Traditions in the Field of Communications Theory

Question 1

The Socio-Psychological Tradition

Answer 1

-focuses on how communication is influenced by interaction and individual behavior, attitudes, and emotions
-uses psychology and sociology to explore how people perceive, process, and react to messages

Question 2

The Socio-Psychological Tradition and Research

Answer 2

-believes objective “truths” can be discovered through careful, systematic observation

-quantitative measurements of variables from surveys or controlled experiments can be obtained

-typical research methods include experiments, surveys, and observations

Question 3

The Socio-Psychological Tradition Aim

Answer 3

aims to predict and explain communication behavior by examining how personal thoughts, feelings and social environments interact

Question 4

The Socio-Psychological Tradition Key Concepts

Answer 4

-attitudes and persuasion
-social influence
-behavioral influence

Question 5

Attitudes and persuasion

Answer 5

how communications changes beliefs and behaviors

e.g. what caused the shifts in views on immigration?

Question 6

Social influence

Answer 6

how group dynamics impact individual choices

Question 7

Behavioral influence

Answer 7

how people react to communication stimuli

Question 8

The Socio-Psychological Tradition Class Examples (questions and studies)

Answer 8

Questions:
-How does a particular social media algorithm influence political opinions?
-How do emotional appeals in advertising affect consumer decisions (e.g. baby schema)

Studies:
-How do social media likes impact adolescent self-esteem
-What is the effectiveness of fear-based health messages on smoking cessation?

Question 9

The Socio-Psychological Tradition Own Examples (questions and studies)

Answer 9

Study: How does level of engagement with the news affect an individual’s perception of the country?

Question 10

The Cybernetic Tradition

Answer 10

views communication as a system of information processing, where signals are sent, responses are monitored, and behavior is adjusted based on response

*Feedback loops are an essential part of this tradition

Question 11

The Cybernetic Tradition Key Concepts

Answer 11

-systems
-information flow
-feedback

Question 12

The Cybernetic Tradition Example Questions from Class

Answer 12

Questions:
-social media algorithms curating user content based on engagement
-crisis communication systems providing emergency alerts

Studies:
-examining the effect of feedback algorithms on social media addiction
-analyzing how communication breakdowns occur in emergency response systems

Question 13

The Rhetorical Tradition

Answer 13

views communication as artful public address, where speech can persuade and influence others to achieve particular goals

would look at the language being used (recall anti-immigrant speech example)

Question 14

The Rhetorical Tradition Aim

Answer 14

understand how language changes the mind of others

Question 15

The Cybernetic Tradition Own Examples

Answer 15

Question: Copy testing used to alter advertising messages to be more effective

Study: Analyzing how cancel culture influences political communication and its impacts on the Overton window

Question 16

The Rhetorical Tradition Examples from Class

Answer 16

-a TED talk speaker
-a lawyer presenting an argument to a jury

Studies:
-understanding how different rhetorical strategies influence voters decisions in political campaigns
-studying the impact of motivational speakers on the audience

Question 17

The Rhetorical Tradition Own Examples

Answer 17

Example: a sports coach motivating their team before a game

Study: Examining how therapy influences an individual’s approach to conflict resolution

Question 18

The Semiotic Tradition

Answer 18

views communication as the process of sharing meaning through signs and studies how the interpretation of verbal and nonverbal signs can impact society

Question 19

The Semiotic Tradition key concepts

Answer 19

-signifier
-signified
-diachronic analysis
- semantic shift

Question 20

Signifier

Answer 20

the word or image representing something

Question 21

Signified

Answer 21

the meaning that’s being represented

Question 22

Diachronic Analysis

Answer 22

study of change in a phenomena over time, specifically how signifiers change in response to environmental conditions

e.g. how the meaning of a high heel shifted from sensuality to power

Question 23

Semantic shift

Answer 23

how do meanings of symbols shift?

e.g. a wave

Question 24

The Socio-Cultural Tradition

Answer 24

views communication as the creation and enactment of social reality and focuses on how meaning is socially constructed

linguistic relativity: the structure of language influences thought

Question 25

The Socio-Cultural Tradition Examples from Class

Answer 25

Studies:
-analyzing how workplace culture impacts communication
-studying how immigrant families navigate cultural identity through language

-workplace slang creates in-group identity
-family traditions shape communication styles
-national holidays reinforcing cultural identity
-pop culture shape youth behavior

Question 26

The Socio-Cultural Tradition Own Examples

Answer 26

Example: Celebrities shaping consumer trends
Study: Investigating how refugees fleeing gender-based violence interact and communicate with others new countries

Question 27

The Critical Tradition

Answer 27

views communication as a reflective challenge to unjust discourse and focuses on how power imbalances are perpetuated through communicative practices

Question 28

The Phenomenological Tradition

Answer 28

-emphasizes examining communication through people’s own perception and interpretation of events

Question 29

What does the critical traditional specifically critique?

Answer 29

critique of blind reliance on scientific method and uncritical acceptance of empirical findings

Question 30

The Critical Tradition Examples from Class

Answer 30

-media portraying women in stereotypical roles
-corporate advertising reinforcing consumerism
-corporate greenwashing in environmental campaigns

Question 31

The Critical Tradition Own Examples

Answer 31

Biased news sources bringing in an interviewee seeking to promote private interests

Question 32

The Phenomenological Tradition Examples from Class

Answer 32

-a trauma survivor sharing their story in therapy
-two siblings recalling their childhood differently

Studies:
-exploring how first generation college students experience pressure
-investigating how patients interpret doctor-patient communication during diagnosis

Question 33

The Phenomenological Tradition Own Example

Answer 33

Example: LA country fire victim sharing what it was like to flee

Study: Exploring how international students experience pressure to conform social traditions in US colleges.