COMM THEORY MIDTERM

Watzlawick’s axiom “You cannot not communicate” indicates that:

People draw interpretations from silence as well as speech.

How are theories like maps?

They enable us to ‘navigate’ part of the social world.

When we say a theorist’s ideas (or hunches) are “informed,” we mean:

The theorist is familiar with alternative explanations for the topic of interest.

Which of the following lists describes what parts of the communication process that scholars typically study?

Beginning, middle, and end.

How many different definitions of “communication” have communication scholars developed?

Over one hundred.

Communication is a ________ process because it takes place between two or more people.

relational

How are theories like lenses?

They shape our perception by focusing our attention on some details while ignoring others.

When we say communication is a process, we mean:

The flow of communication is always in flux.

Why is theory building a “risky business”?

Because theory building moves beyond accepted wisdom.

The textbook suggests that one limitation of the “lens” metaphor is that it:

May encourage us to abandon any search for truth

The textbook mentions three metaphors for communication theory. Two of them are the “lens” and the “net.” What is the third metaphor?

Map

Words and other symbols are open to multiple interpretations, making them:

Polysemic.

How are theories like nets?

They enable us to ‘catch’ part of the world.

Which of the following statements accurately describes how people create messages?

Much message creation is habitual in nature.

A systematic hunch:

specifies the relationship among the theorist’s ideas.

Using Popper’s metaphor of the net, what does he mean when he talks about making the mesh of the net “finer and finer”?

The theorist continually tries to capture more and more of what humans think and say.

According to the textbook authors, the behavioral scientist usually describes human conduct as occurring because:

Humans react to forces that are often outside the individual's awareness.

If communication theory is like fashion design, then interpretive scholars are most likely to create:

A one-of-a-kind custom suit.

A determinist assumes that human behavior is caused by ____________ and _______________.

environment; heredity

A scientist seeks to gather information about the world chiefly through:

Sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.

The objective and interpretive approaches to theory differ because:

Interpretive approaches assume that there is more than one reality in the world.

Which of the following is most clearly an example of classical conditioning in action?

When Tony sees a funny ad for a restaurant, he feels good about the restaurant and wants to try their food.

Deetz says that every general communication theory has two priorities: effectiveness and ______________.

participation

Interpretive scholars differ from objective scholars in that they believe that truth

Is mainly subjective, meaning multiple meanings or truths are possible

Which of the following would most likely be said by a determinist?

She gave a good speech because she is genetically predisposed to be a good communicator.

Scientific scholars assume that truth is:

Singular

Critical scholars value research that seeks to ___________ people from __________________.

liberate; oppression

All of the following are names for humanistic scholars except:

Empiricists.

An enthymeme is:

A persuasive argument with an unstated premise.

Fill-in-the-blank: Objective approaches attempt to find ___________ that explain human behavior in a variety of situations.

universal laws

Which of the following statements correctly identifies the relationship between the objective/interpretive approaches and the theories covered in the book?

Some areas of study in communication may have an objective or interpretive bias.

In her analysis of the Toyota ad, Kristina Scharp mentions that she is a transnational adoptee. Why does she do this?

As an interpretive scholar, she wants to embrace how her own experiences create her lens for viewing the world.

Why is it important to understand the differences between interpretive and objective approaches?

It helps prevent the theories from blurring together in your mind

Which question best fits epistemology?

How do we know what we know, if we know it at all?

According to Travis Dixon’s objective analysis of the Toyota ad, what might we do to validate his explanation?

Test audience reactions to see if it produced unintended stereotyping effects.

The twin objectives of scientific research are:

Predicts some future outcome and explains the reasons for that outcome.

Laura travels to a foreign country on study abroad for a semester. While there, she takes every opportunity to immerse herself in the local culture. She takes many notes on her observations about the country, and then turns her notes into a term paper. Laura’s activity is most similar to:

An ethnography

Which of the following is an interpretive theorist most likely to investigate?

A one-of-a-kind speech community with a specific language style.

If an interpretive theorist’s article meets the standard of aesthetic appeal, what are you most likely to find in the article?

Artful metaphors.

The __________ states that researchers should include themselves as a constituent of their own construction.

self-referential imperative

The requirement that a scientific theory must be stated in a way that it can be tested using empirical data is:

Falsifiability.

The chapter talks about how baseball great Stan Musial interacted with his Black teammates. His behavior was similar to that of a(n):

Ethnographer

Objective scholars have studied communication apprehension. What weakness exists in this body of research

It doesn’t explain why some people become nervous and others don’t.

Why might an objective scholar choose to perform an experiment rather than administering a survey?

Experiments are better at demonstrating cause-effect relationships.

Why might an objective scholar choose to administer a survey rather than performing an experiment?

Surveys often save time and cost less money.

Which of the following statements is not a standard for a good interpretive theory?

“A good theory has practical application."

Which of the following is most likely to bother a critical theorist?

Injustice.

Carlos brings his study participants to his lab. There, they watch one of three advertisements for soap. Carlos has carefully prepared the advertisements, manipulating the credibility of each ad across conditions. He then measures the extent to which the participant is interested in buying the soap. What kind of data collection is Carlos conducting?

An experiment.

Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks compare the interpretive and objective approaches to two elements of the Myers-Briggs personality assessment. Which of the following correctly matches the theoretical tradition to the personality type?

Interpretive: Intuition; Objective: Sensing

When comparing objective and interpretive theories, the counterpart to the objective standard of simplicity is the interpretive standard of:

Aesthetic appeal.

According to Bateson, the two great contraries of the mind are rigor and _________________:

imagination

When comparing objective and interpretive theories, the counterpart to the interpretive standard of understanding of people is the objective standard of:

Explanation of the data

Which of the following statements is not a standard for a good objective theory?

"A good theory creates a community of agreement."

The rule of parsimony states that:

The simpler of two plausible explanations for an event should be accepted

The __________ states that researchers should grant others that occur in their construction the same autonomy they practice constructing them.

ethical imperative

Identify a key feature of theory as suggested by Judee Burgoon

Theory consists of a set of hunches

____ is the relational process of creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response

communication

which of the following had not been posed as a metaphor for theories

mirrors

which of the following statements is true about interpretive scholars

identify a true statement about behavorial scientists

they usually describe human conduct as a occuring because of forces outside the individuals awareness

Klaus Krippendorffs self-referential imperative for buidling theory states that

theorists should include themselves as consituent of their own theory construction

Which of the following concepts is most important to a scholar in the cybernetic tradition?

Feedback.

The __________ tradition of communication research epitomizes the objective perspective.

socio-psychological

Deanna researches how the meaning of the word “freedom” has changed over time. With which tradition is Deanna probably most familiar?

Semiotic.

Of the traditions listed below, which is the most objective?

Cybernetic.

Which tradition built on the ideas of Karl Marx and the Frankfurt School?

Critical

Which tradition would be most interested in the connection between the mass media and power?

Critical.

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis claims that:

The structure of a language shapes what people think and do.

Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks suggest adding which of the following as an additional tradition?

Ethical

How many distinct traditions of communication theory did Craig originally identify?

seven.

Which of the following companies is most clearly a member of the “culture industries” critiqued by critical scholars?

Disney

Craig added the pragmatist tradition. Which tradition did one of his students add?

Spiritual

With which of the following metaphors for theory covered in Chapter 1 would Craig probably find most useful?

map

A(n) __________ would take a pluralistic view, where all perspectives on truth could be legitimate in different ways.

Pragmatist tradition.

In the chapter, the authors propose a new tradition. What does Craig say they would have to do in order to define it fully?

Explain how it compares to every other tradition.

Which of the following traditions is the most interpretive?

Critical.

Which tradition is most focused on addressing how communication creates social realities?

Socio-cultural.

Which basic continuum distinguishes the seven traditions?

Objective/interpretive.

Bill Rawlins interviewed two women about their friendship. Because he worked from within the phenomenological tradition, what did he do to verify the accuracy of his report of the interview?

Asked the women to read his report and provide feedback to him.

Which of the following demonstrates the looking-glass self in action?

Keith knows he is a good trombone player because his music teacher always praises his performances.

What term would symbolic interactionists insert in between “stimulus” and “response”?

Interpretation.

Mead suggests that the self is an ongoing process that combines the "I" and the "me." The "me" refers to:

The image we have of how other people react to us.

______________ describes the process of mentally imagining that you are someone else who is viewing you.

Taking the role of the other.

Which of the following is most likely to serve as the generalized other?

Your favorite TV shows.

Which scholar was close friends with George Herbert Mead and shared his applied approach to knowledge?

John Dewey.

Why do Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks close the chapter with discussion of a boy who could not communicate?

To caution theorists who claim to have captured the essence of what it means to be human.

______________ describes an inner dialogue used to test alternatives, rehearse actions, and anticipate reactions before responding.

Minding

According to Mead, which of the following is the source of the self?

Language.

A social constructionist believes:

That society is created through communication.

________________ describes how we construct our sense of self by imagining how we look to another person.

Looking-glass self

According to Levinas, what is the ethical echo?

A reminder that we are responsible to take care of each other.

Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks compare symbolic interaction to what game?

Charades

______________ describes the method of adopting the stance of an ignorant yet interested visitor who is trying to figure out how people interpret the world.

Participant observation.

Sociologist Erving Goffman applied symbolic interactionism by likening social life to:

A dramatic performance.

For Levinas, the responsive “I” is created by:

The way we respond to others.

Once you know your “I,” it becomes:

Part of the “me.”

Which of the following research methods did Mead employ most chiefly in his work?

Ethnography.

Mead believed that meaning, language, and ________ were tightly interconnected.

thought

When is your “I” most likely to strongly emerge?

When enjoying some time hanging out with friends and talking about whatever comes to mind.

The mental image that results from taking the role of the other; the objective self; me.

Looking-glass self