COMM 10 - Midterm

Norms

Rules on what behavior is accepted/expected in a given situation.

Types of Social Norms

Folkways, Mores, Taboos

Folkways

Lightly held norms. Not a big deal if you break them, just unusual. (matching socks)

Mores

More strongly held norms. Breaking is a bigger deal, stronger reaction. (naked in the front yard)

Taboos

Most strongly held norms. Laws against such action. Variation in diff. groups and societies. (incest, necrophilia)

Folkway Example

You should wear matching socks. Wearing socks without holes.

More Example

Adults playing naked on the front lawn.

Taboo Example

Having sex with a family member (incest). Having sex with a dead person (Necrophilia).

Examples of important comm. decisions

how long to wait before contacting? how often to contact? how long to talk on the phone? make yourself to make the call. when to go out? where? what to do? who pays? how to kiss? what to say at the end? when to leave in the morning?

^^^norms and how they can be broken in many ways

5 Types of Pick Up Lines

Friendly, Offbeat, Humorous, Altar, Seductive.

1. Friendly Pick Up Line Example

strike up a conversation/ "Would you mind some conversation while we wait?"

2. Offbeat Pick Up Line Example

"Do you think we are ever going to switch to the metric system?"

3. Humorous Pick Up Line Example

"So what's a nice girl like you doing in an elevator like this?"

4. Altar Pick Up Line Example

"You look just like my 3rd husband." (only had 2!)

5. Seductive Pick Up Line Example

"You are the sexiest woman in the room."“come over, let’s break a few commandments”

• should stir, not disgust

SEMCDR Model (by David Berlo)

Source - Encoder - Message - Channel - Decoder - Receiver

Source

The person with the thought/idea to communicate.

Encoder

Process involved in speaking, writing, and reasoning.

Takes the thought/idea and puts it into some form that people can understand.

Message (3 aspects)

Code, content, treatment

1. Code

any structured group of symbols by which we communicate. Must be shared to be understood. (English, morse code, traffic light, clothes, smoke)

2. Content

basic stuff, meaning of the message “I love you” = "from “I” to “u” = content.

What is being communicated. (the general idea)

3. Treatment

how the message is communicated (non-verbal things like tone, volume, politeness).

Conveys relationship between the speakers (mom, dog, boss) and characteristics.

Double Bind

When the content and treatment of a message contradict.

When what you say and how you say it contradict.

(We tend to prioritize the treatment in these cases, because it tends to be more reflective and harder to control)

Channel

The medium used to get a message from source to receiver. (face to face, TV, phone, email, radio, etc.)

Receiver

Person who receives the message being sent.

Feedback

Info going from receiver back to the source.

Roles switch.

Linear Model

Can only define communication that is one way. (SEMCDR Model)

Circular Model

Model in which there is a constant change of source and reciever. Feedback is involved.

Noise

Interferes with the message being sent. Interferes with the fidelity of the message (distorts it)

Types of noise

Internal and External

Internal Noise

noise that is going on within you, stimuli from inside of you. (cannot be externally removed)

ex. hunger, pain, emotional turmoil, being intoxicated

External Noise

stimuli that come from outside of the body (hammer, flies, attractive person, hot weather)

High Fidelity

Message getting through the entire model without distortion. (Noise)

ex. face to face, Hi-Fi stereo systems - so good it almost feels live.

Low Fidelity Message

message gets distorted by the noise (static on TV, loud concert)

4 Systems of Communication

Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Small Group, Mass

Intrapersonal Communication

Communication with one's self, your thoughts to yourself, self-reflection

Interpersonal Communicaion

Communication between 2 people.

ex. date

Small Group Communicaion

If you know the other members by name or sight and can recognize when one member is missing or when a new person is there. (3 ppl lower limit, no upper limit)

ex. basketball team

Mass Communication

Big group where there is too many people to know by sight or name. (often linear form of communication)

ex. lecture in college

Mediation

a physical inanimate thing that comes between 2 non-connected things

Non Mediated - Intrapersonal Example

You thinking your own thoughts.

Mediated - Intrapersonal Example

Writing yourself a note, keeping a diary, journaling

Non Mediated - Interpersonal Example

Speaking to someone face to face.

Mediated - Interpersonal Example

Talking on the phone, writing a letter, sending a text, FaceTiming.

Non Mediated - Small Group Example

A study group in which everyone sits around a table talking face to face.

Mediated - Small Group Example

A business meeting using google dox, zoom meeting, group chat

Non Mediated - Mass Example

aka. Public Communication. One person talking to a large group without a medium.

ex. lecture in university

Mediated - Mass Example

Giving a lecture using a microphone.

Example of all 4 systems of Communication operating at the same time

Painting- paint for yourself, then show it to you friend, then show it to your art class, then take it to a museum.

*social media is blurry - can range from self-friend-group-mass)

Perception

Process of us interpreting message into a coherent picture. Begins with the operation of 5 senses.

Two people can see the same thing yet have totally different interpretations of it. Messages in dyads are usually misunderstood

2 Stages of Perception

Reception, Analysis

Reception

The operation of our senses. Relatively automatic.

Analysis

Active stage of perception. Includes focusing, organizing, and interpreting.

Analysis of Example

You see 5 billion stimuli. Your brain can only process up to 10,000. Therefore we must select what to focus upon. Those 10,000 vary from person to person which explains how different people have different perceptions.

4 Factors influencing selection in perception (with objects in the world)

Ease, Intensity, Contrast, Repetition

Ease

We select what is closest to us, what stands out. (elephant in class, whatever is in front of you)

Intensity

We select things that exist in extreme degree. We notice that which is loud (siren), bright, tantrum, kidnapping.

All of these goals is to grab attention.

Contrast

We select things because they are different.

ex. packaging shape (can of pringles, not bag), clothes/or lack of them

Repetition

We select that which is we see/hear over and over.

ex. propaganda, ad slogans, religious prayers/service

Selection Factors Within Ourselves

MMARSCLPP - Motivation, Mood, Attitudes,Roles, Selective Attention, Culture, Language, Past Learning Experiences, Psychological Tendencies

Past Learning Experiences Selection Example

Man cheated on woman, now she thinks all men are untrustworthy.

Culture Selection Example

Flash 2 images, one in each eye. A baseball player and a bull fighter. Over 90% of people in Mexico saw the bull fighter. Over 90% of people in America saw the baseball player.

east: hollistic, context, comfy with contradictions, bigger pic, accept duality

west: analytical, logical, narrow focus, settle conflict

black vs white race hearing the same verdict: happy vs sad

Language Selection Example

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis - language shapes the way people view the world.

Eskimos have lots of words for snow, while we only have a few.

In Arabic there are two words for color- hot and cool. In English there are many words for color.

Feminine vs masculine vs neutral gender of words in German, russian, etc.

Motivation Selection Example

You are more likely to notice an advertisement for food when you are hungry.

Notice your dream car on the road

Noticing what’s important to us.

(body shapes of other people when on a diet)

Stereotypes

lead to selective perception. Stereotypes help us discern between thousands of people that we meet.

Never encountered a group of ppl → draw from stereotypes.

Can be both good and bad, not necessarily negative.

When see person who doesn’t fit stereotype - can dismiss as an exception.
^if happens often enough - the stereotype can change altogether

Sources of Steryotypes

Your culture, your family, your own past learning experiences, the mass media

>Negative Twist

A positive steryotype with a ______. Example- we admire athletes BUT they are just dumb jocks.

Roles Selection Example

Each focuses on a different thing in the park based on their occupation. A zoologist, a psychologist, and a pick pocket - can all walk the same way but will perceive things differently.

Roles influence perception.

Mood Selection Example

Study with people in different moods. All shown picture of kids digging in the mud.

- Happy sees kids having fun.

- Anxious worries that someone is going to get hurt and that no adult is watching them. Etc.

Attitudes Selection Example

The referee is always unfair to your team. Why? Because you are favorably predisposed toward your own team. Prejudice toward your team.

3 Types of Psychological Tendencies

Selective Exposure, Selective Attention, Selective Retention

Selective Exposure

Tendency to expose yourself to messages that are familiar or that agree with your beliefs and values.

*experiment with radio static ?

ex. An athiest is not likely to go to church.

Selective Attention

Tendency to pay more attention to the part of the message that is consistent with your beliefs and tune out the ones that counter it.

ex. Obama talks about economics and you listen because you agree. He then talks about the war and you tune him out because you don't agree.

Selective Retention

Tendency to remember things we support or agree with.

if you have listened to all parts of the message and are later asked what was said, you are more likely to be able to tell people those parts of the message that you agreed with.

ex. When asked about Obamas speech last night you tell your friend how he talked about economics and not about the war because you agree with his stance on economics but not the war.

Counter Tendency

Paying attention to opinions counter to yours to make yourself feel superior.

ex. watching leftist show while being conservative

6 Functions of Words and examples

SPPERE

- Stand for/refer to things (“dog”=animal, arbitrary)
- Perform actions (I do, I bet, I promise, singing, cursing)
- Promote human contact,
- Evoke emotions (patriotic speech, slurs),
- Reduce uncertainty (question, clarify),
- Express complexities (words are key to exploring relationships)

^^^can overlap

Problems with words

RELEASS

- Relative language,
- Equivocation (bypassing),
- Limited language,
- Euphemism,
- Abstraction,
- Static evaluation,
- Subcultural differences

Equivocation

words/phrases have more than 1 meaning

ex. “more lies ahead”, “mother refuses to work after death”, “include children when baking cookies”

Bypassing

same word with different meanings OR different words with same meaning

ex. “fanny” - bag in American, vagina in UK.
ex. “soda vs pop”, “revise vs edit”

^^can be cleared up through feedback

Abstraction

the level of specificity you ascribe to what you communicate.

ex. “I’m studying at a place - room - school - ucla - lecture hall - Dodd 147”

- can save you from being too direct (“the world didn’t end” instead of “you are dumb”)

- can convey uncertainty and not knowing what you want (“we don’t do unusual stuff anymore”)

Euphemism

pleasant term substituted for a blunt one in order to soften the impact of unpleasant news.

ex. firing= early retirement, deselected
he passed = he died
negative cash flow = broke

*challenge is to be as nice as possible without sacrificing thte clarity of your message
- can backfire

Relative Language

words that only ultimately get meaning if you offer some comparison. These words are all relative. (Small school?...compared to what?)

ex. big, difficult, small

Static Evaluation

using words to make reality more concrete than it actually is

ex. "John is always boring" it would be more accurate to say "John was boring at lunch today" he may not be boring in other areas

ex. “I’m shy” - you’re not always shy, just when around your classmates

Limited Language/Unlimited Reality

our vocabularies are limited, for complex things words are not always sufficient

ex. must show a kid how to tie his shoes, can't tell him with words

Subcultural Differences

different cultures may use the same language in a different way → leads to misunderstandings

ex. “I’m feeling puny” = not feeling well in Georgia

Cultural Differences in the Use of Language

Elaborate vs. Succinct

ex. Arabic- if you don't want any more food you can't say simply "no" you must say "I swear I could not eat another bite"

Japanese, Korean - reading of non-verbal language

For Spanish people surveys take longer because they elaborate more

^^due to being popular internationally, some poorly-translated phrases can confuse travelers ex. “deformed person”,”leave your values in the front”

Formal vs. Informal

USA- informal, especially with first names

Korea- has at least 6 different levels of formality depending on the situation), first names aren’t used by just anyone.

Profanity

Reason to use profanity- people want to say it because they are not really supposed to.

As profanity becomes more widespread it loses its "punch".

“fuck” has replaced all interjections, can be used as noun, verb, adjective, adverb. It has disappeared from graffiti due to it’s popularity.

Why is it so widespread?

mass media, the movie rating system, the class leveling ideaology, the feminist movement, 1960s (war), TV standards changing, the music industry, (rock-punk-hiphop) newspapers

Today racial slurs is the most taboo due to equality issues - before it was religious or sexual words (changes over time)

*language is tied to social circumstances

Intimacy

desire to connect with other people (one of most strongest forces)

- arises from closeness

4 Dimensions of Intimacy

PIES

1. Physical (touch is very important for humans- begins early on- babies who don't get enough touch have abnormally high stress levels, are less successful and live less, begins before birth)

2. Intellectual (Exchanging important ideas with one another can lead to powerful closeness)

3. Emotional (sharing important feelings with one another)

4. Shared Activities (doing things together: play, work)

^takes time
^we still need privacy and distance

Gender and Culture's Influence on Intimacy

Women tend to bond through talk. Men through actions. This leads to misunderstandings.

ex. women have sex after intimacy has been established, men have sex to create intimacy

Some cultures PDA is acceptable. Others this would be very inappropriate. (Culture influences intimacy)

8 factors for Why We Choose Who We Choose

SCCREPPD

Similarities, Complementarity, Competency, Reciprocity, Exchange, Physical Appearance, Proximity, Disclosure

Similarities

We tend to select people with the same values/class/interests/intelligence as we do, because it validates us and our choices.

(Studies show that attitude similarity is more important than personality similarity)

smart people don’t usually end up with dumb people

Complementarity

"Opposites arttract". Differences can strengthen a relationship when they are complementary- when each person's characteristics satisfy the other person's needs

(ex. person who talks a lot with a person who hardly talks at all)

ex. couple splitting tasks according to what they like/are good at

Competency

We seek people who are competent and skilled but not TOO competent. We hope that their skills will rub off on us. Someone who is too perfect seems unreachable and inhuman. People like approachability. (In this order people liked
1.superior who blundered
2. superior who didn't
3. average person who didn't
4. average person who blundered)

Reciprocity

You like a person and the person likes you back. Knowing that someone like you is a strong source of attraction. On the other hand we don't like people who don't like us.

*This also works if we just think the person likes us, even if they don't

ex. she’s in/out of my league

Exchange

This is cost-benefit analysis. We seek people who give us rewards (physical, emotional, financial) in return for dealing with them. Through life we develop an idea of what we deserve in a relationship; if a person falls below the mark, we are likely not interested in them.

high vs low expectations

deeply satisfying relationships depend on more than just exchange

Physical Appearance

Studies show that beautiful people are treated much differently than unattractive people. (handsome criminals get shorter sentences, good looking patients get better treatment, beautiful people are wealthier, ugly children tend to be abused more than cute kids, parents of attractive children don’t let them wander off)

What is attractive

Men like women with...large eyes, small noses, small waist, thick hair and full lips (all things associated with youthfulness)
*where food is not available = plump women liked more, where food is available = skinny women

Women like men with...tall height, muscles and broad shoulders (all things associated with strength) although this varies WIDELY

men tend to place more value on looks
women tend to place more value on financial status

men want to make more than their wife