Communication Flashcards
What are the three types of knowledge we must acquire?
Content of the language(what), form of the language(how), use of the language(use).
What are the two main theories of language development?
Chomsky’s innate theory and Bruner’s learned theory.
Explain Chomsky’s innate theory.
- He said we are programmed from birth
- Based on a hypothetical tool that is hardwired into the brain called the language acquisition device.
- LAD is not a section of the brain but a combination of underlying processes.
- Used the LAD to explain why children are able to acquire language and understand grammar and syntax so quickly.
State some limitations of Chomsky’s theory.
- Very little attention given to the environment the child was raised in.
- Didn’t study real kids.
- Not sufficient reference made to the interactions between child and caregiver.
How does the language acquisition device work? And state its three rules.
- Chomsky proposed each child was born with a LAD that holds the fundamental rules for language.
- Universal language rules
- Surface structure rules
- Deep structure rules
Explain Bruner’s learned theory.
- Believed children learned through interactions with others. (mostly parents talking to children through shared activities)
- Children have the innate ability to learn but interaction with others provides the necessary framework to encourage talk and to facilitate the learning of language.
- We learn using the LAD and the LASS.
What are the 2 components of the LASS?
- Child component: innate ability to learn (LAD)
2. Adult component: social and instructional frameworks to encourage talk and facilitate the learning of language.
How does the LASS work?
FORMATS: children learn through routines.
SCAFFOLDING: as the child grows the mother will raise the expectations of language development in the routine.
State the limitations of Bruner’s theory.
- Some parents/mothers don’t have structured routines/ talk to their child about what they are doing.
- Parents/mothers may not pick up on errors/misconceptions
What supports the idea that language is learnt through interactions?
REFERENCES: direct attention with a nonverbal clue.
JOINT ATTENTION: shared focus of 2 individuals on an object.
Define communication.
Sending and receiving information between 2 or more people.
What can communication be affected by?
- Content of the message
- How the content is conveyed
- Different Communication styles
Define communication styles?
- Depends of our gender, our socioeconomic background and culture.
- Involves accents, vocabulary, grammar and ideas being expressed.
State what psychologist studied gender differences and what she found?
- Deborah Tannen
- Men and women have completely different styles of communication and that understanding the differences can help us avoid conflict.
Outline some characteristic of female communication styles.
- Rapport talk(establishing relationships, developing understanding and negotiating differences)
- Prefer private conversations
- More indirect
- Make more confirmatory noises
Outline some characteristic of male communication styles.
- Report talk(talking is about Information)
- Comfortable being centre stage when telling jokes or stories.
- Talking is used to gain and hold audiences attention as well as negotiating and maintaining status
- More direct
Who was the psychologist that studied socioeconomic background and what did he claim?
Basil Bernstein, people from different class systems use different forms of language and different codes. Suggested that lower (working) classes used restricted code while middle to upper class used both restricted and elaborative.
Define a language code. What are the 2 types of codes?
The structure of a written or verbal sentence.
RESTRICTED: short simple sentences
ELABORATIVE: complex precise sentences
What are three characteristics of restricted code?
- few descriptive words used
- abstract ideas rarely expressed
- short simple sentences
What are three characteristics of elaborative code?
- many descriptive words used
- abstract ideas expressed often
- complex precise sentences
Who opposed Bernstein and what was his reasoning?
Labov opposed Bernstein by saying that using a restricted code does not show that their language is deficient it just shows that it is different. He found Black English Vernacular to be just as complex and rule governed as standard English.
Define Persuasion?
persuasion involves trying to change the beliefs, feelings and behavior of another person or group!
How persuasive a message is depends on what?
- The route to persuasion
- The source of the message
- The nature of the communication
- The characteristics of the audience
What are the two routes to persuasion and who stated them?
Petty and Cacioppa (1986) stated that the two routes to persuasion are central and peripheral.
Explain the central route to persuasion.
- consists of thoughtful consideration of the content of the message by the receiver.
- sees the receiver as an active participant in the process of persuasion.
- relies on the listener to care about the topic and understand the persuasive message
Explain the peripheral route of persuasion?
- occurs when the listener decides whether to agree with a message based on cues rather than the content of the message.
- may use emotional statements, colours, music, attractive people.
Three things that influence a listener most are?
- people with expertise
- fast talkers
- trust in the speaker
What do advertisers attempt to change to persuade listeners?
- inducing fear
- inducing a good mood (humor)
- the use of media (tv, radio, print)
