Communications Final Study Guide — Vocabulary Flashcards (Ch. 1–3, 4–6, 7–8, 11, 14–15, Health/Intercultural/Prewriting)

A comprehensive set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering core concepts from the notes, including communication theories, nonverbal cues, conflict management, health communication, intercultural competence, and basic writing/academic integrity topics.

Intrapersonal communication

Communication that takes place inside one’s own mind; self-talk and internal processing.

Group communication

Communication among three or more people; typically more complex than interpersonal communication.

Rhetoric

The art of effective persuasive speaking or writing; examples include speeches by lawmakers and courtroom oratory.

Feedback

Receiver’s response to a message, which can be verbal or nonverbal and occurs during or after the communication process.

Cultural context

The values, beliefs, norms, and expectations of a culture that shape communication.

Interaction Model

A communication model that includes senders, receivers, and feedback in a reciprocal loop.

Job-related communication skills

Skills such as listening, writing, persuading, and small-group problem solving needed for functioning in a workplace.

Miscommunication

Failure to convey or interpret messages as intended, which can occur regardless of intention.

Displacement

The ability to talk about events removed in space or time from the speaker or situation.

Language acquisition

The process of learning to understand, produce, and use words within a language community.

Humor

A social phenomenon shaped by language, context, and shared meaning; varies across cultures.

Expressing feelings (verbal expressions)

Verbal expressions of emotion, which are challenging due to social norms about how, when, where, and to whom to speak.

Palindrome

A phrase or sequence that reads the same backward as forward (e.g., ‘Do geese see God?’).

Credibility

Believability of a speaker, influenced by how they speak and what they say.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from evidence or reasoning rather than direct observation.

Judgment

An evaluation expressing approval or disapproval; often subjective and not easily verifiable.

Partial messages

Messages that omit a relevant type of expression, which can lead to misunderstanding.

Contaminated message

A message that blends observations with thoughts and feelings, obscuring clarity.

Accommodation

A strategy of adjusting speech to suit others; not inherently a breach of civility.

Adjacency pairs

Conventional pairs of utterances in conversation (e.g., question–answer) shaped by social norms.

Dialect

A regional or social variety of a language with its own grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.

Accent

A distinctive way of pronouncing words that signals region or group; does not necessarily change meaning.

Code-switching

Switching between languages or language varieties to fit different contexts or audiences.

Nonverbal communication

Communication without words—gestures, facial expressions, posture, etc.—often more involuntary.

Paralanguage

Vocal aspects of speech other than the words themselves, such as tone, pitch, rate, and volume.

Eye contact

A nonverbal cue used to gauge audience engagement and regulate interaction.

Mirroring

Matching another person’s nonverbal cues to build rapport and establish connection.

Contact cultures

Cultures that value closeness, direct eye contact, and more touch in interaction.

Interpreting

The listening stage where we make sense of stimuli by relating them to past experiences.

Working memory

A temporary memory system that holds and manipulates information for short periods.

Evaluation

Judging the credibility, completeness, and value of information.

Physiological noise

Physical factors (e.g., fatigue, hearing loss) that interfere with message reception.

Psychological noise

Internal thoughts, biases, and mental states that affect understanding.

Selective attention

Tendency to focus on messages that are personally relevant or beneficial.

Rationalization

Distorting or editing incoming information to fit existing beliefs or schemas.

Active listening

Fully concentrating on the speaker, with feedback such as nodding and eye contact.

Paraphrasing

Restating the speaker’s message in your own words to show understanding.

Questioning

Asking clarifying questions to better understand the speaker’s message.

Be critical (feedback guideline)

Not a best-practice guideline; feedback should be constructive rather than merely critical.

Adapt message to audience (shorter sentences, I/you language)

Tailoring language to listeners by using concise sentences and personal pronouns.

Interpersonal conflict as potentially healthy

Conflict is not inherently negative; some conflict can be productive and healthy.

DTR talk

Define-the-relationship talk; a discussion to clarify relationship status and expectations.

Relationship schemata

Mental blueprints for how relationships operate, based on social and cultural experience.

Instrumental goals

Goals focused on tasks and outcomes (e.g., gaining information, obtaining compliance); relational goals involve the relationship itself.

Vent to a third party

Discussing frustrations with an outside party to relieve pressure.

Direct addressing

Confronting or addressing the issue directly with the person involved.

Avoiding (conflict management style)

A conflict style with low concern for self and others; withdrawal from the issue.

Demands (conflict trigger)

Requests or pressures that can trigger conflict in interactions.

Collaborating

Conflict-management style with high concern for both self and others; cooperative problem solving.

Emotional intelligence

Ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions to guide thinking and behavior.

Interests (disclosure category)

A category of disclosure; not always a primary category in some theories.

Cultural identity

Identity tied to cultural group membership and heritage.

Assimilation

Adopting the dominant culture’s norms and practices while possibly minimizing one’s original culture.

Ascribed identity

Identity assigned to a person by others, not chosen by the person.

People with disabilities

A minority group; individuals who have disabilities and may experience social barriers.

Stereotypes

Overgeneralized beliefs about a group based on identity characteristics.

High-context culture

A culture that relies on context, nonverbal cues, and shared understanding to convey meaning.

Mindlessness

Lack of awareness or attention in communication; automatic or unreflective behavior.

Decrease contact as intercultural strategy

Reducing contact with others who are different is not advised as a means to cultivate intercultural competence.

Generate profit (health communication component)

A misleading option; health communication definitions do not include profit generation.

Managed care plans

Health care systems aimed at cost containment; often reduce competition among providers.

Affordable Care Act (ACA)

US health reform law expanding coverage and benefits; aims include more insured individuals and expanded mental health coverage.

Caregiving

Providing care to someone (often family members); influenced by life expectancy and intergenerational dynamics.

Ethics

Principles governing the conduct and action of professionals in business and other settings.

Moral obligations

Duties grounded in ethical principles guiding professional behavior.

Exaggeration

A form of misleading information that overstates benefits or outcomes.

Greenwashing

Misleading the public into believing a company is more environmentally friendly than it is.

Liability

Legal responsibility for the consequences of one’s actions.

Person who is deaf

Person-first language emphasizing the person before the disability; preferred phrasing is context-dependent.

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; protects patient privacy and health information.

Patient-centered communication

Care approach focusing on patient needs, values, and preferences to improve outcomes.

Balance between efficiency and rapport (clinical communication)

Managing time and clarity while building a positive, trusting relationship with patients.

Freewriting

Prewriting technique of writing continuously on a topic for a set time without worrying about grammar or editing.

Citations

Giving credit to original authors and enabling readers to locate sources.

APA in-text citations (paraphrase/summarize)

Typically include the author's last name and year of publication.

Editing stage (focus)

Primary focus is fixing surface errors like grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting.

Introduction in a research paper

Opens the paper, presents the thesis, and aims to attract reader interest.

Direct quotation justification

Quotations are used when the original wording is vivid, memorable, or well phrased.

Revising vs editing

Revising improves content, organization, and coherence; editing fixes grammar, mechanics, and usage.

Prewriting

Early stage of the writing process focused on getting started, focusing, and narrowing the topic.

Thesis statement

A concise statement of the paper’s main argument and a guidepost for the reader.

Plagiarism

Misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own, whether intentional or accidental.

Core steps of the writing process

Prewriting, outlining, drafting, revising, and editing.

Critical reading

Evaluating the author’s point of view, main idea, and supporting evidence.

First draft elements

Introduction, thesis, body paragraphs with topic and supporting sentences, conclusion.

Topic sentences vs. supporting sentences

Topic sentences state a paragraph’s main idea; supporting sentences develop and explain it.

Transitions and word choice (academic writing)

Transitions show relationships between ideas; use precise, formal word choices and avoid slang.