Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Comms 101 > Midterm > Flashcards

Midterm Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Physics 101 flashcards Psychology 101 flashcards Chemistry 101 flashcards Biology 101 flashcards Organic Chemistry 101 flashcards Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Communication

A

the process by which we use symbols, signs, and behaviors to transfer information

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

function

A

an explanation of how communication behaviors work to accomplish goals in personal, group, organization, or public situations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

affiliation

A

the affect, or feelings, we have for other

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

relationships

A

the interconnection between 2 or more people required to achieve goals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

interdependence

A

mutual dependence, where the actions of each partner affect the other

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

control

A

the ability of a person, group, or organization to influence situations, and the manner in which their relationship with others are conducted

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

symbols

A

arbitrary constructions that refer to people, things, and concepts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

code

A

set of symbols that are joined to create a message

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

encoding

A

the process of mentally constructing a message for production

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

decoding

A

the process of receiving a message by interpreting and assigning meaning to it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

culture

A

shared beliefs, values, and practices of a group of people

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

cocultures

A

smaller groups of people within a larger culture that are distinguished by features like race, religion, etc

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

channels

A

the method through which communication occurs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

transactional

A

involving 2 or more people acting in both sender and receiver roles whose messages are dependent on influenced by those of their communication partner

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

competent communication

A

communication that is effective and appropriate for a given situation in which the communicators continually evaluate and reassess their own process

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

behavioral flexibility

A

the ability to have a number of communication behaviors at your disposal and the willingness to use different behaviors in different situations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

communication skills

A

behavior based on social understandings that help communicators achieve their goal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

linear model

A

communication occurring in 1 direction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

sender

A

originates communication

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

message

A

words or ctions from sender

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

noise

A

interference that changes the message

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

receiver

A

target of the message

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

interaction model

A

2 directional process that incorporates feedback

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

feedback

A

a message from the receiver to the send that illustrates responses that naturally occur when 2 or more people communicate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

competent communication model

A

communicators send and receive messages simultaneously within relational, situational, and cultural contexts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

cognitions

A

thoughts that communicators have about themselves and others

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

behavior

A

observable communication; how we act or function in response to our attitudes and beliefs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

cognitive complexity

A

ability to consider multiple scenarios, theories, and interpretations when encoding and decoding messages

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

rhetoric

A

the art of speaking well

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

perception

A

a cognitive process through which one interprets one’s experiences and comes to one’s own unique understandings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

communicative processing

A

how we gather, organize, and evaluate the information we receive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

schemas

A

a mental structure that puts individual but related bits of information

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

social constructivism

A

the idea that schemas are socially constructed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

interaction appearance theory

A

argument that people change their opinion about the attributions of someone the more they interact

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

mindlessness

A

passive state in which the communicator is a less critical processor of info; characterized by reduced cognitive activity, inaccurate recall, and uncritical evaluation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

selective perception

A

choosing to attend to some things while ignoring others

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

attributions

A

personal characteristics that are used to explain others’ behavior

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

fundamental attribution error

A

the tendency to overemphasize the internal and underestimate the external causes of behaviors we observe

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

self serving bias

A

the idea that we usually attribute our own successes to internal factors while our failures seem to be external or situational

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

negativity bias

A

inaccurate perception occurring when an individual focuses on the negative over positive or neutral attribute of another

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

stereotyping

A

the act of organizing information about groups of people into categories so that we can generalize about their attitudes, behaviors, skills, morals, and habits

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

prejudice

A

deep seated feeling of unkindness and ill-will toward particular groups usually based on negative stereotypes and feelings of superiority over those groups

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

self-concept

A

one’s awareness and understanding of who one is, as interpreted and influence by one’s thoughts, actions, abilities, values, goals, and ideals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

social comparison theory

A

a theory that explains our tendency to compare ourselves to others, such as friends and acquaintances or popular figures in media, as we develop our ideas about ourselves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

self-esteem

A

how one feels about oneself, usually in a particular situation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
46
Q

self-efficacy

A

the ability to predict, based on self-concept and self-esteem, one’s effectiveness in a communication situation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
47
Q

self-fulfilling prophecy

A

a prediction that causes and individual to alter their behavior in a way that makes the prediction more likely to occur

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
48
Q

self-actualization

A

the feelings and thoughts one experiences when one knows that one has negotiated a communication situation as well as possible

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
49
Q

self-adequacy

A

the feelings one gets when one assesses one’s own communication competence as sufficient or acceptable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
50
Q

self-denigration

A

a negative assessment about a communication experience that involves criticizing or attacking oneself

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
51
Q

self-presentation

A

intentional communication designed to show elements of self for strategic purposes; how one lets others know about oneself

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
52
Q

narrative

A

stories about oneself or one’s experiences to aid in self-presentation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
53
Q

self-monitoring

A

the ability to watch one’s environment and others in it for cues as to how to present oneself in a particular situation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
54
Q

self-disclosure

A

revealing oneself to others by sharing info about oneself

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
55
Q

language

A

system of symbols that we use to think about communicate experiences and feelings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
56
Q

cognitive language

A

specific system of symbols that one uses to describe people, things, and situations in one’s mind

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
57
Q

grammar

A

system of rules for creating words, phrases, and sentences in a particular language

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
58
Q

communication acquisition

A

the process of learning individual words in a language and learning to use it appropriately and effectively in the context of the situation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
59
Q

informing

A

use of language to both give and receive info

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
60
Q

feeling

A

use of language to express emotion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
61
Q

imagining

A

ability to think, play, and be creative in communication

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
62
Q

ritualizing

A

learning the rules for managing conversations and relationships

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
63
Q

semantics

A

study of the relationship among symbols, objects, people, and concepts; refers to the meaning that words have for people, either because of the definition or placement in a sentence

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
64
Q

pragmatics

A

ability to use the symbol systems of a culture appropriately

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
65
Q

denotative meaning

A

basic, consistently accepted definition of a word

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
66
Q

connotative meaning

A

emotional or attitudinal response people have to a word

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
67
Q

abstraction ladder

A

model that ranks communication from specific, which ensures clarity, to general and vague

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
68
Q

vasion

A

intentionally failing to provide specific details

69
Q

equivocation

A

an inoffensive word or phrase that substitutes for terms that might be perceived as upsetting

70
Q

hatespeech

A

language that employs offensive words to deride a person or group

71
Q

hurtful language

A

inappropriate, damaging, mean, sarcastic, or offensive statements that affect others in a negative way

72
Q

labeling

A

using terms that stereotype people according to their group memberships and ignoring their individual differences

73
Q

biased language

A

words that are infused with subtle meanings that influence our perception about the subject

74
Q

politically correct language

A

replaces exclusive or negative words with more neutral terms

75
Q

profanity

A

words or expressions considered insulting, rude, vulgar, or disrespectful

76
Q

civility

A

social norm for appropriate behavior

77
Q

communication accommodation theory

A

explains how language and identity shape communication

78
Q

speech repertoire

A

set of complex language behaviors or possibilities that one calls on to most effectively and appropriately meet the demands of a relationship, situation, or cultural environment

79
Q

code switching

A

a type of accommodation in which communicators change from one repertoire to another to fit into a particular group

80
Q

high language

A

a more formal, polite, or mainstream language used in business context, classroom, and formal social gatherings

81
Q

low language

A

a more informal, easygoing language, used in informal and comfortable environments

82
Q

sapir-whorf hypothesis (linguistic relativity theory)

A

claim that the words a culture uses or doesn’t influence its members’ thinking

83
Q

slang

A

language that is informal, nonstandard, and usually particular to a specific group

84
Q

jargon

A

technical language that is specific to members of a particular profession, interest group or hobby

85
Q

gossip

A

talk or rumors about personal affairs of others, sometimes serving to solidify group membership

86
Q

nonverbal communication

A

process of intentionally or unintentionally signaling meaning through behavior other than words

87
Q

leakage cues

A

uncontrolled, nonverbal messages that can reveal ones feelings, but can also be ambiguous

88
Q

channel discrepancy

A

when one set of communication behaviors says one thing and another set says something different

89
Q

repeating

A

offers a clear nonverbal cue that repeats and mirrors that verbal message

90
Q

complementing

A

matches the verbal message it accompanies

91
Q

accenting

A

clarifies and emphasizing specific info in a verbal message

92
Q

substituting

A

replacing words with nonverbal cues

93
Q

interaction management

A

manage the impressions and regulate interactions of communications in a variety of relationships and situations

94
Q

immediacy

A

the feeling of closeness, involvement, and warmth, between people as communicated by nonverbal behavior

95
Q

deception

A

attempt to convince others of something that is false

96
Q

truth default theory

A

describes the tendency of people others without suspecting deception

97
Q

nonverbal codes

A

symbols we use to send messages without or in addition to words

98
Q

kinesics

A

the way gestures and body movements communicate meaning

99
Q

illustrators

A

reinforce verbal messages and visually help explain what is being said

100
Q

regulators

A

help us manage our interactions

101
Q

emblems

A

movements that have a direct verbal translation in a particular group or culture

102
Q

adaptors

A

body movements that satisfy some physical or psychological need, such as rubbing your eyes when you’re tired or twisting your hair

103
Q

affect displays

A

body movements that display feelings, moods, and reactions; often unintentional

104
Q

masking

A

facial management technique in which an expression that shows true feelings is replaced with an expression that shows appropriate feeling for a given interaction

105
Q

oculesus

A

study of the use of eyes to communicate

106
Q

paralanguage

A

vocalized sounds that accompany words

107
Q

pitch

A

variations in the voice that give prominence to certain words or syllables

108
Q

tone

A

modulation of the voice, usually expressing a particular feeling or mood

109
Q

volume

A

how loud or soft a voice is

110
Q

artifacts

A

accessories carried or used on the body for decoration or identification

111
Q

proxemics

A

the study of the way we use and communicate with space

112
Q

territoriality

A

claiming of an area, with or without legal basis, through continuous occupation of that area

113
Q

haptics

A

study of touch as a form of communication (social-polite, friendship-warmth, love-intimacy, sexual-arousal)

114
Q

chronemics

A

study of how people perceive the use of time

115
Q

contact cultures

A

cultures that depend on touch as an important form of communication

116
Q

non-contact cultures

A

culture that is less touch sensitive or even tends to avoid touch

117
Q

public-private dimension

A

an aspect of the situational context of communication dealing with the physical space that affects nonverbal communication

118
Q

informal-formal dimension

A

psychological aspect of the situational context dealing with our perceptions of personal vs impersonal situations

119
Q

hearing

A

the physiological process of perceiving sound; the process through which sound waves are picked up by the ears and transmitted to the brain

120
Q

listening

A

process of recognizing, understanding, accurately interpreting, and responding effectively to the messages communicated by other

121
Q

selecting

A

step in the listening process of choosing one sound over another when faced with competing stimuli

122
Q

attending

A

step in the listening process of focusing attention on both the presence and communication of someone else

123
Q

understanding

A

step in the listening process of interpreting and making sense of messages

124
Q

remember

A

recall info as a listener by providing feedback or paraphrasing

125
Q

paraphrasing

A

parts of listening empathetically that involves guessing at feelings and rephrasing what one thinks the speaker said

126
Q

active listeners

A

active participants in making choices about selecting, attending, understanding, and responding

127
Q

passive listeners

A

those who fail to make active choices in the listening process

128
Q

confabulation

A

phenomenon where passive listeners fabricate and defend distorted memories, unaware that info is false

129
Q

listening fidelity

A

the degree to which the thoughts of the listener and intentions of the message producer match following their communication

130
Q

relational listening

A

listening to establish and maintain a relationship

131
Q

analytical listening

A

listening to explore all ideas before making judgements

132
Q

task oriented listening

A

listening that is used to focus on clear and pertinent info quickly

133
Q

critical listening

A

listening to find inconsistencies or errors in the speaker

134
Q

listening barrier

A

factor that interferes with the ability to accurately comprehend info and respond appropriately

135
Q

multitasking

A

attending to several things at once

136
Q

listening apprehension

A

state of uneasiness, anxiety, fear, or dread associated with an opportunity

137
Q

defensive listening

A

responding with aggression and arguing with the speaker without fully listening to the message

138
Q

biased listening

A

involves zeroing in only on bits of info that interest the listener, disregarding other messages or parts, confirming an existing point of view

139
Q

insensitive listening

A

occurs when we fail to pay attention to the emotional context of a message, instead of taking it at face value

140
Q

monopolistic listening

A

listening in order to control this interaction

141
Q

psuedolistening

A

pretending to listen when one is actually not

142
Q

worldview

A

framework through which you interpret the world and people in it

143
Q

intercultural communication

A

the communication between people from different cultures who have different worldviews

144
Q

high-context cultures

A

relies on contextual cues to interpret meaning and send subtle messages

145
Q

low-context cultures

A

culture the uses direct language and relies less on situational factors to communicate

146
Q

collectivist

A

culture in which individuals perceive themselves first and foremost as members of a group and communicate from that perspective

147
Q

individualist

A

culture whose members place value on autonomy and privacy with relatively little attention to status and hierarchy based on age or family connections

148
Q

uncertainty avoidance

A

process of adapting behaviors to reduce uncertainty and risk

149
Q

masculine culture

A

places values on assertiveness, achievements, ambition, and competitiveness sometimes referred to as achievement culture

150
Q

feminine cultures

A

place values on relationships and quality of life; sometimes referred to as nurturing cultures

151
Q

power distance

A

the way in which a culture accepts and excepts the division of power among individuals

152
Q

orientation

A

the way cultures communicate about and with time

153
Q

hyperbole

A

vivid, colorful language with great emotional intensity and often exaggeration

154
Q

understatement

A

language that downplays the emotional intensity or importance of events, often with euphemisms

155
Q

coculture

A

smaller group of people within a culture who are distinguishable by features such as race, religion, age, etc

156
Q

generation

A

group of people born into a specific time frame, along with its events and social changes that shape attitudes and behaviors

157
Q

gender

A

behavioral and cultural traits assigned one’s sex; determined by the way members of a particular culture define notions of masculinity and femininity

158
Q

social identity theory

A

personal identity, which is a sense of unique individual personality, and a social identity, the part of our self-concept that comes from group memberships

159
Q

in groups

A

group with which one identifies to which one belongs

160
Q

out groups

A

those groups one defines as others

161
Q

intergroup communication

A

branch of the communication discipline that focuses on how communication within and between groups affects relationships

162
Q

salient

A

brought to mind in the moment; one’s social identity and communication shift depending on which one’s multiple group memberships is salient in a given moment

163
Q

ethnocentrism

A

a belief in the superiority of one’s own culture or group and a tendency to view other cultures through the lens of one’s own

164
Q

discrimination

A

behavior towards a person or group based solely on their membership in a particular group, class, or category

165
Q

intercultural sensitivity

A

mindfulness of behaviors that may offend others

166
Q

intergroup contact theory

A

interaction between members of different social groups generates a possibility for more positive attitudes to emerge

167
Q

accomodation

A

adapting or adjusting one’s language and nonverbal behaviors for other people

168
Q

convergence

A

when speakers shift their language or nonverbal behaviors toward each other’s way of communicating

Comms 101 (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions