Exam 1 Flashcards
what are quantitative research methods?
observations that can be converted to numbers
what is noise
anything that interferes with interpretation of a message
what are qualitative research methods?
research that can be recorded in linguistic form
What are the 4 types of noise?
physical
psyhological
physological
semantic
what is physical noise?
anything apart of the envrioment
what is psychological noise?
whats going on in their head
what is physological noise?
bodily interferences
ex. headache
what is semantic noise?
language based challenges
what is ontology?
questions the nature of reality
“what is there to know?”
realism & idealism
what is epistemology?
questions about how we know things
“how can we try to know about those things?”
what is the critical approach to research?
an approach stressing the researcher’s responsibility to change the inequities in the status quo
what is the interpretive approach to research?
an approach viewing truth as subjective and stressing the participation of the researcher in the research process
what is the empirical approach to research?
an approach assuming the existence of objective reality and value-neutral research
what is the self fulfilling prophecy?
self expectations ttat cause a person to behave in such a way that the expectations are realized
what is self concept?
relatively stable set of perceptions that people hold of themselves
individuals develop self concepts through interactions with others
self concepts provide an important motive for behavior
what is mind?
the ability to use symbols that have common social meanings and that are developed through interaction with others
we cannot interact with others until we learn language
what is thought?
allows individuals to engage in role taking: ability to symbolically reflect on ourselves from the perspectives of others
describe the different parts of the definitions of communication and theory
- communication is a process (dynamic, ongoing, unending occurance)
- meaning is important (what people extract from a message…leads to multiple meanings)
**Turner and West definition allows us to consider miscommunication and communication is social and contextual
what is subjectivist epistemologies?
believes in the truth we make
what is objectivist epistemologies?
truth exists apart form the knower of truth
what are some characteristics of theory?
- level of generality
- grand/university: explain all communication behavior
- mid range: explain behavior of a specific group within specific context
- narrow: explain limited behavior
- concepts: labels most important parts of a theory
- nominal: unobservable
- real concepts: observable
-relationships: ways concepts link together
what is the purpose of theory?
to explain, understand, predict and to effect social change
what is the criteria used to evaluate theory?
- Parsimony: simple explanation
- Heurism: research and thinking generated
- Scope: not too broad, not too specific
- Logical Consistency: clear relationships
- Utility: usefulness
- Test of time: durability
- Testability: test a theory
what does POEM stand for?
the origins of theroy: paradigm- ground specific theories ontology epistemology methods- observations
what is the role of meaning in SIT?
meaning can only exist if people share a common interpretation of the symbol that they are using
EXAMPLE: penis emoticon convo with mom
what are the limitations of SIT
- scope: too broad, more of a framework
- utility: emotions and self-esteem are ignored
- testability: nominal concepts are hard to test, incapable of falsification
what is the purpose of using the RCQ in constructivism theory?
to sample personal constructs
to measure the respondents degree of cognitive complexity
what are constructs in constructivism?
contrasting features we use when classifying other people
what are person-centered messages?
reflect an awareness of and adaptations to subjective, affective and relational aspects of the communication contexts
what is cognitive complexity?
the mental ability to distinguish subtle personality and behavior differences among people
what are the three interpersonal goals?
identity: how you want to be seen
relational: what you have to do to maintain a relationship
instrumental: what we want from a relationship (tangible)
what are O’Keefe’s design logics
expressive: communication as a means of self expression
conventional: communication as a game governed by rules
rhetorical: communication as a negotiation of social realities
what are the criticisms of constructivism?
total reliane on the RCQ is problematic
what are the assumptions of cognitive dissonance theory?
1) Humans begin to desire consistency in their cognitions and do not enjoy inconsistencies in their thoughts and beliefs
2) Dissonance is created by psychological inconsistencies (instead of logical inconsistencies)—arouses cognitive dissonance
3) Dissonance is an aversive state that drivers people to actions with measurable effects
4) Dissonance motivates efforts to achieve consonance and to reduce dissonace
what are the factors that influence the magnitude of dissonance?
1-degree of importance: how signifiant the issue is
2-dissonance ratio
3-rationale: justify inconsistency
what is cognitive dissonance?
a feeling of imbalance, when people find themselves doing things that don’t fit what they know
what is a consonant relationship?
when beliefs are in equilibrium with each other
ex: you believe that world hunger is a problem, so you donate money once a month to contribute to the problem
what is a dissonant relationship?
beliefs are in disequilibrium with each other.
ex: you believe that homelessness is a serious problem, but don’t do anything about it
what is an irrelevant relationship?
beliefs don’t have anything to do with each other.
ex: believing that abortion should be illegal and believing that marijuana should be legalized
what is heider’s sliding scale of personal causation?
- Association: relation b/w person & event
- Causality: present & effected outcome, no intention of outcome
- Justifiability: caused outcome, but with good reason
- Forseeability: acting recklessly with intention, no idea about outcome
- Intentionality: acting with full intention
What are the 3 steps in the attribution process?
1) observing the action
2) judgement of the action (heider’s sliding scale)
3) making attribution
what is the fundamental attribution error?
over emphasize internal causes
(Person got what they deserved)
under emphasize environmental causes
what is actor-observer bias?
over emphasize situational explanations for our own behavior
(We saw what we did right)
under emphasize dispositional explanations
what is the principal of minimal justification?
when people convince themselves to do something to reduce the dissonance they felt
What is selective exposure
seeking consistent information not already present to help reduce dissonance and maintain consistency
what is selective attention?
looking at consistent information once its there…ignores information that is inconsistent with beliefs
what is selective interpretation?
interpreting ambiguous information so that it becomes consistent
what is selective retention?
remembering and learning consistent information more easily than inconsistent information
what are the attributional tendencies of actors and observers?
actors (those in the event) make external attributions for the event
observers (those not part of the event) make internal attributions for the event
what are the 3 kinds to stigma?
abominations: physical defects (birthmarks, deaf)
blemishes: character deficits (homelessness)
tribal associations: membership in a religious/ethnic group thats not majority
what is the difference between discredited and discreditable identies?
discredited is visible
discreditable is invisible
what are the effects of attributional ambiguity on those with discredited identities?
undermine the affects of positive feedback
protect against the effects of negative feedback
results in stereotype threat
what are the effects of attributional ambiguity on those with discreditable identities?
causes stress
what are the goals of individuals in initial interactions?
prediction: forecast your own or others’ behavior
explanation: interpret the meaning of behavioral choices
what are the assumptions of uncertainty reduction theory?
everyone is uncertain when they meet new people
uncertainty is aversive: we can’t hold on to uncertainity, people don’t like being uncertain
development process that occurs in 3 stages
what are the 3 phases of interpersonal communication?
entry- interaction is guided by rules and norms
personal- communication is more spontaneous, more personal info
exit- decision about future interactions
what is the passive uncertainty reduction strategy?
unobtrusive observation of another person in order to reduce uncertainty
what is the active strategy for uncertainty reduction?
asking other people about that person or observing how that person reacts to a manipulation
what is the interactive strategy for uncertainty reduction?
observer and actor are in direct or face to face contact
what is a positive relationship in uncertainty related theories?
uncertainty is high/low & information seeking is high/low
what is a negative relationship in uncertainty related thoery?
uncertainty is high, information seeking is low
what is relational uncertainty?
and its 3 parts
lack of certainty about status or future of a relationship
1) self- doubt about participation in relationship
2) partner-doubt about partner participation in relationship
3) relationship-doubt about the relationship as a whole
according to the uncertainty management theory what are uncertainty appraisals?
we judge meanings based on relevance and likelihood
- if there are positive emotions then uncertainty is positive
- if there are negative emotions then uncertainty is negative
- if there are no emotions then uncertainty is inconsequential
what are the strategies for uncertainty management?
1- uncertainty as an oppurtunity
2- uncertainty as a threat
3- uncertainty as a chronic condition
what are the 2 competing needs for space?
affilition: needing to be close to people
personal space: not being close to people
what is a primary territory?
and example
a persons exclusive domain over an object
your computer
what is a secondary territory?
example
personal connection to an object
your seat in the classroom, you don’t own it but you feel a connection
what is public territory?
example
open space for everyone
park, beaches, seats on trains
history of deception research?
largely experimental in a lab setting
humans are poor lie detectors
what are Zuckermans nonverbal deception cues?
increased blinking large pupils frequent speech errors increased speech hesitations higher voice pitch increased discrepancies between verbal and non verbal channels
what are the conditions under which liars put more effort into planning and control?
- situation is highly interactive
- participants know each other well
- deceiver if fearful of discovery
- deceivers motivation for lying is selfish
what is falsifiction?
when fiction is created
what is equivocation?
when the question is dodged
what is concealment
when you leave stuff out
what is leakage?
nonverbal cues that signal an internal state
- people feel bad about lying and show it
- planning makes messages seem canned
what are the proxemic zones?
zones of personal space expectations in North America
1) intimite: whisper
2) personal: friends & family
3) social: majority of conversations
4) public: power discrepancy (teacher, president)
