COM 100 All Terms

messages

the building blocks of communication events

encoding

taking ideas and converting them into messages

decoding

receiving a message and interpret the meaning

symbol

something that represents something else and conveys meaning

content meaning

the concrete meaning of a message and is suggested/associated by the message as well as the emotions triggered by it

relationship meaning

what a message conveys about the relationship between the parties

setting

the physical surroundings of a communication event

participants

the people interacting during communication

channel

the means through which a message is transmitted

noise

any stimulus that can interfere/degrade the quality of a message

feedback

the response to a message

synergetic model

a transactional model that emphasizes how individual/societal forces, contexts and culture interact to affect the communication process

field of experience

the education and experiences that a communicator possesses

culture

learned patters of perceptions, values and the behaviors shared by a group of people

ethics

standards of what is right and wrong, good and bad, moral and immoral

absolutism

the belief that there is a single correct moral standard that holds for everyone, everywhere, every time

relativism

the belief that moral behavior varies among individuals, groups and cultures across situations

communication competence (task effectiveness/relational approaches)

the ability to adapt ones communication to achieve ones goal

What does context refer to?

setting

occasion

who is present

context + message =

meaning

identity

who a person is; composed of individual/social categories a person identifies w/, as well as the categories that others identify with that person

What does identity include?

1. who you are

2. social categories identified by yourself/others

What are the characteristics of identity?

fixed (unchanging) and dynamic (changing)

T/F: Identity is fixed.

False

reflected appraisals

the idea that peoples self-images arise primarily from the ways that others view them and from the many messages they have received from others about who they are

looking-glass self

self-image results from the images others reflect back to an individual

self-fulfilling prophecy

an individual expects something to occur

stereotype threat

remind indivuals of stereotypical expectations regarding the important identities from their performance

self-concept

the understanding of ones unique characteristics as well as the similarities/differences to others

self-esteem

part of ones self conpt

self-respect

treating others with respect and dignity

self-presentation

influencing others impressions by creating an image in consistent w/ ones personal identity

enacting identities

performing scripts deemed proper for particular identities

role expectations

the expectation that one will perform in a particular way because of the social role ocupied

mutable

subject to change

performance identity

the process/means by which we show the world who we are

racial identity

identification w/ a particular racial group

multi-racial identity

one who self-identities as having more than one racial identity

national identity

a persons citizenship

ethnic identity

identification w/ a particular group which one shares some of all of the same characteristics

gender identity

how and to what extent one identifies with social construction of masculinity and femininity

sexual identity

with of the various categories of sexuality one identifies w/

age identity

a combination of self-perception of age along w/ what others understand that age to mean

social class identity

an informal ranking of people in a culture based on their income, occupation, education, dueling, child-rearing habits and other factors

religious identity

aspect of identity defined by ones spiritual beliefs

disability identity

identification w/ physical or mental impairment that substantially impact everyday life

ethnocentrism

the tendency to view ones own group as the standard against which all other groups are judged

What are different communication codes?

idioms

jargon

gestures

perception

refers the processes of selection, organization and interpretation that we used to understand the info we collect through our senses

selection

the process of choosing which sensory info to focus on

organization

the process by which one recognizes what sensory input represents

interpretation

the act of assigning meaning to sensory information

selective attention

(un)consciously attending to just a narrow range of the full array of sensory info that is available

cognitive representation

the ability to form mental models of the world

prototype

a representative of idealized version of a concept

script

a relatively fixed sequence of events that functions as a guide of template for communication or behavior

categorization

a cognitive process used to organize info by placing it into larger groupings of info

label

a name assigned to a category based on ones perception of the category

stereotyping

creating schemas that overgeneralize attributes of a specific group

frames

a structure that shapes how people interpret their perception

attribution theory

explanation of the processes we use to judge our own and others behavior

attributional bias

the tendency to attribute ones own negative behavior to external causes and ones positive actions to internal state

self-serving bias

the tendency to give ones self more credit than is due when good things happen and to accept too little responsibility for those things that go wrong

fundamental attribution error

the tendency to attribute others negative behavior to internal causes and their positive behaviors to external causes

What are personality and individual characteristics?

emotional state

outlook

knowledge

cognitive complexity

the degree to which a persons construct are detailed, involved or numerous

prejudice

experiencing aversive or negative feelings toward a group as a whole or toward an individual because (s)he belongs to a group

ego-defensive function

the role prejudice plays in protecting individuals sense of self-worth

value-expressive function

the role played by prejudice in allowing people to view their own values, norms, and cultural practices as appropriate and correct

cohort effect

the process by which historical events influence the perceptions of people who grew up in a given generation and time period

social role

the specific position of positions that one holds in a society

T/F: Using idioms is an effective way of communicating across countries.

false

What does the perception process involve?

selection

organization

interpretation

instrumental

use of language to obtain what you need or desire

regulatory

use of language to control regulate the behaviors of others

informative

use of language to communicate info of report facts

heuristic

use of language to aquire knowledge and understanding

international

use of language to establish and define social relationships

personal language

use of language to express individuality and personality

imaginative

use of language to express oneself artistically or creatively

grammar

the structural rules that govern the generation of meaning in a language

phonology

the study of the sounds that compose individual languages and how those sounds communicate meaning

syntax

the rules that govern word offer

semantics

the study of meaning

denotative meaning

the dictionary, or literal, meaning of a word

connotative meaning

the affective or interpretive meanings attached to a word

pragmatics

field of study that emphasizes how language is used in specific situations to accomplish goals

speech act theory

branch of pragmatics that suggests that when people communicate they do not just say things, they also do things w/ their own words

dialect

a variation of a language distinguished by its vocab, grammar, and pronunciation

lexial choice

vocab

African American Vernacular English

a version of English that has its roots in West African, Carribean, and U.S. slave languages

code switching

the practice of changing language or dialect to accommodate to the communication situation

jargon

the specialized terms that develop in many professions

nominalists

those who argue that any idea can be expressed in any language and that the structure and vocab of the language do not influence the speakers perception of the world

relativists

those who argue that language serves not only as a way for us to voice our ideas but is itself the shaper of ideas, the guide for the individuals mental activity

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

idea that the language people speak determines the way they see the world

co-cultural theory

explores the role of power in daily interactions

hate speech

use of verbal communication to attack others based upon some social category

disconfirming

comments that reject or validate a positive or negative self-image of our conversational partners

confirming

comments that validate positive self-images of others