Communications Midterm Exam - Chapters 1-4

Communication

The dynamic contextual process conscious or unconscious, of using symbols to share meaning with others

Transactional model of communication parts

communicators, messages, feedback, communication channel, noise, and context

Communicators (transactional model of communication)

People who send and receive messages simultaneously

Messages

Information being communicated

Feedback

Response to another persons message

Communication channel

The way a message is sent (ex. Speaking or texting)

Noise

Anything that interferes with communication

Context

The situation or environment where communication occurs

Types of noise

External, internal, semantic

External noise

Interference that everyone in the environment experiences ex.) traffic passing

Internal noise

A distraction experienced in one's own mind ex.) physical states (hunger)

Semantic noise

An impediment to understanding that is built into the actual message, the words themselves ex.) spoken in another language

Fundamental axioms of communication

1.) you cannot not communicate

2.) every interaction has both a content and a relational dimension

3.) every interaction is defined by how it is punctuated

Symbols

Objects, behaviors, colors, words, etc. That take on their “meaning” when humans agree on what they “mean”and use them socially according to communicated patterns

Relational symbols

Socially defined in ways that carry little meaning without comparison to the other

Social capital

A kind of social currency that gives us power to get what we want

3 ways of knowing

Objective, subjective, and intersubjective

Objective

Using an externally crafted measurement to define it ex.) using a temperature scale

Subjective

Looking inside the lived experience and perceptual structure of a single organism

Intersubjective

Agreement - a sense shared by two or more people that something is so - then we can agree to coordinate our behavior

Self-concept

Formed through our reactions to reflected appraisals and from social comparisons

Reflected appraisals

Comments made by people in our environment about our worth

Social comparisons

Our own internal view of now we measure up to others in terms of socially-valued characteristics

Self - fulfilling prophecy (Pygmalion effect)

Takes place when expectations create our actual lived reality

Frame of reference

Refers to the perspective through which people see the world

Gestalt shift

A fundamental change in perception or awareness or conception of the world

Figure/ground relationship

When something noticed in the forefront of one individuals awareness is barely perceptible for someone else, or when our perceptual frame changes overtime

Perceptual fillers

Selective exposure, selective attention, selective perception/ interpretation, selective retention

Selective exposure

Our tendency to expose ourselves most often to information and opinions that we like

Selective attention

We only pay attention to messages that interest us

Selective perception / interpretation

The aspect of the message we pay the most attention to, the way we interpret the meaning, any media potentially involved in its representation, and how we integrate the message into our overall worldview all go into forming our selective perception of the experience

Selective retention

When we intentionally or unintentionally forget information that we do not wish to retain

Word

A symbol that stands for something we can or have experienced

Verbal communication

the sharing of information, ideas, and feelings using words

Context definition

The environment in which communication takes place

Why does context matter?

Can change our sense of the word in other ways

George Lakoff’s Theory

The metaphors we use in describing subjects deeply impact even subconsciously, the way we approach those subjects

Why metaphors matter to George Lakoff’s theory

The words and metaphors we use to describe things prime our minds to view the world in particular ways

Linguistic relativity

The idea that our thoughts and actions are influenced by the language we speak

Jargon

The specialized language that we learn related to our profession

EXTRA CREDIT

Susan Langer, Rita Mae Brown, Ralph Waldo Emerson

Prime / priming

Prepare our minds to see the world according to the categories and connections drawn by our language

Social organizing principles

The rules, spoken or unspoken, that we use to determine which characteristics are relevant in fitting people into groupings

Marginalize

Confining certain categories of people to the lower or outer edges of society

Stigmatize

Applying negative associations

Nonverbal communication

Communication other than written or spoken language that creates meaning

Functions of nonverbal communication

To substitute, to complement/contradict, to repeat, to regulate, and to adapt

Substituting

using body language, facial expressions, or gestures to completely replace spoken words ex.) giving eye contact to signal you want to leave

Complementing

When your non-verbal cues (like body language, tone, or facial expressions) match and add meaning to your spoken words.

Contradicting

When your non-verbal cues clash or go against your spoken words, sending the opposite message

Repeat

when a physical gesture, facial expression, or body movement duplicates and mirrors the exact meaning of the spoken words

Regulate

using body language, eye contact, or gestures to control the flow, turn-taking, and rhythm of a conversation

Adapt

unconscious physical movements and actions that people use to manage stress, anxiety, or physical needs during communication

Kinesics

Refers to the interpretation of body language or movement

3 types of kinesics

Posture / stance, hand gestures, facial expressions

Haptics

The study of touch

5 categories of touch

Functional / professional, social/ polite, friendship/warmth, love / intimacy, sexual arousal

Functional /professional

Ex,) having someone cut your hair

Social/polite

Ex.) hugging to say hello or goodbye

Friendship /warmth

Ex.) sitting close to friends on a sofa

Love/intimacy

Touch that conveys strong emotion and is part of loving personal or family relationships

Sexual arousal

Involves people in an intimate relationship and targets sexual areas

Paralanguage

Comprises the many ways we add emphasis or meaning to our verbal language

Ways we use emphasis

Raising and lowering your vocal range and adding “feeling” to your words