CMN 10V textbook key concepts

attribution

an explanation of why things happen or why people act as they do; not necessarily correct interpretations of others and their motives

cognitive complexity

the number of mental constructs an individual uses, how abstract they are, and how elaborately they interact to create perceptions

cognitive schemata

mental structures people use to organize and interpret experience.

four types: prototypes, personal constructs, stereotypes,, and scripts

constructivism

a theory that holds that we organize and interpret experience by applying cognitive structures called schemata

culture

the beliefs, values, and ways of interpreting experience that are shared by group of people

empathy

the ability to feel with another person, to feel what they feel in a situation

expectancy violation theory

theory claiming that when our expectations are violated, we become more cognitively alert as we struggle to understand and cope with unexpected behaviors

individualism

a predominant western value that regards each person as unique, important, and to be recognized for her or his individual qualities and behaviors

inference

an interpretation that goes beyond the facts known but is believed to logically follow from them

interpretation

the subjective process of creating explanations for what we observe and experience

judgement

a belief or opinion based on observations, feelings, assumptions, or other nonfactual phenomena

mind reading

the assumption that we understand what another person thinks or how another person perceives something

monitoring

the observation and regulation of one’s own communication

perception

an active process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting people, objects, events, situations, and activities

personal construct

a bipolar mental yardstick that allows us to measure people and situations along bipolar dimensions of judgement, such as “honest- dishonest”

person-centeredness

the ability to perceive another as a unique and distinct individual apart from social rules and generalizations

positive visualization

a technique used to enhance success in a variety of situations by teaching people to visualize themselves being effective and successful

prototype

a knowledge structure that defines the clearest or most representative example of some category

schemata

cognitive structure we use to organize and interpret experiences.

script

type of cognitive schemata:

define expected or appropriate sequences of action in particular settings

self-serving bias

the tendency to attribute our positive actions and successes to stable, global, internal influences that we control and to attribute negative actions and failures to unstable, specific, external influences beyond our control

social community

a group of people who live within a dominant culture yet also belong to another social group or groups that share values, understandings, and practices distinct from those of the dominant culture

stereotype

a predictive generalization about a person or situation

communication technologies

means recording, transferring, sharing, and working with information

cyberbullying

text messages, comments rumors, embarrassing pictures, videos, and fake profiles that are meant to hurt another person and are sent by e-mail or posted on social media sites

digital divide

the gap b/w people and communities that do and do not have access to digital technologies

digital media

electronic modes of communication that store and manage data in digital form

multitasking

engaging in multiple tasks in rapid sequence or in overlapping and interactive ways

agenda setting

media’s selection of issues, events, and people to highlight for attention

cultivation

a cumulative process by which the media foster beliefs about social reality, including the belief that the world is more dangerous and violent than it actually is

gatekeeper

a person, group, or institution that controls the choice and presentation of topics by media

global village

the modern-day, worldwide community made possible by electronic communication that instantaneously links people all over the world

immersive advertising

incorporating a product or brand into actual storylines in books television programs, and films

mainstreaming

the effect of TV in stablilizing and homogenizing views within a society

mass media

communication that addresses large audiences

mean world syndrome

the belief that the world is dangerous and full of mean people

product placement

a practice, paid for by advertisers and program sponsors, of featuring products are associated with particular characters, storylines, and so forth

puffery

exaggerated, superlative claims about a product that appear to be factually based but are actually meaningless and unverifiable

uses and gratification theory

claims people use mass communication to gratify their interests and desires

ambushing

listening carefully to a speaker in order to attack them

critical listening

listening to analyze and evaluate the content of communication or the character of the person speaking

defensive listening

the perception of a personal attack, criticism, or hostile undertones in communication when none is intended

Environmental distractions

in communication situations, any occurrence that interferes with listening

hearing

a physiological activity that occurs when sound waves hit our eardrums. It’s a passive process

incomprehensibility

when a message is not clearly understandable due to our language or transmission problems; one of four situational obstacles to listening

informational and critical listening

listening to understand information and ideas

interpretation

the subjective process of creating explanations for what we observe and experience

listening

the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages. The process consists of being mindful, hearing, selecting and organizing information, interpreting communication, responding, and remembering

literal listening

listening only to the content level of meaning and ignoring the relationship level of meaning

message complexity

the amount of detailed information or intricate reasoning in a message; can interfere with effective listening

message overload

the receiving of more messages than we can interpret, evaluate, and remember; can interfere with effective listening

mindfulness

the concept of being fully present in the moment; the first step of listening and the foundation of all other steps

minimal encouragers

communication that gently invites another person to elaborate by expressing interest in hearing more

monopolizing

hogging the stage by continuously focusing communication on oneself instead of on the person who is talking

paraphrasing

a method of clarifying another’s meaning by reflecting one’s interpretation of the other’s communication back to that person

prejudgement

judging others or their ideas before one has heard them

preoccupation

absorption in our own thoughts or concerns

pseudolistening

pretending to listen

relationship listening

listening to support another person or to understand how another person thinks, feels, or perceives some situation, event, or other phenomenon

remembering

the process of recalling what one has heard; the sixth element of listening

responding

symbolizing interest in what is being said with observable feedback to speakers during interaction; the fifth of six elements of listening

selective listening

focusing only on selected parts of communication

ex: screening out parts of a message that don’t interest us or with which we disagree, or riveting our attention on parts of communication that interest us or with which we agree

brainstorming

a group technique for generating potential solutions to a problem; the free flow of ideas without immediate criticism

climate communication

1 of 3 constructive forms of participation in group decision making; the creating and sustaining of an open, engaged atmosphere for discussion

cohesion

closeness, or feeling of esprit de corps, among members of a group

constructive conflict

in groups, disagreement that is characterized by respect for diverse opinions, emphasis on shared interests and goals, and a win-win orientation

disruptive conflict

in groups, disagreement characterized by competitive communication, self-interested focus on the part of members, and a win-lose orientation

egocentric communication

an unconstructive for of group contribution that is used to block others or to call attention to oneself

group

more than two people who interact over time, who are interdependent, and who follow shared rules of conduct to reach a common goal

ex: team

groupthink

the absence of critical and independent thought on the part of group members about ideas generated by the group

leadership

a set of behaviors that helps a group maintain a good climate and accomplish tasks in an organized way

norm

an informal rule that guides how members of a culture or group think, feel, and act. Can define what is normal or appropriate in various situations

power

the ability to influence others; a feature of small groups that affects participation

power over

the ability to help or harm others. Usually communicated in ways that highlight the status and influence of the person exerting the power

power to

the ability to empower others to to reach their goals. People who use power to help others generally do not highlight their own status and influence

procedural communication

1 of 3 constructive way of participating in group decision making; orders ideas and coordinates contributions of members

quality improvement team

a group in which people from different departments or areas in an organization collaborate to solve problems, meet needs, or increase the quality of work life

social climbing

the attempt to increase personal status in a group by winning the approval of high-status members

social loafing

exists when members of a group exert less effort than they would if they worked alone

synergy

a special kind of collaborative vitality that enhances the energies, talents, and strengths of individual members

task communication

one of three constructive forms of participation in group decision making; focuses on giving and analyzing information and ideas

team

a special kind of group characterized by different and complimentary resources of members and by a strong sense of collective identity. All teams are groups, but not all groups are teams

comparison (analogy)

a from of evidence associating two things that are similar or different in some important way or ways

credibility

the ability of a person to engender belief in what he/she says or does. Listeners confer or refuse to confer credibility on speakers

derived credibility

the expertise and trustworthiness attributed to a speaker by listeners as a result of how the speaker communicates during a presentation

evidence

material used to support claims; statistics, examples, comparisons, and quotations

example

a form of evidence in which a single instance is used to make a point, to dramatize an idea, or to personalize information.

four types: undetailed, detailed, hypothetical, and anecdotal

extemporaneous delivery

a presentation style that includes preparation and practice but not memorization of actual words and nonverbal behaviors

impromptu delivery

a delivery style that involves little preparation; speakers think on their feet as they talk about ideas and positions with which they are familiar

initial credibility

the expertise and trustworthiness listeners attribute to a speaker before a presentation begins. Is based on the speaker’s titles, positions, experiences, or achievements that are known to listeners before they hear the speech

manuscript delivery

a presentational style that involves speaking from a complete manuscript of a speech

memorized delivery

a presentational style in which the speech is delivered word for word from memory

oral style

visual, vocal, and verbal aspects of the delivery of a speech or other communication

quotation

a form of evidence that uses exact citations of other’s statements. Also called testimony

speech to entertain

a speech intended to amuse, interest, and engage listeners

speech to inform

a speech intended to increase listener’s understanding, awareness, or knowledge of some topic

speech to persuade

a speech intended to change listener’s attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors or to motivate listeners to action

statistics

a form of evidence that uses numbers to summarize a great many individual cases or to demonstrate relationships between phenomena

terminal credibility

the cumulative expertise and trustworthiness listeners attribute to a speaker as a result of initial and derived credibility; may be greater or less than initial credibility, depending on how effectively a speaker has communicated

thesis statement

the main idea of an entire speech; should capture the key message in a concise sentence that listeners can remember easily