Fundamentals of Communication Theory Exam Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the key theories, paradigms, and exam-prep concepts from the Fundamentals of Communication Theory study guide.

Analytical framing

The first step in the exam answer structure: naming the type of communication problem rather than recounting the plot of the case.

Craig’s Seven Traditions

A meta-theoretical map by Robert T. Craig (1999) describing communication as a dialogue among seven distinct traditions: Rhetorical, Semiotic, Phenomenological, Cybernetic, Socio-psychological, Sociocultural, and Critical.

Rhetorical Tradition

Defines communication as the practical art of discourse or persuasion, focusing on how to address an audience effectively.

Semiotic Tradition

Defines communication as intersubjective mediation by signs, focusing on gaps between subjectivities and misunderstandings.

Phenomenological Tradition

Defines communication as the experience of authentic dialogue and addresses the problem of the absence of genuine dialogue.

Cybernetic Tradition

Defines communication as information processing within a system, focusing on problems like noise and feedback breakdown.

Socio-psychological Tradition

Defines communication as expression, interaction, and influence, focused on how messages cause effects or behavioral changes.

Sociocultural Tradition

Defines communication as the (re)production of social order, addressing cultural differences and the micro–macro gap.

Critical Tradition

Defines communication as discursive reflection on unjust power, focusing on ideology, hegemony, and distorted communication.

Face

A public self-image that people manage during interaction; categorized into positive face (the wish to be liked/approved) and negative face (the wish for autonomy).

Face-Threatening Acts (FTAs)

Acts such as requests, criticism, or refusals that threaten an individual's public self-image.

Weightiness (Politeness Theory)

The calculation that determines the level of politeness needed, based on social Distance + Power + Ranking of the imposition.

Bald on-record

A politeness strategy that is direct and provides no softening, such as saying "Close the door."

Positive Politeness

A strategy used to affirm a listener's positive face through solidarity, compliments, or using the word "we."

Negative Politeness

A strategy used to respect negative face through hedging, apologies, or providing options.

Expectancy Violations Theory (EVT)

A theory by Judee Burgoon stating that reactions to violations of expectations depend on violation valence and communicator reward valence.

Violation Valence

The perceived positive or negative value assigned to an unexpected behavior.

Communicator Reward Valence

The sum of positive and negative attributes brought to an encounter plus the potential to reward or punish in the future.

Symbolic Interactionism

A theory based on three premises from Herbert Blumer: we act toward things based on their meanings, meanings arise from social interaction, and meanings are handled through interpretation.

The I vs. The Me

The distinction in Symbolic Interactionism between the spontaneous, unpredictable self ("I") and the socialized self that internalizes society's values ("Me").

Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM)

A theory by Pearce and Cronen stating that persons-in-conversation co-construct social realities through a hierarchy of contexts: content, speech act, episode, relationship, self, and culture.

Unwanted Repetitive Patterns (URPs)

Destructive communication loops that neither party wants but both continue to reproduce within a conversation.

Social Exchange Theory Outcome

The formula used to determine relationship worth: $\text{Outcome} = \text{Rewards} - \text{Costs}$.

Comparison Level (CL)

The standard in Social Exchange Theory used to judge the satisfaction of a relationship.

Comparison Level for Alternatives (CLalt)

The standard in Social Exchange Theory used to determine whether to stay in or leave a relationship.

Interdependence Model (Rusbult)

Proposes that commitment is determined by the formula: $\text{Commitment} = \text{Satisfaction} + \text{Investments} - \text{Alternatives}$.

Equity Theory

A theory by Adams suggesting that satisfaction depends on a fair ratio of inputs to outcomes between partners; both under-benefiting and over-benefiting cause distress.

Groupthink

A failure of decision-making process in highly cohesive groups where the drive for unanimity overrides the realistic appraisal of alternatives.

Mindguards

Symptoms of Groupthink where members protect the group and its leader from information that is problematic or contradictory to the group's views.

Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT)

A theory by Ernest Bormann where group identity is formed through shared fantasies (stories, jokes, metaphors) that "chain out" into a shared rhetorical vision.

Functional Theory of Decision-Making

Proposes that high-quality decisions depend on four functions: analyzing the problem, setting criteria, generating alternatives, and weighing consequences.

Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

A persuasion theory describing two routes: the central route (high elaboration, driven by argument quality) and the peripheral route (low elaboration, driven by cues like attractiveness or credibility).

Narrative Paradigm

Walter Fisher’s theory that humans are storytelling animals (homo narrans) who judge messages based on narrative coherence (hanging together) and narrative fidelity (ringing true with values).

Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)

Icek Ajzen's theory that behavior is predicted by intention, which is determined by attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control (PBC).

Agenda-Setting

The theory by McCombs and Shaw that media tells the public what to think about by transferring salience from the media agenda to the public agenda.

Framing (Entman)

The selection and emphasis of specific aspects of a perceived reality to promote a particular problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and treatment recommendation.

Cultivation Theory

George Gerbner's theory that long-term, heavy TV exposure leads viewers to perceive the real world as more dangerous than it is, known as Mean World Syndrome.

Mainstreaming and Resonance

The two mechanisms of Cultivation Theory: the blurring/blending of diverse views into a dominant TV reality, and the boost given to a TV message when it matches a viewer's real-life experience.

Uses & Gratifications (U&G)

The study of what people do with media, assuming an active audience selects media to gratify specific needs like information, identity, or entertainment.

Technological Determinism

The view that technology itself drives changes in social structure and culture, famously summarized by McLuhan's "the medium is the message."

Social Construction of Technology (SCOT)

The view that society and human action shape the way technology is designed, used, and given meaning through interpretive flexibility.

Media Richness Theory (MRT)

Daft and Lengel's theory that communication channels vary in richness based on feedback speed, cues, and personal focus; rich media should be matched to equivocal (ambiguous) tasks.

Hyperpersonal Model

Joseph Walther's theory that computer-mediated communication (CMC) can become more intimate than face-to-face interaction through selective self-presentation, idealization, and asynchronous feedback loops.

Signaling Theory

The theory that under information asymmetry, individuals use costly or hard-to-fake signals (like degrees or verified reviews) to establish credibility and trust.

Four Models of PR (Grunig & Hunt)

Framework consisting of Press Agentry (propaganda), Public Information (dissemination), Two-way Asymmetrical (scientific persuasion), and Two-way Symmetrical (dialogue).

Excellence Theory

The theory that ideal PR is a strategic management function that practices two-way symmetry and has its head situated within the organization's dominant coalition.

Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS)

Suggests that communication action is driven by problem recognition, constraint recognition, and involvement recognition.

OPR Quality Measures

The four metrics used in Relationship Management to evaluate organization–public relationships: trust, control mutuality, commitment, and satisfaction.

Dialogic Theory (Kent & Taylor)

Proposes that ethical PR relies on five features of genuine dialogue: mutuality, propinquity, empathy, risk, and commitment.

Structuralism

Saussure's approach where meaning is derived from a system of differences between signs, comprising the signifier (the form) and the signified (the concept).

Post-Structuralism

Focuses on the instability of meaning (Derrida's différance) and how power and knowledge are intertwined within discourse (Foucault).

Post-Colonialism

The study of how representation reproduces colonial power, using concepts like Orientalism (Said), Othering, and the Subaltern (Spivak).