Uncertainty Reduction Theory

Question 1

What is Uncertainty Reduction Theory?

Answer 1

Increased knowledge of what kind of person another is, which provides an improved forecast of how a future ineraction will turn out

Question 2

What three prior conditions drive to reduce uncertainty?

Answer 2

1. Anticipation of future interaction
2. Incentive value
3. Deviance (what is wrong with them?)

Question 3

What are the two types of uncertainty and how are they defined?

Answer 3

1. Behavioral questions: What will they do?
2. Cognitive questions (What will they think?)

Question 4

What is Heiders attribution Theory?

Answer 4

People draw inferences about character of others based on observed behavior

Question 5

What is uncertainty reduction?

Answer 5

Improves forecast of how a future interaction will turn out

Question 6

What is Axiom One of verbal communication?

Answer 6

• High level of uncertainty present at inset of entry phase
• As verbal communication increases, level of uncertainty will decrease
• As uncertainty decrease, amount of verbal communication will increase

Question 7

What is Axiom Two of nonverbal warmth?

Answer 7

• As nonverbal expressiveness increases, uncertainty levels will decrease
• Body language
• Decreases in uncertainty level causes increases in nonverbal expressiveness
• We become more comfortable

Question 8

What is Axiom Three of information seeking?

Answer 8

• High levels of uncertainty increases in information seeking behavior
• As uncertainty levels decline, information seeking decreases

Question 9

What is Axiom Four of self disclosure?

Answer 9

• High levels of uncertainty decreases in the intimacy level of communication content
• Low levels of of uncertainty produce high levels of intimacy

Question 10

What is Axiom Five of reciprocity?

Answer 10

• High levels of uncertainty produce high rates of reciprocity
• Low levels of uncertainty produce low rates of reciprocity

Question 11

What is Axiom Six of similarity?

Answer 11

• Similarities reduce uncertainty, while dissimilarities increase uncertainty

Question 12

What is Axiom Seven of liking?

Answer 12

• Increases in uncertainty level produce decreases in liking
• To know someone is to like or dislike

Question 13

What is Axiom Eight of shared networks?

Answer 13

• Shared communication networks reduce uncertainty
• What people do we both know?

Question 14

What are message plans?

Answer 14

Mental representations of action sequences that may e used to achieve goals

Question 15

What are methods of coping with uncertainty?

Answer 15

• Seeking information
• Passive strategy
• Active strategy
• Interactive strategy
• Extractive Strategy
• Choosing plan complexity
• Hedging
• Hierarchy hypothesis

Question 16

What are passive, active and extractive strategies?

Answer 16

Passive: Observing the person interacting with others
Active: Searching the internet for information about the person
Extractive: Searching the internet for information about the person

Question 17

What is choosing plan complexity?

Answer 17

Message plan based on level of detail it provides and number of contingencies it covers

Question 18

What is hedging?

Answer 18

Use of strategic ambiguity and humor when a message fails to to achieve its goals

Question 19

What is hierarchy hypotheses?

Answer 19

When people are thwarted in attempt to achieve goals, they alter lower-level elements of their message

Question 20

What is relational turbulence?

Answer 20

• Uncertainty leaders close partners to relationship turbulence
• Negative emotions arising from perceived problems
• Direct attempts to resolve uncertainty reduction might help relational turbulence