Comm 1 Midterm 1 Study Guide: Essential Human Behavior

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key communication models, nonverbal codes, linguistic functions, cultural dimensions, and empirical research findings from Comm 1.

Communication

The process by which we use symbols, signs, and behaviors to transfer information and accomplish goals across personal, group, organizational, public, or mediated settings.

Expressing Affiliation

A primary function of communication that shows we care about others and value our connection with them (such as smiling).

Managing Relationships

A function of communication focused on how our communicative exchanges can either strengthen or weaken relational bonds over time.

Influencing Others

A function of communication utilized to share information and persuade someone to adopt another perspective or direct their behavior.

Symbolic Communication

The characteristic of communication where arbitrary signs, words, or gestures are used to represent objects, concepts, and ideas.

Shared Code

A consistent system of symbols and signs that participants collectively understand and join together to create and interpret meaningful messages.

Encoding

The process of mentally constructing a message and transforming internal thoughts or feelings into a transmittable code or symbol.

Decoding

The process of receiving a transmitted message, interpreting its symbols, and assigning meaning to it.

Culturally Bound Communication

The principle that communication is deeply tied to shared cultural values, beliefs, and behaviors, meaning gestures and words may shift meaning across different groups.

Intentionality (in Communication)

The concept that communication can be planned and deliberate, or spontaneous and unintentional (such as unprompted micro-expressions or defensive postures).

Channel

The physical method, pathway, or format through which a message travels from sender to receiver, including face-to-face contact or digitally mediated formats.

Transactional Communication

A dynamic, multi-directional process where people act simultaneously as senders and receivers of independent, irreversible messages.

Linear Model of Communication

A one-way communication model where a sender transmits a message through a channel to a receiver, featuring noise interference and lacking a feedback loop.

Interaction Model of Communication

A circular, two-way communication model where participants alternate turns transmitting messages and delivering feedback.

Competent Communication Model

A transactional model recognizing that communicators simultaneously encode and decode messages while navigating relational, situational, and cultural contexts.

Ethos

Aristotle's classical rhetorical appeal establishing the speaker's moral character, credibility, and authority as perceived by the audience.

Pathos

Aristotle's classical rhetorical appeal that targets the audience's emotions, passions, and empathy to persuade them.

Logos

Aristotle's classical rhetorical appeal centered on logical reasoning, factual data, statistics, and structured arguments.

Phonological Rules

Grammar rules dictating how spoken sounds (phonemes) are pronounced, organized, combined, and altered in a language.

Syntactic Rules

Grammar rules governing the structural arrangement and sequential ordering of words to form correct phrases and sentences.

Communication Acquisition

The process of learning individual vocabulary words alongside the cultural rules regarding how, when, and where to use them appropriately and effectively.

Controlling (Function of Language)

Using language as an instrument to influence ourselves, others, or our environment, and to exert authority, direct actions, or maintain dominance.

Informing (Function of Language)

Using language to exchange factual content through questioning, describing observations, reinforcing concepts, or intentionally withholding data.

Feeling (Function of Language)

A relational functional competency of language used to articulate internal emotions, passion, and empathy to manage relationships.

Imagining (Function of Language)

The complex communicative ability to think playfully, express creativity, tell stories, and joke using language.

Ritualizing (Function of Language)

Enacting socially and culturally agreed-upon language rules and scripts for routine conversations, greetings, and ceremonies like weddings or graduations.

Semantics

The study of the relationships among symbols, objects, people, and concepts, referring to the objective, denotative, and literal meaning of words.

Pragmatics

The contextual meaning of language based on how it is interpreted and applied appropriately in specific social situations.

Abstraction Ladder

A conceptual framework illustrating how language operates across a spectrum ranging from highly concrete descriptions to highly abstract terms.

Evasion

A form of strategic ambiguity that intentionally leaves out specific details to dodge direct answers, often referred to as a lie of omission.

Equivocation

A form of strategic ambiguity that purposefully uses imprecise language that can be interpreted in multiple ways to avoid taking a definitive stand.

Euphemism

Substituting a blunt, offensive, or upsetting term with a softer, neutral, or socially acceptable phrase (e.g., using 'passed away' instead of 'died').

Nonverbal Communication (NVC)

The process of intentionally or unintentionally signaling meaning through behaviors, sensory modalities, and signals other than spoken or written words.

Kinesics

A nonverbal code consisting of body movements, posture, and facial expressions (e.g., slouching or giving a thumbs-up).

Emblems

Kinesic body movements and gestures that have a direct, explicit verbal translation understood within a specific cultural group (e.g., the 'OK' sign).

Illustrators

Nonverbal body movements directly tied to speech that visually depict, reinforce, or emphasize a spoken phrase (e.g., showing size with hands).

Regulators

Body movements and nonverbal gestures that control and manage the flow, pace, and turn-taking of spoken interaction (e.g., nodding or raising a hand).

Adaptors

Habitual, repetitive body movements performed to satisfy a physical or emotional need or release nervous tension (e.g., touching the face or clicking a pen).

Affect Displays

Facial and bodily movements that communicate explicit emotional states (e.g., smiling, frowning, or slumping).

Oculesics

The study of eye behavior—including eye contact, gaze aversion, staring, and pupil dilation—as a medium of communication.

Vocalics (Paralanguage)

Auditory nonverbal cues of the voice excluding the actual words, encompassing vocal qualities (pitch, rate, volume), vocalizations (sighs, laughs), and silence.

Proxemics

The study of how individuals structure, use, and perceive personal space and physical distance in interactions.

Haptics

The study of communicative touch behavior and tactile cues between individuals.

Heslin's Touch Continuum

A taxonomic model that categorizes touch into five levels: functional-professional, social-polite, friendship-warmth, love-intimacy, and sexual-arousal.

Chronemics

The nonverbal code concerned with how time is structured, perceived, valued, and utilized within human interactions.

Environment and Artifacts

A nonverbal code involving physical surroundings, architectural setups, lighting, and decorative objects used to convey identity or mood.

Physical Appearance (Nonverbal Code)

Static and slow-moving nonverbal visual attributes including body shape, facial attractiveness, grooming, clothing formality, and adornments.

Intimate Zone

The spatial distance extending from $0$ to $18\,\text{inches}$, reserved for romantic partners, close family, or pets, involving whispering or physical contact.

Personal Zone

The spatial distance extending from $18\,\text{inches}$ ($1.5\,\text{feet}$) to $4\,\text{feet}$, standard for friendly conversations and close acquaintances.

Social Zone

The spatial distance extending from $4$ to $12\,\text{feet}$, typical for professional workplace interactions, business meetings, and transactional exchanges.

Public Zone

The spatial distance extending $12\,\text{feet}$ and beyond, used for public speaking, classroom lectures, and interactions with crowds or strangers.

Structure of a Research Paper (Hourglass Model)

A structure moving from broad context (Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review), narrowing to specific empirical procedures (Methodology, Results), and broadening out again to general takeaways (Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements, References).

Symbolic Interactionism

The theory positing that human understanding of social reality is constructed through ongoing social interactions and shared verbal and nonverbal symbols.

Behaviorism

A psychological paradigm focused solely on observable, measurable external behaviors and environmental stimuli rather than unseen internal thoughts.

Self-Efficacy

An individual's personal belief in their ability to successfully execute specific tasks or present themselves effectively in a given situation.

Social Comparison Theory

The theory stating that individuals evaluate their own abilities, opinions, and personal worth by measuring themselves against others.

Self-Disclosure

The voluntary, intentional sharing of private, intimate, or previously hidden personal information about oneself with another person.

Self-Monitoring

The ability to observe, regulate, and alter one's communicative presentations and behaviors to match social cues and environmental demands.

Schemas

Cognitive frameworks and mental structures that help individuals organize incoming stimuli and make sense of social information quickly.

Mindlessness

A cognitive state of passive, automatic information processing where an individual operates on autopilot without conscious reflection.

Mindfulness

A state of active, focused cognitive awareness wherein an individual intentionally monitors and evaluates their perceptions and use of schemas.

Stereotyping

Applying generalized schema-based traits, morals, or habits to an individual solely based on their group membership, overlooking their uniqueness.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The cognitive bias of overemphasizing internal character flaws when explaining others' blunders while attributing one's own blunders to external circumstances.

Culture

A learned system of thought, language, and behavior comprising shared beliefs, values, norms, and practices that typifies a relatively large group of people.

High-Context Culture

A cultural communication style that relies heavily on subtle situational cues, relationships, nonverbal signals, and implicit shared understanding to convey meaning.

Low-Context Culture

A cultural communication style that prioritizes explicit, direct, literal language and transparent verbal expression over situational context.

Individualistic Culture

A culture prioritizing personal autonomy, privacy, individual ambition, self-expression, and personal freedom over collective obligations.

Collectivistic Culture

A culture prioritizing group harmony, community obligations, hierarchy, and loyalty to the collective over individual desires.

Monochronic Time Orientation

A cultural viewpoint that treats time as a linear, scarce commodity to be compartmentalized, strictly scheduled, and adhered to sequentially.

Polychronic Time Orientation

A cultural viewpoint that treats time as fluid and flexible, emphasizing multitasking, interpersonal relationships, and adaptability over rigid schedules.

Power Distance

The extent to which members of a society anticipate, accept, and normalize an unequal distribution of power and social status hierarchy.

Co-Cultures

Distinct groups residing within a broader culture whose members share unique communication traits, language nuances, or demographic identities.

Social Identity

The component of an individual's self-concept that originates from recognized belonging to social groups, dividing perceptions into in-groups and out-groups.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own culture is inherently superior to others, leading to judging all other practices and cultures strictly through one's own cultural lens.

Discrimination

Unequal, unfavorable, or unfair behavioral treatment directed at individuals based entirely on their social group identity or demographic background.

Accommodation

The deliberate or subconscious adjustment of verbal and nonverbal communication styles to match the patterns of a conversation partner.

Overaccommodation

An exaggerated, stereotyped over-adjustment of communication style toward another person that comes across as demeaning, patronizing, or offensive.

Amy Gonzales' Self-Perception Study

Research examining how private versus public feedback affects self-perception, showing individuals seek feedback confirming their self-image even when negative.

Robin Nabi's Framing Effects Study

An investigation showing anger-framed messages push people toward blame, punishment, and certainty, whereas fear primes drive uncertainty and information seeking.

Neural Responses to Online Hate (Yang et al.)

A study demonstrating that strong neural responses to online hate messages predict increased ideological engagement and decreased communication decency.

Online Toxicity and Replies (Cheng et al.)

Research establishing that likes and affirmation replies reduce the toxicity of a user's next post, while dislikes increase subsequent toxicity.

Political Expression Feedback Loop (Dan Lane)

Research revealing that strong political self-concept drives online political posting, which in turn reinforces and solidifies the individual's political self-concept.

Intergroup Contact and Media (Muniba Saleem)

A meta-analysis showing intergroup contact reliably decreases prejudice and increases positivity toward outgroups across advantaged and disadvantaged populations.