final Flashcards
Mass Communication
When a sender distributes ACCURATE messages to many people simultaneously (roughly same time/potentially same time)
in interpersonal comm- the technology component adds to it
in mass- it is defined by TECHNOLOGY
it changes the comm components
began in 1920s- w/radio and tv at a broadcast level
Mass Comm Criteria (list)
-Large Audiences
-Rapid / Simultaneous Distribution
-Low Unit Cost- refers to indv instance of comm/W# of ppl watchin/length of time- cost gets divided-> lowered
(technology is needed in some form/buy/costs)
rating
# watching tv HH (household)
share
# watching total watching (homes using tv-HUT) homes using tv figure
mass comm was first used
quickly caught on and was soon being used to distribute news, entertainment, and government regulations.
16c. Newspapers
17c. Magazines
19c. Wired telegraph
20c. Wireless, radio, TV
mass communication are a diff mindset thn comm…..
it is produced BY many people TO many people
produced by organizations
Differences btwn mass and intra
“Senders” do not create the message.
Identifiable face, name, voice may merely be part of the channel; part of the message itself.
These people are called “opinion leaders” because they help shape the views of those who receive the message.
gate keeping process
The media product passes through many levels of organizational processing on its way to the audience,
at each step in the process, the original data is filtered – reduced in length, edited for style, censored, etc
Each step in the process can be thought of as a gate through which the data must pass on its way to the consumer
observing>editing>presenting>event>production>broadcast <——gate keepers
FEEDBACK
diff nature
only part of comm remaining
Not immediate feedback,
PRO nd CON on volume* not content
(how many ppl watched/bought)
*greatest response u must appeal to the greatest number of people. *
=delayed; minutes, days, weeks, or not at all
To get the greatest number of people you:
appeal to the lowest common denominator.
The term lowest common denominator is often used to indicate a lowering of quality resulting from a desire to find common ground for many people.
Communication Apprehension
individual level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons
the avoidance of, non participation in, and
subsequent withdrawal from communication
CA can be
a potential barrier to success and as well affecting self-esteem and attitude toward self
Communication Apprehension is an
EMOTION
AN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
James-LangeTheory of Emotion
We have experiences, and as a result, our autonomic nervous system creates physiological events such as muscular tension, heart rate increases, perspiration, dryness of the mouth, etc.
This theory proposes that emotions happen as a result of these, rather than being the cause of them.
The bodily sensation prepares us for action, as in the Fight-or-Flight reaction. Emotions grab our attention and at least attenuate slower cognitive processing
Lange particularly added that vasomotor changes are the emotions. In other words, Our awareness of our reactions to frightening situations are the real emotions.
Example
I see a bear. My muscles tense, my heart races. I feel afraid.
Types of CA
4
Trait-like
Context
Audience
Situational
Trait-like CA
oral communication and refers to a relatively stable and enduring predisposition of an individual towards experiencing fear and/or anxiety across a wide range of communication contexts. (20%)
Context‑based
a relatively enduring, personality‑type CA that an individual experiences in a specific context.
For example a person may experience high levels of CA when speaking in groups but be not in dyadic interactions or when speaking to others who are from a different cultural group.
Audience-based / Receiver‑based CA
depends on the person or type of person or group that is involved in the communication.
For example, being fearful or anxious when communicating with the boss or with strangers but not with friends
Situational CA
depends upon changes in the environment in which communication takes place. (80%) A teacher asking to speak to you after class to comment on poor test scores
Causes of Trait-like CA.
We can either be born with certain characteristics or we can acquire them through learning.
While no specific “CA gene” has ever been identified, as a result of studies on infants and twins, most agree that there may be a hereditary component.
patterns of reinforcement that an individual experiences in the environment are the dominant components…
The notion is that children make attempts at communication and if they are positively reinforced they will be encouraged to communicate more but if they are negatively reinforced the child will communicate less.
Causes of Situational CA
Novelty - anxiety
Formality – narrower constraints
Subordinate status – boundaries of behaviour imposed
Conspicuousness – due to unfamiliar situations
Dissimilarity – prefer to be with similar people – but generates more strain to conform
the degree of attention from others – ignore / stare
prior history – prior ‘failure’ increases potential for repeated performance
reticence due to inexperience communicative incompetence within certain contexts, learning or conformity to social norms and expectations.
Communication Apprehension
Reticence
Unwillingness-to-communicate
Often viewed as interchangeable.
reticent people are those who do not communicate competently.
Reticent people “avoid communication because they believe they will lose more by talking than remaining silent”
Reticence is now perceived as a concept that represents a broad range of communicative incompetence. CA relates to communicative incompetence that stems from anxiety or fear.
Shyness
Reticence - which affect the social skills The CA students in the classroom may be regarded as "perfect" because they are not discipline problems. Lack of response or participation has a negative, spiraling affect - - they are perceived as less capable, and are thus called on less frequently in class discussion and their lack of enthusiasm tends to limit the teacher's attention to them, further reinforcing their own self evaluation
Causes of Non-Communicating Behavior
Hereditary – extroversion / introversion
Modeling - Absence of adequate role models / presence of inadequate role models
Reinforcement – certain behaviors get rewarded / punished
Expectancy Learning – adult reinforcement. Adaptive behavior
Reducing Communication Apprehension
3
Physiological
Psychological
Skills Training
Reducing Communication Apprehension
Physiological
Controlled Breathing
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Reducing Communication Apprehension
Psychological
Understanding Self / clinical therapy Cognitive desensitization learning to process correctly recognizing illogical beliefs negative statements Systematic Desensitization
Inappropriate Cognitive Processing
Processes the available information differently, having learned communicative apprehension.
Identify negative self-statements.
Learn to substitute positive replacements for negative self-statements.
Practice, practice, practice
Systematic Desensitization
Training in deep muscle relaxation,
Construction of anxiety-creating stimuli
Leading to the graduated pairing, through imagery, of these anxiety stimuli with the relaxed state
Reducing Communication Apprehension
Skills
Preparation
Knowledge
Basic Skills
Audience Analysis
Persusion
Getting someone to change their opinion, or NOT to change their opinion
Getting someone to act in a particular way, or NOT to act in a particular way
Getting someone to think in a particular way, or NOT to think in a particular way
Getting someone to do something
or NOT to do something
Characteristics of Effective Persuasion
List 5
Credibility – believability
Attraction – social, physical – draws people
Homophily - is the degree to which individuals in dyad are congruent or similar in certain attributes, such as demographic variables, beliefs and values
Power – Actual - physical, social, professional. Referent – through others
Membership Groups – alliances, support
Intellectual Assent Model
We arrive at a decision to go along with observed behavior
Attitudes – learned
Beliefs – view of reality
Values – good & bad
Behavioral Compliance Model
Get someone to act your way now… and behavior will continue.
Reinforcement – reward / punishment
Consistency – something ‘must be’
Involvement – get the person involved.
Opinions
are temporal, fleeting & unstable. They change easily & frequently
As we accumulate information and
experiences we form opinions
Attitudes
are somewhat more stable and are less likely to change
beliefs
are very stable, mostly resistant to change
Almost universal attitudinal shift is needed for a belief change
we have many opnions, Some of these opinions tend to cluster as especially relevant to a specific
attitude
Our opinions give support, focus & structure to our attitudes.
In order to get attitude change, several opinions need to change
Attitude clusters then tend to gather in support of a specific ..
belief
CONCEPT:Opinions, Attitudes & Beliefs change
The point is that opinions form quickly and can change quickly.
Beliefs can change, but much more slowly and usually only as a result of a deliberate thought process
Attitudes fall somewhere in the middle, changing only as the result of a significant opinion shift, but still supporting beliefs until sufficient change occurs.
4 basic parts to classic argument
Data – information, beliefs, evidence, credible/source, definitions/mean medium mode/exoerts.authorities
Warrant – assumptions that allow data/estab conenction with claim....audience>doubt/desitr/emotions Qualifiers – acknowledged degree of uncertainty/looks at warrant strength/ Claim – Conclusions, motivations
Cognitive Consistency theory
behavior which is at odds with an established attitude demands change.
This change usually takes the form of altering the original attitude to conform more with the actual behavior.
When a person behaves differently, she/he will also change his/her attitude about him/herself.
If there are cognitive inconsistencies people tend to be motivated to reduce or to try and avoid this inconsistency whenever possible.
People do not like the psychological uncomfortable state /embarrassment >reduce
Cognitive Dissonance theory
refers to the discomfort felt at a discrepancy between what youalready know or believe, and new information or interpretation.
Occurs when there is a need to accommodate new ideas.Cognitive dissonance is a state of imbalance between cognitions.
The theory of cognitive dissonance holds that the human mind tends to adopt thoughts or beliefs so as to minimize the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions.
Ways to reduce cognitive dissonance
A person in a state of cognitive dissonance will then seek consonance.
Changing a cognition gives some discomfort: one has to reflect and admit to oneself that one has had a wrong cognition.
Rather than adapt to these cognitions, we dismiss then new fact or circumstance, and perceive the new as untrue.
This allows our cognitions to be in a consonant state once more.
Another way: selective selecting, of information after the fact. purposely avoiding contradictory facts knowing that the decision had been made and finding out about other products could lead to some discomfort.
Dissonance results when an individual must choose between
attitudes and behaviors that are contradictory.
Dissonance can be eliminated by reducing the
the importance of the conflicting beliefs, acquiring new beliefs that change the balance, or removing the conflicting attitude or behavior.
Cognitions
an attitude, emotion, belief or value, or even a mixture of these cognitions.
