Intro to Communications Midterm

Communication

the process by which we use signs, symbols, and behaviors to exchange information and create meaning

Relational needs

the essential elements we look for in our relationships with other people

Communication

the process by which we use signs, symbols, and behaviors to exchange information and create meaning

Relational needs

the essential elements we look for in our relationships with other people

Spirituality

Principles one values in life

Instrumental needs

everyday needs (long-term or short-term goals)

Action Model

Communication is a one-way process; source formulates idea, sends idea in form of a message, message sent through a communication channel, receiver decodes the message, interpretation is affected by noise

Noise

anything that interferes with the receiver's ability to attend to a message

Interaction Model

Communication is a two-way process; includes action model + receiver provides FEEDBACK through verbal/nonverbal behavior + CONTEXT

Transaction Model

A model describing communication as a process in which everyone is simultaneously a sender and a receiver

Channel-rich contexts

Environments that incorporate multiple communication channels at once (EX. FACE TO FACE CONVERSATION)

Channel-lean contexts

Environments that use relatively fewer communication channels (EX. TWEETING)

Relational dimension

signals about the relationship in which a message is being communicated

Intrapersonal communication

an inner dialogue conducted with oneself to assess one's thoughts, feelings, and reactions

Interpersonal communication

the exchange of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs between two people

Small group communication

communicating with groups of 3-20 people

Public communication

speak/write to an audience larger than 20 people

Mass communication

a category of human communication which originates within media (such as a newspaper or news channel) that is transmitted to a large, anonymous, and diverse audience

Communication competence

communicating in ways that are effective and appropriate in a given situation

Self-monitoring

being aware of one's own behavior and its effects on others

Cognitive complexity

the ability to consider a variety of explanations to understand a given situation in multiple ways

Culture

totality of learned, shared symbols, language, values, and norms that distinguish one group of people from another

Societies

groups of people who share common culture

In-groups

people we identify with

Out-groups

people we see as different from us

Ethnicity

our perception of our ancestry or heritage

Nationality

status as a citizen of a particular country

Enculturation

process by which one acquires a culture

Co-cultures

groups of people who share values, customs, and norms related to mutual interests or characteristics besides their national citizenship

Individualistic culture

primary responsibility is to yourself

Collectivistic culture

primary responsibility is to one's families, communities, and employers

Low-context culture

people are expected to be direct, say exactly what they mean

High-context culture

"sugar-coating", speak in a very indirect way

Low-power distance culture

all men and women are equal, no person or group has excessive power

High-power distance culture

certain groups have great power, others have much less

Masculine culture

people cherish stereotypical masculine values such as ambition, achievement, and the acquisition of material goods

Feminine culture

people value nurturing behavior, quality of life, service to others, equality among sexes

Monochronic concept of time

time is viewed as a commodity

Polychronic concept of time

time is fluid and less structured

Uncertainty avoidance

extent to which people try to avoid situations that are unstructured, unclear, and unpredictable

Mindful

awareness that others behaviors and thought patterns may differ from out own

Ethnocentrism

tendency to judge others' practices as inferior to your own

Communication codes

Verbal and nonverbal behaviors whose meanings are often understood only by people from the same culture

Task cohesion

the extent to which everyone in the group is working together toward the same objectives

Social cohesion

level of positive regard group members have for each other

Rules

explicitly stated principles outlining what a group's members can and cannot do

Norms

understood implicitly, guide group members behavior

Formal roles

specifically assigned to people to help the group fulfill its task at hand/mission

Informal roles

not specifically assigned, anyone in the group can take them on

Problem-solving communication

focuses on the details of how a small group can accomplish its tasks

role communication

formal and informal roles each member plays in the group

Conscious-raising communication

strengthens group's identity and the morale of each of its members

Encounter communication

interpersonal interactions among group members

Antecedent phase

The first phase of new member socialization in which the newcomer's beliefs and attitudes, culture, traits, and prior experiences are identified

Anticipatory phase

during group socialization, the phase in which member's expectations of each other and the group set the stage for what will occur during socialization

Encounter phase

the phase in which the expectations of a group and its members meet the actual reality of the group (adjustments begin to occur)

Assimilation phase

During group socialization, the phase in which members are fully integrated into the group and its structures

Exit phase

individual members may leave voluntarily or involuntarily in the final state of socialization

synergy

the interaction of two or more agents of forces so that their combine effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects

Social loafing

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

Language

structured system of symbols used for communicating meaning

Language is symbolic

each word represents a particular object or idea

Phonological rules

Linguistic rules governing how sounds are combined to form words

Syntactic rules

rules that govern the ways in which symbols can be arranged as opposed to the meanings of those symbols

Semantic rules

Reflect the ways in which users of a language assign meaning to a particular linguistic symbol, usually a word

Pragmatic rules

Linguistic rules that help communicators understand how messages may be used and interpreted in a given context

Semantic triangle

symbol, referent, reference

Symbol

word

Referent

denotative meaning

Reference

connotative meaning

Loaded language

is wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes (strongly negative or positive connotations)

Sapir-whorf hypothesis

reality is already embedded in the structure of our language, and that this structure determines how we perceive our world

Linguistic determinism

Whorf's hypothesis that language determines the way we think

Linguistic relativism

a moderate form of linguistic determinism that argues that language exerts a strong influence on the perceptions of the people who speak it

Equivocation

the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; prevarication

Weasel words

words that are deliberately misleading or ambiguous language used to avoid making a straightforward statement

Allness statements

simple but untrue generalization

anchor-and-contrast approach

A persuasion technique by which one precedes a desired request with a request that is much larger

norm of reciprocity

the unwritten rule that people should benefit those who have benefited them

social validation principle

the idea that people will comply with requests if they believe that others are also complying

Defamation

Slander or libel, language that harms a person's reputation/gives them a bad image

Libel

A written defamation of a person's character, reputation, business, or property rights

Slander

Spoken defamation

Hate speech

words that attack groups such as racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities

I-statement

A statement that claims ownership of the communicator's feelings or thoughts

You-statement

A statement that shifts responsibility for the communicator's feelings or thoughts to the other party in the communication

Perception

the process of making meaning from what we experience in the world around us

Perception process

select, organize, interpret

Selection

First step in perception- one or more senses are stimulated

Organization

Second step in perception- mind and body help you isolate stimulus to pay attention to

Interpret

Third step in perception- process of categorizing information that has been selected for attention

Perceptual schema

Mental framework that create meaningful patterns from stimuli (Prototypes, Stereotypes, and Scripts), places information into constructs

Physical constructs

emphasize people's appearance

Role constructs

emphasize people's social or professional position

Interaction constructs

People are classified according to their social behavior (friendly, shy, etc.).

Psychological constructs

A characteristic that we assume exists in order to explain some aspect of behavior (like interest, anxiety, honesty, creativity...)

Interpretation

The process of assigning meaning to information that has been selected for attention and organized

Selective memory bias

occurs when we tend to remember information that supports our stereotypes but forget information that contradicts them

Perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Self-concept

stable ideas of who you are

Identity

your understanding of who you are

Johari Window

A visual representation of components of the self that are known or unknown to the self and to others.