Exam #1 Flashcards
Models of communication
Channel richness
The extent to which some communicative event uses many channels at once
Face to face
Facial expressions, smell, touch, forward leaning, voice, etc
Texting
The words themselves, emojis, other text characters
Channel rich ←————————-> Channel lean
Face to face (zoom) (phone) (texting) written letter
Intentional vs. nonintentional communication
~You cannot NOT communicate (Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson, 1967)
Intentional messages are deliberate, conscious, knowing
Ex. ordering food, asking someone out on a date, asking your parent for money
Unintentional messages occur when unconscious communication is interpreted as having meaning
nonverbal communication
Microexpressions, body posture(at times), etc
Ex. playing with hair, holding arm, hands behind back, shaky leg, rocking in place~these are all indicators of nervousness/anxiety and what we call nonverbal leakage
Types of relationships
Role relationship:
functional/causal relationships, often interchangeable, share behavioral interdependence
One person’s behavior somehow affects the other person’s behavior and vice versa
Interpersonal relationships:
Relationships where both parties influence the other in meaningful ways (mutual influence) and share a unique interaction pattern
Intimate/close relationships:
Interpersonal relationships that are deepened by sharing emotional attachment, need fulfillment, and irreplaceability
Relational vs. content dimensions of messages
Content level of the message conveys information at a literal level whereas the relational level provides context for interpreting the message of a relationship
Communication goals
Instrumental goals
Goals related to tasks, such as making money, getting good grades, buying a car, getting a ride to school, and completing a homework assignment
Self-presentational goals
Communication can be motivated by maintaining the image we want to convey
Relational goals
Relational objectives or states that motivate our communication choices
Functions of nonverbal communication
Regulating interaction/conversation
Turn yielding cues
Change in intonation, drawl of last syllable, drop in loudness, stop gesturing
Turn requesting cues
Speaker directed gaze, audible inhale, gestures, stutter start
Impression management
Creating a certain image of oneself or of one’s relationship
Defining the relationship~Both to the partner and others
Channels of nonverbal communication
Oculesics= eye movement
Two components:
Gaze
Pupil dilation
Pupil dilation is associated with arousal (increased energy)
Positive arousal: excitement or sexual arousal
Negative arousal: anxiety or fear
Vocalics= characteristics of the voice
Also called paralanguage, because the voice communicates meaning alongside language
Includes-
Pitch: how high or deep a voice sounds
Inflection: the extent to which there is variation in pitch
Volume : how loud or soft
Rate: how fast or slow someone is talking
Silence: the absence of sound
Kinesics:
Includes gestures, body posture, gait
Types of gestures:
Emblems : gestures with direct verbal translations
Illustrators: gestures that go along with verbal messages
Regulators: gestures used to control the flow of conversation
Haptics = touch
Intimacy
Power and control
Ritualistic touch
Proxemics = physical distance
Hall’s spatial zones:
Intimate zone: intimate partners
Personal zone: friends and relatives
Social zone: casual acquaintances
Public zone: strangers and general public
Physical appearance= the messages communicated through appearance
olfactics= messages communicated through smell
Smell influences sexual attraction - we are attracted to people whose natural scent is most different from our own
Chronemics
Messages communicated through the use of time
Our use of time sends messages about:
What we value
Who holds the power in the relationship
Artifacts= our use of space objects and physical features
Set the tone for an environment
Communicate personality and values
Influence the flow of conversation
Communicate power
Tie signs
Nonverbal behaviors that indicate to others that you are in a relationship
Immediacy cues
Nonverbal behavior that conveys attraction or affiliation
Barriers to effective listening
Noise
- Physical noise - physical sounds in the environment
- Psychological noise - distractions in one’s thoughts, thinking about something other than the conversation
- Physiology noise - distractions in one’s body
Information overload - the state of being overwhelmed by the amount of info one takes in
Pseudolistening - using feedback behaviors to give the false impression that you are listening
Phubbing - looking at your phone rather than actively engaging in conversation
Selective attention - listening to only what one wants to hear
Competitive interrupting - using interruptions to take control of a conversation
One upping - listening to share a bigger and better story or experience
Empathetic listening
Respond by acknowledging the speaker’s feelings
Paraphrasing to make sure you’re understanding - try to capture the meaning and emotion of what the person said just using different words
Ask open and honest questions - these are questions you DON’T already know the answer to, these questions invite the person speaking to share more
Rules of verbal communication (i.e., language)
textbook
Communication theory of identity
Four layers of identity:
Personal identity: the self-concept or individual understanding we have of ourselves
Relational identity: the way we see ourselves in relation to others, including how we believe other people view us (ascribed identity), our roles within relationships, and the joint identities, we share with others
Communal identity: The way we see ourselves in relation to social groups
Enacted identity: the communication, management, and performance of our identity
Interpenetration: the layers of identity, while being distinctly identifiable, may also combine to create a new aspect of identity or may influence each other
Identity Gaps: one layer of identity might contradict another layer of identity
Leads to personal discomfort and ineffective communication
Politeness theory
Brown and Levinson’s extension of Goffman’s work which focuses on specific ways that people manage and save face using communication
Face theory
Also called the dramaturgical perspective
We constantly enact performances for the people around us -with the purpose of advancing a beneficial image of ourselves and avoiding a negative image
Facework
Behaviors used to project your desired image
Face needs
Positive face
Desire to be liked by others
Fellowship
Wanting to be included
Competence
Wanting to be viewed as capable
Negative face
Desire for control of one’s own life
“Wait, does that mean facework is being fake?”
Facework is often subconscious, but it becomes particularly salient when…
The behavior reflects highly valued, core aspects on the self
Successful performance is tied to vital positive or negative consequences
The behavior reflects directly on valued rules of conduct
“I’m not constantly worrying about my image, I’m not that shallow”
Frontstage vs backstage
Frontstage
Where performances are enacted~public
Backstage
Where we prepare for performances
Ex.
getting ready in the morning for the day
Generational identity
textbook
Types of social media users
textbook
Principles of identity management
textbook
Racial socialization
Process by which race-related messages are transferred from parents to children through
Spoken messages
Activities
Behavior
Social identity theory
Tajfel proposed that group belonging creates a sense of identity, and the group belonging can be an important source of pride and self-esteem
Social categorization - by associating ourselves with groups, we naturally make distinctions about who is a part of our group (the in-group) and who is not a part of our group (the out-group)
Social identification - we adopt the identity of the group we have categorized ourselves as belonging to & our self esteem becomes tied to the group we have identified with
Social comparison: once we identify with a group, we tend to compare our group with other groups - in order to maintain self-esteem, the natural impulse is to evaluate our group more favorably than other groups -> social comparison is an explanation of stereotyping/prejudice/hostility between social groups
The looking glass self
Feedback we receive from others helps shape our identities:
I imagine how I appear to others
Based on others’ reactions to me, I infer whether they view that image positively or negatively
Based on my perceptions of how others view me, I develop positive or negative feelings about myself and my identity
Functions of self-disclosure
Catharsis: When you want to let your emotions out (get something off your chest)
Self-expression: Communicating your identity to others
Clarification: when you need to clarify situations you might find confusing or upsetting
Self-awareness: to learn more about yourself
Relationship escalation: When you want to develop the relationship
Dimensions of self-disclosure
textbook
Principles of self-disclosure
textbook
Disclosure-liking hypothesis
(Collins & Miller) - proposes that the more individual self-disclose, the more they will like each other
Stronger for acquaintances than strangers
Stronger for more in-depth self-disclosures that general information
Stronger with online disclosures
Norm of reciprocity
When one person reveals personal information, the other person is likely to respond by sharing equally personal information.
Risks of self-disclosure
Rejection
Retaliation
Loss of control
Exposure to others
Change in the relationship
Hyperpersonal communication
[Not from the textbook] A phenomenon reported in computer-mediated communication where friendly one-to-one interaction with strangers can quickly become personal and intimate.
The hyperpersonal model of interpersonal communication that suggests computer-mediated communication can become hyperpersonal because it “exceeds [face-to-face] interaction”; affording message senders a host of communicative advantages over traditional face-to-face interaction.
Disinhibition effect
The tendency to express yourself more candidly and less guardedly when using online, asynchronous channels.
Communication privacy management theory
Communication privacy management theory (CPM) argues that disclosure is the process by which we give or receive private information. Private information is what people reveal. Generally, CPM theory argues that individuals believe they own their private information and have the right to control said information.
3 Principles of CPM Theory:
Privacy ownership
Privacy control
Privacy turbulence
Private information - “Any information that makes people feel some level of vulnerability” (Child, Duck, Andrews, Butauski & Petronio)
Secret tests
textbook
Definition of uncertainty
Questions/unknowns about yourself, a situation, or others
Inability to predict or explain someone’s attitudes and/or behaviors (Berger and Calabrese, 1975)
Occurs when people feel insecure in their own state of knowledge or the state of knowledge in general about a topic
Types of expectancy violation
textbook
Idealization effect
[Not from textbook] Idealization is minor image-distorting defense whereby the individual deals with emotional conflict or internal or external stressors by attributing exaggerated positive qualities to the self or others
Uncertainty reduction strategies
Passive= observing the person as they behave in social situation
Active = using indirect contact with the person or manipulating a situation and observing their response, seeking info from third party about the person
Interactive = speaking with the person directly
Predicated outcome value theory
textbook
Uncertainty management theory
Uncertainty isn’t inherently good or bad, but it is something that needs to be managed
Might seek to reduce, maintain, or increase uncertainty
Theory of motivated information management
Uncertainty discrepancy: difference between one’s level of uncertainty and their desired level of uncertainty
Emotion:
Anxiety
Anticipation
Hope
Anger
Other Emotions
Evaluate possible outcomes of an information search - costs and benefits
Evaluate efficacy: communication efficacy, target efficacy, coping efficacy
Information seeker decides how/if to seek information
Expectancy Violation Theory
Explains/predicts how people will respond to expectancy violation
Expectancy violation -> behavior that differs from what was expected
