CMN 120V Exam 1 (pt. 1)

Interpersonal Communication

the production and processing of verbal and nonverbal messages between two or a few persons (Braithwaite & Schrodt)

linear model of communication

one-way view of communication that assumes a message is sent by a source to a receiver through a channel

Feedback

send and receive feedback simultaneously

Noise in Communication

Anything that blocks or distorts clear communication between the sender and receiver of a message.

Physical Noise

external noise that makes a message difficult to hear or otherwise receive (e.g., static on phone call or people talking loudly outside of a classroom)

Psychological Noise

the thoughts and feelings that distract people from listening to what is said (e.g., thinking/stressing about an upcoming exam)

Physiological Noise

biological interference (e.g., being hungry or sleepy)

Semantic Noise

distractions aroused by certain word choices that take our attention away from the main message (e.g., not knowing the meaning of a word the sender uses. Common with cultural differences or jargon.)

transactional model of communication

constant exchange of messages between sender and receiver

Conditions of Interpersonal Communication

intentionality, shared information/meaning, transmission, recognition of relationship (bond)

Three Axioms of Communication

1. One cannot not communicate (there is no such thing as "non-behavior")

2. Every communication has a content (direct) and a relationship (subtle) component. The relationship component classifies the content component and is therefore meta-communication.

3. Punctuation determines meaning (the way we say words changes the meaning)

Situational Approach to Interpersonal Communication

an approach that defines interpersonal communication based on the context and setting in which communication occurs

Developmental approach to interpersonal communication

defines interpersonal communication by the ability to predict a partner's behavior based on accumulated knowledge

Sources of Data for Prediction-Making

1. Cultural level data (knowing about their culture and daily routines)

2. Sociological level data (knowing their specific group memberships and roles in groups)

3. Psychological level data (harder to obtain, but the more you know, the better you can predict. Things that are unique to an individual like always being late, likes reading, rides bike, etc.)

Components of Language

1. Phonemes

2. Syntax

3. Semantics

4. Pragmatics

Phonemes

the sounds we make when pronouncing words

Syntax

how we arrange the words (may or may not change the meaning)

Semantics

meaning of words (can be different based on context)

Pragmatics

the purpose of the words (what do they do for us)

Digital Code of Language

1. Has arbitrary elements (no logical reasons, just agreed upon meanings by general population)

2. Rules exist for combining these elements (ex: grammar rules)

3. Potential transformation (change the order of syntax but meaning stays the same)

Analogic Code (language)

the word is "thing-like" (ex: the word "punch" sounds like a punch)

Cooperative Principle

Grice's framework proposing that people follow maxims to make communication effective and mutually beneficial

Maxim of Quantity

speakers should provide the appropriate amount of information, neither too much nor too little

Maxim of Quality

speakers should be truthful and avoid saying what they believe to be false or insufficiently supported

Maxim of Relation

speakers should make their contributions relevant to the topic being discussed

Maxim of Manner

speakers should be clear and avoid obscurity or ambiguity

Implicature

- drawing extra conclusions or meanings (confusing message)

- caused by violated maxims

Maxim of Politeness

speakers should be courteous and respectful when communicating with others

Maxim of Morality

speakers should not repeat confidential information and avoid asking for information that is not needed

Maxim of Charity

speakers should try to violate as few maxims as posisble

Problems with the Maxims

1. too broad

2. do not handle all aspects of language

3. cooperative conversation is culturally determined

Politeness Theory (Brown and Levinson)

strategies are developed in order to save the receiver's 'face'; we usually want to socially accept our audience, making them feel valued, avoiding their embarrassment

Assumptions of Politeness Theory

1. all people have face wants

2. it is in everybody's interests to cooperate in satisfying each other's face needs

3. people are rational, so they choose means that with satisfy their ends

Two Kinds of Face

positive and negative

Positive face

desire to be liked and admired by others

Negative face

desire to be autonomous and free from others

Face-threatening acts (FTAs)

criticism and requests which violates someone's face

What determines a face-threatening act?

1. social distance (closeness and similarity)

2. power or status of the listener relative to the speaker (if they have power it is found less threatening)

3. degree of imposition (when a request is larger it's found as more threatening)

4. rank (varies for different cultures)

Combined = weight (tells us how face threatening the request will be)

Politeness Strategies (most to least polite)

1. do not say anything at all (most polite)

2. off record strategy

3. negative face redress

4. positive face redress

5. bald on record strategy (least polite)

Off record strategy

imply request without actually saying it

Negative face redress

acknowledge a person's autonomy

Positive face redress

acknowledge a person's social acceptance (praise)

Bald on-record strategy

directly say your request

Equivocal communciation

being vague or ambiguous (often used to avoid conflict)

Meta-theoretical discourses

1. Post-positivist perspective

2. Interpretive perspective

3. Critical perspective

Post-positivist perspective

believes that there is a single objective world view; aims to advance predictions and offer generalizations; mainly uses surveys, experiments, and statistics for methodology

Interpretive Perspective

rejects the single objective view (each individual's POV is unique); mainly uses ethnography, focus groups, and in-depth interviews; privacy management theory: how people manage their privacy

Critical Perspective

identifies inequities; as a guide to uncover marginalized or silenced voices; may use similar methods to interpretive perspective

Requests from friends study

asked people what they found more or less polite when a friend was making a request. they found that people valued when their friend was explicit and rationale with their request, but found impolite if their friend exerted dominance.

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