Midterm Flashcards
SEMCDR model
source, encoder, message, channel, decoder, receiver
- originally created for technological purposes, then applied to communication
- source and encoder usually same person
- decoder and receiver also usually same person
- but sometimes need another person-a translator, telegraph man
SEMCDR model-source:
person who has the idea to be
SEMCDR model-encoder:
takes the thoughts of source and puts into form (code) someone else will understand (the receiver gets the message in the end)
SEMCDR model-decoder:
taking things out of these forms and putting them into ideas and thoughts
SEMCDR model-message
3 aspects: code, content, treatment
SEMCDR model-message: code
meaningfully structured grouping of symbols-shared symbol system (a language, for ex)
SEMCDR model-message: content
the beginning to the end of the message
SEMCDR model-message: treatment
the style-your energy, relationship to person, tone, in what way you mean it
double bind
clash between verbal and nonverbal-or between content and treatment-this is sarcasm or when clearly lying based on tone/body language-when there is a ind, we tend to go w/ nonverbal treatment-because it’s easier to lie with words than body
SEMCDR model-channel
radio, letter, TV, a lot of channels are media-in what way you transmit the message-could just be face to face talking
fidelity
relates to SEMCDR model-also comes from tech world
high fidelity
message that gets through as it was originally said w/o any distortion
noise
the other fidelity-anything that interferes with fidelity, distorts the message
-have both internal and external noise
internal noise
anything occurring within the individual (source or receiver), interfering with the communication process-like being distracted (cuz of mood, thoughts, feelings), hungry
external noise
anything occurring in the external world (physical or social) that affects the message getting through-too hot or loud to concentrate/hear-outside distractions
feedback
a response to the message
- can tell how well the message from the original source is getting across-here the receiver becomes the source and the source becomes the receiver-constantly switching back and forth
- affects fidelity-person can ask Qs, other can clarif
circular model
any model that incorporates feedback
-linear model is just a lecture
4 systems of communication
intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, mass
- as gets bigger, more impersonal, limits on feedback, less dynamic
- some things can go through all these, can be combo-like emails, blogs-it’s not always easy to designate a type of communication
intrapersonal communication
most basic and fundamental form-communication with yourself
interpersonal communication
communication between 2 people-dynamic, lots of feedback, sometimes called dyadic communication (dyad=2)
small group communication
- begins when you add a 3rd person
- people see themselves as a member of a group, everyone knows each other (by name or sight), everyone has ability to be a source
- could be up to 50 but usually smaller-more conceptual than numbers
- for upper limit-if you see someone else new, not a member and you can tell-it’s a small group
- if it someone not present and can tell-small group
- if can’t tell in either scenario, mass
- mediated small group communication: group text, conference calls
mass communication
- big group communication, many strangers
- mediated mass communication: mass email sent from prof. to class, usually 1 person communicating to many people-somewhat impersonal
mediation
physical inanimate thing coming in between 2 or more things (source and receiver)-typically removing them from face to face contact, but allowing them to communicate-like a phone (mediated interpersonal communication)
-can be channels-some channels mediated, others not-mediated intrapersonal=reading your journal
Perception
the complex process by which we perceive organize, and interpret all our sensory stimuli into something
-we can break perception down into reception and analysis
reception
relatively automatic and mechanical -the operation of our senses
analysis
more active-involves focusing, organizing, interpreting
how do we selectively perceive things?-factors influencing selection and perception
- factors within the object/stimuli in the world
- factors within ourselves
factors influencing selection and perception w/ the objects/stimuli
1) we tend to focus on that which is easy or obvious
2) intensity-intense colors, sounds, behaviors-we tend to select for that which is intense
3) contrast-we tend to select for that which is in contrast to other thing-stands out because different-contrast used a lot by advertisements
4) repetition-that which is repeated-used in learning a lot-the idea behind commercial slogans
- these are not mutually exclusive-something can fit into more than 1 of these categories
factors influencing selection and perception within ourselves
1) past learning experiences-things that we learn can influence our perception-even if what we’ve learned isn’t true-if made generalization based on a few people of a group, “learned” that’s the way those people are, so look for and jump on that when meet other members of the group=affects perception-phobias also fit into this category
2) culture-what is familiar to your culture, what you’ve experienced cuz of your culture, affects your culture-lots of studies/experiments done on this-some cultural diff.s even within societies-maybe due to ethnicity or race-there are subcultural differences-cuz have had diff. experiences/histories
3) Language (also a part of culture)- Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis-your language determines the way you perceive reality/the world-diff languages have diff vocab-but lots of criticism of this theory-but evidence bilingual speakers seem to think and perceive differently depending on the language using, so some truth to theory-our language predisposes our interpretation and perception or reality
* **human beings shape culture and language, which in turn shapes them
4) Motivation-based on what’s important to you-your motives
5) Stereotypes-generalizations we make about attributes of members of a group=we get these generalizations from a variety of places-our families, personal experience, the mass media-they influence perception-but oftentimes these are wrong-problematic cuz they influence our perception-diff. people can perceive the same actions carried out by diff groups in completely diff ways-reinforce what we already believe-stereotypes not necessarily negative-but usually have a negative twist-allows us to maintain some feeling of superiority-don’t change until meet so many exceptions that change it-so best way to fix it is to have groups meet/mingle
6) roles-gender roles, occupational roles, family roles-will select for diff things based on roles play in life-selectively perceive diff things
7) mood/emotional state
8) attitude-the value of thoughts and feelings we have on people or things-having favorable vs unfavorable attitude towards a sports team, a candidate
9) psychological characteristics
- selective exposure-our tendency to only expose ourselves to messages we agree with-not gonna go to church if you’re an atheist-expose yourself to things you want to hear
- selective attention-our tendency to pay attention to messages we agree with and not those we don’t
- selective retention-tendency of people to remember messages/aspects of a message they agree with, forget those they don’t
Language
- any system of symbols used to communicate
- there are different types of symbols-here we’re talking about verbal language, so symbols=words
Words
1) stand for/refer to things in world
- reference
- word/thing relationship is arbitrary, decided and agreed upon by people-no natural connection between word and thing-there are exceptions to onomatopoeia, for ex-but weird that diff languages have diff onomatopoeic words for the same thing
2) perform actions with words-saying “I do” at a wedding=part of the act of getting married-cursing part of being angry-saying “I promise is part of making a deal/commitment
3) words evoke emotions=can be moved by words, or hurt
4) words can be used to reduce uncertainty-can reduce uncertainty by asking questions, clarifying
5) express complexities/complex ideas-related to the fact that they’re key to solving problems, making arguments, developing relationships
6) promote human contact
problems words have when they serve this function (stand for/refer to things in world)
- bypassing
- abstraction
- euphemism
- relative language
- static evaluation
- language is limited, but reality is virtually unlimited
- subcultural differences
problems words have when they serve this function: bypassing
using diff words with the same meaning or the same word with different meanings-can frame/word things better than another even if essentially the same thing-fluorentine in water vs. H-2-Flow on Parks and Rec
-equivocation: simply means many words and phrases have more than 1 meaning besides definition-can be cleared up through feedback, paraphrasing, clarification-but equivocation is not always a bad thing
problems words have when they serve this function: abstraction
generalizing about similarities between or among people, things, events-we speak at diff levels of abstraction/generality-we have a ladder of abstraction-if too general, can lead to problems/misunderstandings, stereotypes, generalizations, unclear directions so bad results, leave you unclear about your own thoughts but not always a bad thing-but can be
problems words have when they serve this function: euphemism
a pleasant term substituted for a blunt one-soften the impact of info that might be unpleasant-but the problem is it can make your true message unclear-sometimes to be nice but sometimes lying-don’t want to disrupt clarity or compromise your integrity
problems words have when they serve this function: relative language
sometimes words really only gain meaning through comparison- relative words-depends who you’re asking-“inexpensive”, “big”-big compared to what?
problems words have when they serve this function: static evaluation
refers to using words to make reality seem more concrete/unchanging/static than it really is-“you can always count on Mark”-“alex is boring”-“amy is a nervous person”-putting someone in a category, assuming that’s just who they are, always that way-date and time your observations to fix this-often situational-don’t go off 1st impression-overgeneralizing something in the present/past to apply to future
problems words have when they serve this function: language (symbol system, vocab) is limited but reality is virtually unlimited
this can be problematic-can’t always differentiate enough-make more distinctions in reality than have words for-some things can’t really be put into words, can’t be taught through just words, need to show-like teaching a kid to tie shoes, ride a bike-we will never be able to fully describe something because language is limited
problems words have when they serve this function: subcultural differences
we all use language differently-racial and ethnic and class and job and regional and music subcultures-all speak differently-can cause confusion-have diff slang, terms, sometimes spread to other subcultures though, no longer confused-like “hella” from the Bay Area
there are cultural diff.s on the use of language:
1) elaborate vs. succinct styles of language use-Arabic vs. cultures where silence is valued, like Japanese
2) level of formality=formal vs. informal styles of language
English
- more people speak english than any other language-many’s 2nd or 3rd language
- english has become language of international diplomacy
- english has become language of international commerce
- english has become language of scientific discourse
- english is the language of air traffic control
- the use of english far and wide is not w/o its problems-translation mistakes
Profanity
- as w/ all languages, the use of profanity varies from place to place, form subculture to subculture
- NYC in particular uses a lot of profanity-why? stress of high pressure jobs in big city-tolerance for ppl with different behaviors-anonymity of residents
- tied to social circumstances
- profanity has lost some of its punch-cuz less forbidden now, more widespread
- “fuck” has become so pervasive it can be any part of speech-substittue for many words used to say-also spliced into words-widespread-so it’s lost a lot of its impact and shock value-less used in graffiti
- why has it become so widespread? media (movies, TV), 1960s ideology (brought speech patterns to more educated classes), the feminist movement (for spreading cussing to women), american lifestyle has become increasingly casual, music (esp. rock)
- those words that are most forbidden have changed over time-used to be more restricted words were related to religion (19th century)-then by 20th century, sexual words-by 21st, now gender and racial and ethnic slurs-as america becomes more concerned with equality issues
Intimacy
- the desire to connect with other people-a powerful force
- that’s why the end of an intimate relationship is so painful, whether through a breakup, or death
- intimacy arises from closeness-has several dimensions
- need some distance and privacy in the closest of relationships
- intimacy takes time and effort-can’t be intimate with everyone, not enough time
- relationships without intimacy can be good as well
dimensions of intimacy
1) physical dimension-physical contact, touch
2) intellectual intimacy-exchange of important ideas
3) emotional intimacy
4) shared activities
gender differences in intimacy
- women more likely to open up, open to sharing thoughts, positive feelings
- women form close bongs through talk, men form close bonds through doing things together
- also relates to sex-for many women, sex is to express an intimacy that has already been created-for men, sex can be a way to create intimacy in the first place
- cultural diff.s too-expression of intimacy varies from time to time, place to place-verbal communication between spouses used to be more formal-culture heavily influences expression of intimacy too-whether acceptable to kiss in public
Why do we form intimate relationships with some people and not others?
- sometimes we have no choice-parents, siblings-arranged marriages-sometimes people we work with, don’t really choose
- but usually we an choose-based on what? social status, attractiveness, common interests, chemistry, chemistry, sense of humor, values, culture, background, wealth, friendliness, religion, education level, personality
Why do we form intimate relationships with some people and not others? What does science say?
- physical appearance
- Similarity
- complementarity
- reciprocity
5 exchange - Competency
- Proximity
- Disclosure
Why do we form intimate relationships with some people and not others? What does science say?
1. physical appearance
- important in early stages of a relationship-more attractive you are, more people will want to hang out with you again-other factors not as important at first-attractive people automatically perceived as more nice, interesting, etc. than others-get away with more-we’re more likely to help attractive people, even if they don’t ask-less likely to ask them for help-goes well into middle age
- subjectivity does play a part, but seems to mostly have strong agreement across countries and difference groups on who is attractive
- across cultures, men tend to be attracted in women to big eyes, delicate jaws, full lips, small noses, thin waist, luscious hair-show high estrogen levels, sign of youth
- what women find attractive in men-more complicated-taller, wide shoulders, long jaw, sign of testosterone-but can change based on where she is in menstrual cycle
- what has been biologically advantageous to species is to select for attractiveness
- they are historical and cultural diff.s
- nut mostly standards of what we find attractive mostly hold up over time, around the world
- 3 month old children-before culture can even kick in-will state longer/prefer more attractive faces
- symmetry selected for/beautiful-related to health
- ordinary people with good personalities perceived as more attractive
- physical factors become less important as relationships progress
- physical attractiveness important for women and men-but more so for men-cues to fertility-youth and appearance-while women place greater value on class/financial status/ambition
Why do we form intimate relationships with some people and not others? What does science say?
2. Similarity
comforting to know someone who likes and dislikes the same things as you-validates us-similar values-sometimes same religion, race, class, education level
- we are drawn to people who we perceive as like us
- comfortable with them cuz can predict what they’ll like
- shared attitudes more important than shared personalities
- too much similarity can be boring
- similarity in ability and intelligence very important
- we can be drawn to diff.s in others though-complementarity
Why do we form intimate relationships with some people and not others? What does science say?
3. Complementarity
- Diff.s can strengthen a relationship when they are complementary
- characteristics of 1 can satisfy needs of the others
- help each other, balance each other, meet each others’ needs
- good when partners agree to exercise control over diff. domains of relationship-so diff. strengths useful
- strains can occur when control issues come up, both want to control same thing
- keeps relationship interesting
- so good to have both similarities and differences
Why do we form intimate relationships with some people and not others? What does science say?
4. Reciprocity
- you liking someone and them liking you back-bolsters out self esteem
- especially early on in relationship, like that someone likes us-favor them-influences you to see them differently, like them
- conversely, we don’t like when people don’t like us/attack us/are indifferent towards us
- even just thinking someone may like you, that you have a chance, can be an important factor, rather than thinking they’re out of your league
Why do we form intimate relationships with some people and not others? What does science say?
5. exchange
- we seek out people who can give us rewards/benefits (emotional, physical, etc.) that are greater than or equal to the cost involved with dealing with those people-and there are always costs
- are they worth the effort
- as we go along in life, we develop certain expectations of how many benefits we deserve-what level attractiveness, wealth, etc.-so even if benefits greater than cost, if don’t meet what you think deserve, will reject them-this especially happens in relationships, based on past relationships
- if another may give you more benefits, may leave person you’re with for them
- works with business relationships and friendships too
Why do we form intimate relationships with some people and not others? What does science say?
6. Competency
- we like competent and talented people
- attracted to types of skills we wish we had, people we wish we could become
- but not so competent as to make us uncomfortable cuz we look bad by comparison
Why do we form intimate relationships with some people and not others? What does science say?
7. proximity
- being near to each other
- likely to develop friendship with someone you interact with often
- why long distance relationships are challenging-but better now because of technology