Exam 1 Chapters 1-3 Flashcards
Parsimony
Simpler models are better
Communication
A systematic process in which people interact with and through symbols to create and interpret contextual meanings
an ongoing and dynamic process
takes place I a system - a collection of interrelated parts that affect one another
communication competence
the knowledge of effective and appropriate communication patterns, and the ability to use and adapt that knowledge in a variety of contexts
masspersonal communication
broadcasting private information to larger audiences via technology
What are the two levels of communication?
content - the literal meaning
relationship - what the message says about your relationship with that person
What are highly impersonal communications?
Making an appointment
answering a phone survey
What are highly personal communications?
Marriage proposal
Asking for forgiveness
What is media richness theory?
How relationships go from leaner to richer based on the channel of communication From lean to rich emailing, texting, letters phone calls, voice mails video conferencing, skyping, facetime face-to-face interaction
What are the three categories of communication models, and how do they differ?
linear models - one way process from sender to receiver, most simple version of a model
Interactive models - sender and receiver, but with feedback, communication flows in both directions
Transactional models - communication is a shared message, considers environment of sender and receiver, also takes noise (interference) into account
What are the dimensions of communication competence?
Knowledge - your ability to understand what is effective and appropriate in a situation, “should”
Skill - being able to translate knowledge into action, “can”
Motivation - activates knowledge and skills, the behaviors actually performed, “want”
What are characteristics of competent communicators?
Adaptable
Perceptive-taking
Cognitive complexity
Self-monitoring
Define the self
an ever-changing system of perspectives that is formed and sustained in communication with others and ourselves
What are the characteristics of the self?
the self is a perspective
dyamic
a system
communicative
Define reflected appraisal
the process of seeing ourselves through the eyes of others
Define direct definition
communication that explicitly tells us who we are by labeling us and our behaviors
Define social comparison
when we rate ourselves relative to others, with respect to our talents and abilities
Define self-fulfilling prophecy
When you create the very conditions that you anticipate
thoughts can impact our behavior that then enforces these thoughts
Define online presence
Describes the way an individual or company represents itself on social media
Define schemata
Cognitive structures we use to organize perceptions
Define prototypes
the ideal example of some category
Define stereotypes
predictive generalizations about a person or situation
Define personal constructs
used to measure a person along bipolar dimensions
people vary in their cognitive complexity
Define scripts
a sequence of activities that spells out how we are supposed to act in certain situations
Define the self-serving bias
people tend to attribute positive events to internal, stable, and controllable factors
people ted to attribute negative events to external, unstable, and uncontrollable factors
Define fundamental attribution error
our tendency to explain others’ behaviors using internal rather than external attributions
Define primacy (and recency) effect
our tendency to pay attention to and recall things that happen first
Define Halo (and horns) effect
our tendency to form a positive overall impression of a person based on one positive characteristic
Define the confirmation bias
our tendency to seek out and organize our impressions to support an existing opinion
minimizes dissonance
Define monitoring
calls behaviors to our attention so we can observe and regulate them
What communication processes influence the self?
Generalized - society as a whole
Particular - significant individuals
Influencers - significant individuals input
What are attachment styles that affect our thoughts of self?
Thoughts of self, thoughts of partner(s) positive, positive - secure positive, negative - dismissive negative, positive - preoccupied negative, negative - fearful
What are some benefits and risks of self-disclosure?
benefits - catharsis, self-clarification and validation, reciprocity, impression formation, relational maintenance, moral obligation
risks - judgment, rejection, trust, loss of control over information
What are the dimensions of attributions?
Interpretation is the selective process of creating explanations for our experiences (attributions)
Internal vs. external factors
stable vs. unstable factors
controllable vs. uncontrollable factors
Distinguish facts from inferences and judgments
Facts are statements based on observation/truth
Inferences are logical leaps that go beyond what you know to be true
Judgments are evaluations of facts and can be emotional
What does Mead’s quotation about being “talked into” humanity imply about communication?
Sense of self comes from communication with other people
What factors influence what stimuli we notice in our perception?
larger, more intense, or unusual stimuli
changes in our environment
self-talk or self-concepts
needs, interests, or expectations
What is the relationship between personal constructs and cognitive complexity?
The more personal constructs one uses, the higher the cognitive complexity
it is a positive relationship
What factors influence the interpretations of expectancy violations?
Whether the violation is positive or negative (valence)
The magnitude of the deviation
The perceived effect of the violation on the relationship
What are the components of perception?
Selection - what we notice about the world around us
Organization - how we categorize our observations using schemata
Interpretation - how we assign explanations to our observations
Define displacement
Refers to our ability to talk about events that are removed in space or time from a speaker and situation
Define denotative
The commonly accepted definitions of a word
Define connotative
The individual emotional or experiential associations people have with a word
How does punctuation affect communication?
The punctuation of verbal communication is a way to divide a flow of activity into meaningful units
Define totalizing
Responding to a person as if one label completely represents them
Define loaded language
Exceedingly slants our perceptions, and thus meanings
What are the three A’s of language?
Arbitrary - verbal symbols aren’t intrinsically connected to what they represent
Ambiguous - it doesn’t have clear-cut, precise meanings
Abstract - words are stand-ins for the concrete or tangible phenomena they represent
What are the rules of language?
Syntactic rules - govern language at the mechanical level
Regulative rules - control interaction by specifying when, how, where, and with whom to communicate about certain things
Constitutive rules - define what communication means or stands for
