CMN 010V Midterm

Communication (simple definition)

Each act of transmitting info.

Technical Media

Channels we construct to amplify our communication (i.e. T.V., radio, cellphone)

Other forms of Media

Hands, voice, and eyes..

Does communication require a "listener" or recipient in order to be considered communication?

Communication is the process of BOTH sending and receiving. (Just sending a message is NOT comm., think of the golden record on The Voyager)

Does communication require intent? (What if I didn't mean it?)

Though it may be poor communication if the wrong info. was received, IT WAS COMMUNICATION!

Is it ever possible to not communicate?

Not really, meaning can still be interpreted from lack of communication.

Transmission Model

sender --> creates a message --> received by an audience/receiver (this is a linear process). This theory is only effective when the desired effect is reached.

Noise

Things that can disrupt any stage of the transmission model and change the desired effect.

Laswell 1948

To understand the process of communication, we must consider who says what, in which channel, to whom, with what effect?

David Berlo's SMCR Model

Views communication as the transfer of communication: Messages have to be put (by the sender) into a form that can go through a channel in order for a receiver to get the message.

In other words, the sender encodes a message and it is up to the receiver to decode the message and gain meaning.

Feedback Loop

The receiver of a message can send information back to the initial sender.

(This is not present in Berlo's Model)

Reception and Audience Theories

Put emphasis on the receiver making meaning out of messages, with no "right" interpretation of a message.

Messages are _____________.

Polysemic.

Poly = Many Semic = Meanings

Stewart Hall's Theory of Encoding and Decoding

Production, Circulation, Use, and Reproduction

Production

Ideas encoded into a message based off of the sender's experiences and their perceptions of the receiver's experiences and beliefs.

Circulation

The message is made available to the receiver in some form.

Use

The process of consumption, decoding, and interpretation by the audience or receiver.

Reproduction

The effects or consequences of of use of a message.

3 different types of Decoding

Dominant, Negotiated, and Oppositional

Dominant Decoding

The recipient decodes the message the way the sender encoded it.

Negotiated Decoding

The receiver recognizes something like the dominant meaning, but derives their own somewhat different meaning.

Oppositional Decoding

The receiver decodes a fundamentally different from, often in opposition to, the dominant meaning.

Decoding is based off of what?

The receiver's own beliefs and experiences.

Is any form of decoding more valid than another?

Not in Reception and Audience Theories. The focus is on understanding what the recipient derives from the message.

What are the practical benefits of studying Interpersonal Communication?

Increase effectiveness in personal, social, and professional life.

What are the intellectual benefits of studying Interpersonal Communication?

Understanding what, how, and why we interact with others.

Interpersonal Communication

The verbal and nonverbal interaction between two (or sometimes more) interdependent people.

Interpersonal Communication occurs among who?

People who are independent individuals that are somehow connected.

Interpersonal Communication is inherently what?

Relational! It is influenced by and influences the relationship between the two people communicating.

Interpersonal Communication exists on a ______________?

Continuum from relatively impersonal to highly personal.

Impersonal Interactions

Individuals likely to respond to each other according to social roles being played (i.e. a taxi driver and passenger)

Interpersonal Interactions

Individuals more likely to respond to one another as unique individuals. (i.e. best friends, family, or longtime lovers).

Interpersonal Communication is

a.) inevitable

b.) irreversible

c.) both

c.) both! Any behavior is (either intentionally or unintentionally) communicative and cannot be taken back once communicated.

Contact Stage of Interpersonal Relationships

The time of first impression, perceptual contact, and interactional contact.

Perceptual Contact

Seeing, smelling, hearing, or reading a message from another person in the Contact Stage of relationships.

Interactional Contact

First contact made during the Contact Stage of relationships; usually superficial and impersonal.

Involvement Stage of Interpersonal Relationships

A sense of being connected develops by experimenting, testing, and trying to learn more about a person. (One my consider intensifying or exiting the relationship at this point)

Intensifying in Relationships

Using a variety of strategies to move to the next level of a relationship (possibly to achieve intimacy).

Intimacy Stage of Interpersonal Relationships

Commit yourself further to the other person as either a close friend, romantic partner, or companion. Here the quality and quantity of interpersonal exchanges increase, and individuals come to share each others' social networks.

Deterioration Stage or Interpersonal Dissatisfaction in Interpersonal Relationships

Experience intrapersonal dissatisfaction with every day interactions and may enter the phase of interpersonal deterioration. One may pause, repair, or exit the relationship at this point.

Interpersonal Deterioration

Fewer disclosures and less physical contact in a relationship caused by intrapersonal dissatisfaction in a relationship.

Repair Phase of Interpersonal Relationships

Utilizing Inter and Intrapersonal Repair to attempt to save a relationship that is currently facing Deterioration.

Intrapersonal Repair

Analyzing what went wrong in a relationship; possibly changing behaviors and expectations

Interpersonal Repair

Discuss problems in the relationship and changes you want to see; negotiations may be made and advice may be sought.

Dissolution Stage of Interpersonal Relationships

Bonds between individuals are broken; leads to interpersonal separation

Interpersonal Separation

Individuals physically move apart and begin leading separate lives; many establish new lives on their own, but some dwell on the past for a long time.

Social Penetration Theory

Describes what happens when relationships develop from the perspective of self disclosure; the more you disclose, the deeper your relationship.

Self-Disclosure

Sharing about oneself; at the core of relationships; penetrating deeper into the lives of others means letting people penetrate deeper into your own.

*AS A RELATIONSHIP PROGRESSES,I INDIVIDUALS DISCLOSE MORE INTIMATE INFORMATION

Breadth (Part of Social Penetration Theory)

Range of topics over which self-disclosure take place.

Depth (Part of Social Penetration Theory)

the intimacy of self-disclosure.

What is the pace of self-disclosure as a relationship progresses?

It is rapid in the beginning, then more spaced out as we move from outer to inner layers of social penetration.

Social Depenetration

The gradual process of layer-by-layer withdrawal.

Social Exchange Theory

Relationship behavior and status are regulated by parties' evaluations of perceived rewards and costs of interactions with each other.

What kind of relationships do we choose to create and maintain?

Ones that minimize our costs and maximize our benefits.

Outcome

Perceived rewards minus the costs of a relationship

Comparison Level

The threshold above which a current relationship seems satisfactory.

Comparison Level of Alternatives

best outcome available in alternative relationships.

Theory of Relational Dialectics

Autonomy vs Connection

Openness vs Closedness

Novelty vs Predicatbility

Autonomy vs Connection

The need to be an independent person vs the need to be associated with and close to others.

Openness vs Closedness

Wanting open communication vs wanting privacy.

Novelty vs Predictability

The desire for routine to provide security vs not wanting to become bored in a relationship.

Language

system of symbols people use to transfer meaning amongst themselves.

Language is a collection of ___________ that have ___________.

Language is a collection of symbols/words that have meaning.

Semantics

The study of words and their meaning.

Syntax

The study of word order.

Language use is ______________.

Social! It is an action that only exists in the context of people employing symbols to transfer meaning.

Speech Acts

Utterances with a performative function

What violates promise speech acts?

Sarcasm.

Pragmatics

The study of how context/social setting plays a role in the use/interpretation of language.

Literal Language

The use and understanding of how words occur in a fundamental/basic way without added meaning from the context.

Implicature

How people transfer meaning that is greater than what a speaker is literally saying.

Habits of speakers

Recognize pragmatics and are willing to use implicature to covey a greater meaning than what they are literally saying.

Habits of Recipients

Make inferences to understand what a speaker intends from their utterance.

Language Attitudes

Form impressions of speakers based off of how they use language.

Status

Dominance, power, intelligence, rank, class, etc. that can be picked up by language use.

Solidarity

How kind, warm, and likeable a speaker is...can be picked up by language use.

Speech rate

How fast one speaks; higher rate, higher perceived status

Lexical Diversity

How many unique words are uttered; word repetitions lower diversity; raises status but lowers solidarity.

Accent

Perceival depends on particular accent and which social group it represents.

Taboo Language

Forbidden or prohibited language often associated with negative emotion or discomfort.

The words/phrases we deem taboo are _____________.

Arbitrary

Taboo status does what over time?

Changes.

Taboo words are...

Learned and passed on. They are also paradoxical in the sense that they are only learned because they are said.

Nonverbal Communication

Intentional or unintentional transmission of meaning through nonspoken physical and behavioral cues.

Nonverbal communication is bound by what?

Culture.

Differences among cultures and nationalities.

Speech vs silence

Talk vs action

Small talk or gossip

Animation, rhyme, and exaggeration in speech

Socialization

Nonverbal communication reflecting learned behaviors embedded in our culture.

Individualism

Individual goals precede the group

Collectivism

The group goals precede the individual

Individualistic Attributes

-More space

-Talk valued

-Distant proximity

-Smile more

Collectivistic Attributes

-Enjoy being close

-Silence avoids conflict

-Close proximity

-Suppresses emotional displays to maintain harmony

High Context Cultures

Rules of communication primarily transmitted through contextual elements like body language, status, and tone of voice.

Low Context Cultures

Information is primarily transmitted through language; rules are made explicit.

Power Distance

Extent to which less powerful members of a culture expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.

Gender Differences

Women tend to be considered better at reading body language/ display more nonverbal cues than men/ more animated in communication.

Kinesics

Visible body movements that send messages about attitudes, emotional states, and desire to control the environment..

Forms of Kinesics

Facial expressions, affect displays, eye contact, gestures, and posture.

Facial Expressions

Provide emotional info about ourselves and others through our face

Affect Display

Nonverbal Communication that reveal a person's emotional state or mood (SADFSH)

Universal Emotions

Sadness

Anger

Disgust

Fear

Suprise

Happiness