COM 300 Exam 2

Question 1

Definition of Cognitive Dissonance

Answer 1

The distressing mental state caused by inconsistency between a person’s two beliefs or a belief and an action

Question 2

Selective Exposure

Answer 2

Defined: The tendency people have to avoid information that would create cognitive dissonance b/c it’s incompatible with their current beliefs (want to expose ourselves to the information we want to hear/see)

Selecting information that lines up with what you already believe, avoiding anything that causes discomfort

Confirmation bias: to search for, interpret, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one’s prior beliefs or values e.g. Social media recommendations

Question 3

Post-decision dissonance

Answer 3

Defined: Strong doubt experiences after making an important, close-call decision that is hard to revere

Heightening post-decision dissonance —-
1. The more important the issue
2. The longer an individual delays in choosing between two equally attractive options
3. The greater the difficulty in reversing the decision

Once the decision has been made, the option not picked begins to look more attractive
e.g. picking between colleges, selecting a house

Question 4

Minimal justification

Answer 4

Defined: A claim that the best way to stimulate attitude change in others is to offer just enough incentive to elicit counter-attitudinal behavior

Minimal Justification revere the sequence
- Do things, later convince oneself that we like these things, change behavior - change attitude

e.g. salary for certain jobs
Thus, if a person is offered less the persuader can actually expect better results

Question 5

Three Revisions: Self-consistency

Answer 5

Something that can produce dissonance is an inconsistency between a cognition and our self-concept

Self-Consistency: how we perceive ourselves

In the $1/$20 experiment, the Stanford students felt dissonance b/c they were asked to act in a way they didn’t feel represented who they are _________

Question 6

Three Revisions: Personal responsibility for bad outcomes

Answer 6

We experiment with dissonance when we believe our actions have unnecessarily hurt someone else

In the $1/$20 experiment, the student deliberately dubbed other students

Question 7

Three Revisions: self-affirmation to dissipate dissonance

Answer 7

This approach speaks to the question of dissonance reduction

Claude Steele doesn’t assume that dissonance always drives people to justify their actions
- He claims that people can call up a post of positive thoughts about themselves that we will blot out a concern for restoring consistency

High self-esteem is a resource for dissonance reduction

Question 8

APA style: know how to cite sources

Question 9

Social Identity Theory:
Personal Identity & Social Identity

Answer 9

Personal Identity: Comprises the distinctive attributes of a person
e.g. ability, charism, intelligence, personality, etc.

Social Identity: A person’s sense of who he/she is based on group membership
e.g. student, middle class, American, Caucasian, etc.

Question 10

In-group & Out-group

Answer 10

The group to which people belong is an important source of pride and self-esteem (personal assessment of self-worth)

How do we maintain and enhance self-esteem?

We need to compare favorably with other groups

Question 11

In-group Favoritism

Answer 11

People tend to associate with certain successful groups, which serve to bolster the self-esteem

A sense of belonging to the group, and self-enhancement need

therefore, people show favoritism and preference to in-group (members)
- evaluate the actions of their group or team members much more favorably than those of out-group members
e.g. job recruitment, sports fans

Question 12

Out-group Derogation

Answer 12

An out-group is perceived as being threatening to the members of an in-group

Out-group derogation
- Refers to discriminating against the out-group

e.g. stereotyping and prejudice, gender, race, social class
- Occurs when an out-group is perceived as blocking or hindering the goals of an in-group

Out-group derogation is a natural consequence of the categorization process

Question 13

BIRGing and CORFing

Answer 13

BIRGing = basking in reflected glory (“we won”)

CORFing = cutting of reflected failure (“they lost”)

Question 14

SIT Central Hypotheses

Answer 14

Seek to find negative aspects of out-group to enhance the self-image

Seek to find intergroup differences
- All out-group members possess the same characteristics and are guided by similar norms

Seek to find intragroup similarities to generate a “wellness” feeling
- e.g. nationalism

Maximize out-group differences and minimize the in-group differences to increase group favoritism which ultimately leads to self-enhancement

Question 15

Definition of Face and Facework

Answer 15

Face: the projected image of one’s self in a relational situation

Facework: Specific verbal and nonverbal messages that help to maintain and restore face loss and uphold and honor face gain

Question 16

Individualistic Culture & Collectivistic Culture

Answer 16

Individualistic Culture: people look out for themselves and their immediate families, “I” identity; a low-context culture

Collectivistic culture: People identify with a larger group that is responsible for providing care in exchange for group loyalty; “we” identity, a high-context culture
e.g. China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Ecuador, India, Brazil

Question 17

Definition of Self-Construal

Answer 17

the degree to which people conceive of themselves as relatively autonomous from, or connected to, others

Question 18

Independent Self-construal

Answer 18

Values the “I” identity; prevalent within individualistic cultures

Question 19

Interdependent Self-construal

Answer 19

Values “we” identity; emphasis relational connections; prevalent within collectivistic cultures

Question 20

Primary Conflict styles: Dominance

Answer 20

Self-face, win-lose; tries to maintain a credible image with the goal of winning the conflict

Defend: Stand up for one’s opinion; try to persuade
Express emotion: Verbally express one’s feelings
Aggression: Make a direct or passive effort to hurt

Question 21

Primary Conflict Styles: Integration

Answer 21

Mutual-face, win-win; focus on content resolution and maintaining the relationship

Apologize: Express sorrow for the past behavior
Private talk: Avoid public confrontation
Remain calm: Stay composed during the conflict
Problem solve: engage in behaviors to join perspectives together
Respect: Demonstrate regard for the other by listening

Question 21

Primary Conflict Styles: Avoidance

Answer 21

Other-face, lose-win; attempts to preserve harmony in the relationship by dealing with the conflict indirectly

Give in: Accommodate the other’s wishes
Pretend: Act like the conflict doesn’t exist
Third-party: Seek an outside party to help resolve the conflict ;

Question 22

11 facework strategies based on conflict styles

Question 23

Preventive Facework

Answer 23

Is the act of communicating to safeguard the threat of face being lost (avoid or minimize potential face threat)

Question 24

Restorative Facework

Answer 24

Is the act of reinstating face after the loss of it has taken place (repair a damaged face, use apology, humor, etc.

Question 25

Definition of Dominant Culture & Co-Cultural Group

Answer 25

Dominant culture: a cultural practice that is dominant within a particular political, social, or economic entity, in which multiple cultures co-exist
- In the /u.s., well-off, white, European American , non-disabled, heterosexual men

co-cultural group: Non-dominant cultural groups in a national culture
- Minority groups, less power
- In the U.S. marginalized groups such as women, people of color, the economically disadvantaged, people with physical disabilities, LGBTQ, very old and very young, and religious minorities

Question 26

Definition of Co-Cultural Communication

Answer 26

Communication between the dominant group and co-cultural group members from the perspective of co-cultural group members

Question 27

Communication Orientation

Answer 27

The combination of a co-cultural group member’s preferred outcome and the communication approach they choose to achieve that goal.

Question 28

Definition of 3 outcomes and 3 approaches

Answer 28

Nonassertive approach: Inhibited and non-confrontational; putting the needs of others before your own

Assertive approach: self-enhancing, expressive behavior that takes the needs of self and others into account

Aggressive approach: Hurtfully expressive, self-promoting, assuming control over the choices of others

Question 29

specific examples of the nine types of communication orientations

Question 30

Definition of Standpoint

Answer 30

A place from which to critically view the world around us

Question 31

Definition of Social Location

Answer 31

Our group memberships that shape our experiences of the world and our ways of understanding it

Question 32

Two Philosophical Foundations of Standpoint theory

Answer 32

Standpoint Theory is built on the scholarship about the struggle of the oppressed against those with power

1807: George Hegel - master-slave relationship to show what people “know” about themselves, others, and society depends on which group they are in; Masters have the power to make rules

Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels - capitalist-worker; The proletarian standpoint shows socioeconomically poor are ideas knowers as they know the class struggle

Question 33

Intersectionality & Intersectional Feminism

Question 34

Definition of Local Knowledge

Answer 34

Knowledge situated in time, place, experience, and relative power, as opposed to knowledge from nowhere that’s supposed to be value-free

Question 35

Strong Objectivity

Answer 35

Defined: The strategy of starting research from the lives of women and other marginalized groups, which upon critical reflection and resistance provides them with a less false view of reality

Knowledge generated from the standpoint of dominant groups offers only weak objectivity

People with subordination status have greater motivation under the prospect of more powerful groups than vice versa

Question 36

Definition of Muted Group

Answer 36

People belonging to low-power groups who must change their language when communicating publicly; their ideas are often overlooked

Question 37

Language and Naming

Answer 37

The public-private distinction in language-gender differences: women speak in a small world (e.g. home), men talk in public spaces (e.g. debates, meetings)

women need to be careful about the way they talk, women are not as free as men to say what they wish, because the words and norms for their use are formulated by men

Question 38

Men as Gatekeepers of Communication

Answer 38

Gatekeeper: editors and other arbiters of culture who determine which books, essays, poetry, scripts, plays, film scripts, etc. will appear in the mass media