. correctly summarizes the way communication actually works
b. systematic research supports the explanations provided by the theory
c. has research supported that the theory works the way it says it does

Question 27

practicality

Answer 27

a. can hit be used to address real-world communication problems
b. Lewin (1951)- there is nothing so practical as a good theory
c. a theory with more application is better than aa theory without uses
d. has the theory been used in research literature and professional practice.

Question 28

Succinctness

Answer 28

a. is the theories explanation or description sufficiently concise?
b. an effective theory should include no more and no less than necessary to understand a phenomenon thoroughly

Question 29

consistency

Answer 29

a. the most useful theories have internal and external consistency
1. internal consistency
2. external consistency
3. does the theory demonstrate coherence within its ow premises and with other theories? strong logical structure is key

Question 30

internal consistency

Answer 30

the ideas of the theory are logically built on one another

Question 31

external consistency

Answer 31

refers to theory’s coherence with other widely held theories

Question 32

acuity

Answer 32

a. ability of. theory to provide insight into an otherwise intricate issue
b. you need to think, “wow I never realized that” rather than “no duh”