UCLA Comm 10 Midterm

Types of Social Norms

Folkways, Mores, Taboos

Norms

Rules on what is expected in a given situation.

Folkways

Lightly held norms. Not a big deal if you break them.

Mores

More strongly held norms. Breaking is a bigger deal.

Taboos

Most strongly held norms. Laws against such action.

Folkway Example

You should wear matching socks.

don't need to wear a tux to mcDonalds

More Example

Adults playing naked on the front lawn.

toddlers naked on the front lawn(folkway)

Taboo Example

Having sex with a family member (incest). Having sex with a dead person (Necrophilia).

SEMCDR Model

Source, Encoder, Message, Channel, Decoder, Receiver. (Linear Model)

Source

The person with the thought/idea to communicate.

Encoder

Takes the thought/idea and puts it into some form that people can understand.

Message

Code: any system of symbols by which we communicate. Must be shared to be understood. (language)

Content: What is being communicated. (the general idea)

Treatment: how you say what you say. (non-verbal things like tone and volume)

Channel

The medium used to get a message from source to receiver. (face to face, TV, etc.)

Decoder

Takes the idea out of form and puts them into words.

Double Blind

When the content and treatment of a message clash. (We tend to listen to the treatment in these cases)

Receiver

Person who receives the message being sent.

Feedback

The receiver becoming the source. allows for clarification which increases fidelity.

Circular Model

Model in which there is a constant change of source and and reciever. Feedback is involved.

Linear Model

Can only define communication that is one way. (SEMCDR Model)

Noise

Interferes with the message being sent. Interferes with the fidelity of the message.

Types of Noise

Internal Noise- noise that is going on within you. (cannot be externally removed)

External Noise- originates from the outside world.

Examples of Internal Noise

Hunger, sickness, distractions

Examples of External Noise

Jackhammer outside, 100 degrees in classroom, hot person sitting next to you.

Types of Fidelity

High Fidelity: message gets from source to receiver without distortion(noise).

Low Fidelity Message

High Fidelity Message Example

Face to face.

Low Fidelity Message Example

TV with a lot of static.

Systems of Communication

Intrapersonal, Interparsonal, Small Group, Mass

Intrapersonal Communication

Communication with one's self.

Interpersonal Communicaion

Communication between 2 people.

Small Group Communicaion

If you know the other members by name or sight and can recognize when one member is missing or when a new person is there.

Mass Communication

Big group where there is too many people to know by sight. (often linear form of communication)

Intrapersonal Communication Example

Thoughts, feelings.

Interpersonal Communication Example

Sitting across a table talking on a date.

Small Group Communication Example

Basketball team meeting in person.

Mass Communication Example

Lecture in college.

Mediation

Something inanimate coming in between the source and the receiver.

Non Mediated Intrapersonal Example

You thinking your own thoughts.

Mediated Intrapersonal Example

Writing yourself a note, keeping a diary.

Non Mediated Interpersonal Example

Speaking to someone face to face.

Mediated Interpersonal Example

Talking on the phone, writing a letter, sending a text.

Non Mediated Small Group Example

A study group in which everyone sits around a table talking face to face.

Mediated Small Group Example

A business meeting using google dox.

Non Mediated Mass Example

aka. Public Communication. One person talking to a large group without a medium.

Mediated Mass Example

Giving a lecture using a microphone.

Example of all 4 systems of Communication

Painting- paint for yourself, then show it to you friend, then show it to your art class, then take it to a museam.

Perception

Two people can see the same thing yet have totally different interpretations of it.

Stages of Perception

Reception, Analysis

Reception

The operation of our senses. Relatively automatic.

Analysis

Active stage of perception. Includes focusing, organizing, and interpreting.

Analysis of Example

You see 5 billion stimuli. Your brain can only process 500. Therefore we must select what to focus upon. Those 500 vary from person to person which explains how different people have different perceptions.

Stages of Selection

Factors relating to objects /stimuli

Factors within ourselves

Selection Factors Relating to Objects

Ease, Intensity, Contrast, Repetition

Ease

We select what is closest to us, what sticks out.

Intensity

We select things that exist in extreme. We notice that which is loud, bright, etc.

Contrast

We select things because they are different.

Repetition

We select that which is we see/hear over and over.

Ease Example

You pay attention to an elephant in class.

Intensity Example

You pay attention to a siren.

Contrast Example

You pay attention to Pringles at the store because they are in a can and not a bag.

Repetition Example

You pay attention to commercial slogans that you hear many times.

Selection Factors Within Ourselves

MMARSCLPP

Motivation, Mood, Attitudes, Roles, Stereotypes, Culture, Language, Past Learning Experiences, Psychological Tendencies

Past Learning Experiences Selection Example

Man cheated on woman, now she thinks all men are untrustworthy.

Culture Selection Example

Flash 2 images, one in each eye. A baseball player and a bull fighter. Over 90% of people in Mexico saw the bull fighter. Over 90% of people in America saw the baseball player.

Language Selection Example

In Arabic there are two words for color- hot and cool. In English there are many words for color.

The "Sapir-Whorf" Hypothesis

The idea that language alters our perception of reality. Ex: people in the North have different words fro "snow" which means they make more detailed distinctions when they view snow

Motivation Selection Example

You are more likely to see an advertisement for food when you are hungry.

Sources of Steryotypes

Your culture, your family, your own past learning experiences, the mass media

Negative Twist

A positive stereotype with a ______. Ex: we admire athletes BUT they are just dumb jocks.

Roles Selection Example

Each focuses on a different thing in the park based on their occupation. A zoologist, a psychologist, and a pick pocket.

Mood Selection Example

Study with people in different moods. All shown picture of kids digging in the mud. Happy sees kids having fun. Anxious worries that someone is going to get hurt and that no adult is watching them. Etc.

Attitudes Selection Example

The referee is always unfair to your team. Why? Because you are favorably predisposed toward your own team.

Types of Psychological Tendencies

Selective Exposure, Selective Attention, Selective Retention

Selective Exposure

Tendency to expose yourself to messages that agree with your beliefs and values.

Selective Attention

Tendency to pay more attention to the part of the message that is consistent with your beliefs and tune out the ones that counter it.

Selective Retention

Tendency, if you have listened to all parts of the message and are later asked what was said, you are more likely to be able to tell people those parts of the message that you agreed with.

Counter Tendency

Paying attention to opinions counter to yours to make yourself feel superior.

Selective Exposure Example

An athiest is not likely to go to church.

Selective Attention Example

Obama talks about economics and you listen because you agree. He then talks about the war and you tune him out because you don't agree.

Selective Retention Example

When asked about Obamas speech last night you tell your friend how he talked about economics and not about the war because you agree with his stance on economics but not the war.

Functions of Words

SPPERE

Stand for/refer to things, Perform actions, Promote human contact, Evoke emotions, Reduce uncertainty, Express complexities

Problems with words

RELEASS

Relative language, Equivocation (bypassing), Limited language, Euphemism, Abstraction, Static evaluation, Subcultural differences

Equivocation and Bypassing

using the same words with different meanings or different words with the same meanings (love can mean many different things) equivocation: many words have more than one commonly accepted meaning

Abstraction

the level of specificity you ascribe to what you communicate. The ladder of abstraction (this is a person, this is an aquaintance, this is my friend, this is my best friend, this is my best friend John Smith)

Euphemism

pleasant term substituted for a blunt one in order to soften the impact of unpleasant news. (firing= early retirement, negotiated departure) *challenge is to be as nice as possible without sacrificing thte clarity of your message

Relative Language

words that only ultimately get meaning if you offer some comparison. These words are all relative. (Small school?...compared to what???)

Static Evaluation

using words to make reality more concrete than it actually is ("John is boring" it would be more accurate to say "John was boring at lunch today" he may not be boring in other areas)

Limited Language/Unlimited Reality

our vocabularies are limited, for complex things words are not adequate (ex. must show a kid how to tie his shoes, can't tell him with words)

Subcultural Differences

different cultures may use the same language in a different way-leads to misunderstandings (up north they use the word "hella" to mean "really")

Cultural Differences in the Use of Language

Elaborate vs. Succinct and Formal vs. Informal

formal vs informal example

In Korean there are 6 different speech endings to display various levels of formality(acquaintance, strangers, friends) whereas in America we often refer to each other by our first name.

Elaborate vs. Succinct example

In arabic "no" does not suffice when turning down an offer for more food, meaning must be offered to convey the point (over elaborates)

Profanity

Reason to use profanity- people want to say it because they are not really supposed to. As profanity becomes more widespread it looses its "punch". Tied to Social circumstance: "No profanity" signs exist in small towns, the larger the city the the more profane.

Why is it so widespread? mass media, the movie rating system, the feminist movement, 1960s: speech patterns considered lower class were brought to the upper class , TV standards changing, Hip Hop in the 90s

Today racial profanity is the most taboo- before it was religious or sexual words

Dimensions of Intimacy

PIES Physical (touch is very important for humans- begins early on- babies who don't get enough touch have abnormally high stress levels)

Intellectual (Exchanging important ideas with one another)

Emotional (sharing important feelings with one another)

Shared Activities (doing things together)

Gender and Culture's Influence on Intimacy

Women tend to bond through talk and are more likely to open up. Men through actions. This leads to misunderstandings. Women also view sex as a way to express intimacy that has already been developed.

Some cultures PDA is acceptable. Others this would be very inappropriate.

Why We Choose Who We Choose

SCCREPPD

Similarities, Complementarity, Competency, Reciprocity, Exchange, Physical Appearance, Proximity, Disclosure

Similarities

We tend to select people with the same values/class/interests/intelligence as we do. (Studies show that attitude similarity is more important than personality similarity)

Complementarity

"Opposites arttract". Differences can strengthen a relationship when they are complementary- when each person's characteristics satisfy the other person's needs (ex. person who talks a lot with a person who hardly talks at all)

Competency

We seek people who are competent and skilled but not TOO competent. Someone who is too perfect seems unreachable and inhuman. People like approachability. (In this order people liked 1.superior who blundered 2. superior who didn't 3. average person who didn't 4. average person who blundered)

Reciprocity

You like a person and the person likes you back. Knowing that someone like you is a strong source of attraction. On the other hand we don't like people who don't like us. *This also works if we just think the person likes us, even if they don't

Exchange

This is cost-benefit analysis. We seek people who give us rewards (physical, emotional, financial). Through life we develop an idea of what we deserve in a relationship; if a person falls below the mark, we are likely not interested in them.