Comm 120 Midterm 1

Interpersonal communication

Production and processing of verbal and nonverbal messages between two or few persons

Linear model

A one way model. Early model of communication. One individual does something and it is receive by others

Sender

Person who is doing something verbally or nonverbally, they are producing the behaviors (Also called encoders and sources)

Receiver

Person who observes it was ears, eyes, or touch

Message

Meaning that is being communicated

Channel

How a sender sends their message to the receiver, can be verbal, mediated, or nonverbal

The issues with the linear model

Model is too simplistic because it focuses a lot on the sender but not the receiver.

Feedback

Concept that helps us consider what the receiver is doing. Vocalizing, nodding, and eye contact shows we are paying attention. Tells us that people are both senders and receivers

Noise

Anything that impedes or prevents communication from being received

Physical noise

External to both speak and listeners and prevents the message from being received

Psychological noise

Prevents the message from being received because it is a distraction in the mind

Physiological noise

Due to things associated with the body that prevents the message from being received

Semantic noise

When the message cannot be received because we have differences in what the meanings of the words are

Transactional model

Both communicators are sender and receivers at the same time, we are giving comm and receiving it at the same time

Environment

Broader than context, where is it occurring, is it outside or in a classroom? Contains more physical aspects

Context

Fit within the greater environment, what is the situation we are having with the interaction? Will change how we send and receive messages

Elements that define interpersonal communication

1. Intentionally
2. Shared information/meaning
3. Transmission
4. Bond

Intentionality

For it truly be interpersonal communication, the message/behavior needs to be done intentionally, if not it is not interpersonal communication

Shared information/meaning

Means that the message/communication is understood by both individuals, feedback tells us that there is shared meaning

Transmission

Helps us distinguish intrapersonal communication from interpersonal communication. Messages has to leave your head to go to others through channels in order to be interpersonal communication

Bond

Recognition of a relationship between two people no matter how superficial. You recognize something exists = bond

Symbolic Interactionism Theory

As we communicate and interact with others, we reach shared meaning and is argued to be the first interpersonal communication theory

Three axioms (assumptions) of communication

1. One cannot not communicate
2. Every communication has a content (direct) and a relationship (subtle) component. The relationship component classifies the content component and is therefore meta-communication
3. Punctuation determines meaning

First Axiom

arguing that there is no opposite of behavior, everything we do or don’t do communicates a message and we can misinterpret

Second Axiom

Every form of communication has a literal meaning and the subtle relationship component

Third Axiom

Punctuation or how we say things helps us understand the message, in nonverbal communication we call this vocalics or paralanguage

Meta-communication

Communication about communication, helps us come to meaning about what they are saying, when they say it

Situational approach to interpersonal communication

Distinguish between various kinds of communication in terms of the situation (context) in which the communication takes place. Contexts is what makes a differences, the focus is on the number of people and connection

Factors of the situational approaches to interpersonal communication

1. Number of communicators: can only be two people
2. Degree of physical proximity: we need to be physically close
3. Different sense available: sight, touch, etc.
4. Availability of feedback: lots of feedback and no delay

Defining interpersonal communication from the situational approach

Involves a small number of communicators, it occurs in a close face-to-face situation, it permits the use of maximum numbers of sensory channels, and it allows for immediate feedback

The developmental approach

Defining feature of interpersonal communication is the predictive power for a partner’s behavior, people make predictions about the effects of their communication behavior as they get to know someone

Sources of data for prediction-making

1. Cultural level data
2. Sociological level data
3. Psychological level data

Cultural level of data

The broadest level of data. Easiest to learn but worst at helping us make accurate predication of behavior

Sociological level data

Rooted in one’s group’s memberships, as we know memberships we can make predictions of behavior

Psychological level of data

Information about a person that makes them unique and an individual from all other people (Personality, comm preferences) most difficult info to learn because you must get to know someone and they must self disclose info. The most helpful for us to make accurate prediction of behavior, but hardest to learn

Politeness Theory assumptions

1. All people have face wants
2. It is in everybody’s best interests to cooperate in satisfying each other’s face needs
3. People are rational, so they choose means that will satisfy their ends

Positive face

Our desire for praise, validation, approval, liking, so on. We have desires to be liked and to be approved. We want to receive praise from other people, this is why we cannot satisfy our own faces

Negative face

Our desire for anatomy, desire to make our own decisions. We want people to acknowledge that we have anatomy and that we can make choices in our lives. Satisfy this by reminding them we have a choice

FTA criticism

Wanting someone to change, we are threatening their positive face because we are not giving them praise

FTA request

Asking someone to do something, threatens their negative face because we are taking away their choice

Degree to which an act is face-threatening depends on

1. Social distance
2. Power or status of the listener relative to the speaker
3. Degree of imposition
4. Rank

Social distance

Two aspects: Similarity and level of closeness

Similarity: more that someone is a peer or similar to us. The more they are our peer, the less face threatening

Level of closeness: People that we are close with, are less threatening

Power or status of the listener relative to the speaker

Level of power, does one have more power than the other or is it the same. Can they punish me or not, or can I do that to them.

Degree of imposition

How significant the request is it. If the request is small, it is not that face threatening. If the request is big, it is more face threatening

Rank

Certain topics, in certain cultures are just naturally more face threatening

Weight

Combines all four of the degrees. Helps us consider how polite or impolite we need to be. If the social distance is great, we are not peers, they have power over us, it is a large degree of imposition, we need to tip toe and be very polite

Politeness theory friendship study

People naturally judge messages on explicitness, dominance, and argument. Being explicit was seen positively and having good rationale to an argument. Dominance was seen as very impolite. Partially goes against politeness theory as being blunt is seen as rude

Phonemes

Refers to a unit of sound

Syntax

What helps us distinguish between language and non language. The order in which words are presented

Semantics

Meaning of words, can come from culture

Pragmatics

What is the function of the words, how are the words collectively working together to provide something for us

Digital code of words

A. arbitrary elements

B. Rules exist for combing these elements

C. Potential transformation

Analogic code of words

A. the word is “thing-like”: purr sounds like purr, sizzle sounds like something sizzling

Quantity

We should only provide info that is completely necessary, but we shouldn’t provide more or less. We should provide the exact amount of information that is needed

Quality

About providing info that is accurate, honest, truthful, and correct. Don’t make statements that we know or believe to be false or a lie.

Relation

Relevance. Contributions or communication should be connected or relevant to the topic under discussion

Manner

Provide info that is clear, not vague. Don’t be ambiguous and avoid obscurity

Implicature

Inference of meaning or more information is implied by the violation

Politeness

We should take into account the people we are speaking with. Don’t be offensive, rude or vulgar

Morality

We should not repeat info that we were told in private or in privilege. We also don’t have the right to ask about info we do not need to know. Has a heavy case by case basis

Charity

Follow as many of the maxims as we can and don’t violate them

Problems with the maxims

1. Too broad
2. Do not handle all aspects of language
3. Cooperative conversations is culturally determined

Equivocal communication

Being intentionally vague or ambiguous in order to avoid conflict

Types of nonverbal communications

1. body movements: behaviors we do with our body
2. vocal behaviors: how we say the words, paralanguage
3. clothing and appearance: The way we look can communicate

Why nonverbal communication should be of interest

1. Tendency for nonverbal behavior to leak
2. Sometimes it might be more important than verbal communication
3. We tend to trust nonverbal more than verbal cues even when both channels are presenting congruent information in the context of liking/relationships

Assumptions of EVT

1. Humans have expectations for how others should behave
2. Expectations exert significant influence on impressions and outcomes
3. Violations of expectations are not always negative

Expectancy

We have these expectations, these are what we expect or predict to happen, can be influenced by who we are communicating with

Violation

When what we expect to happen, doesn’t happen

Violation valence

Was the violation good or bad?

Communicator reward valence

If we cannot decide a violation valence, we then look to the person who did the violation and decide what sort of characteristics they provide, based on this we assign a valence

Emblems

Gestures that have a very clear meaning and we can use them as sub for words

Illustrators

Nonverbal body movements that are 100% tied to the words being spoken. They do not exist if there are no words. Provides a visual aspect

Regulators

Gestures that control the flow of our convo. Tells us when it is our turn to speak or when it is not. I want to speak so I raise my hand

Adaptors

Used to manage our emotional arousal, we do not want to be over or under emotionally aroused

Phonetic pause

Pause we do with our voice. A really quick pause, so fast that it is not detectable by the human ear. Audibly we cannot hear. 250ms or less

Silent pause

A pause that is longer and can be detected, absence of sound. 250ms or longer

Filled pause

A pause where sound is happening during the pause. 250ms or longer. Saying things like uh or um. We make sound but does not contribute to the message

Response latency

Amount of time from when person A stops speaking and person b starts speaking. Can be short or long

Speech rate

How fast someone is talking, are they speaking really quickly or slow. Speech rate can be effected by emotions, cognitive load, or culture

Articulation

How we move our mouth, our lips, and our tongue. How sharp we say our words

Loudness

Volume, sometimes we are loud or quiet. If we are loud it might be because we are mad, we might be quiet because we are sad

Pitch

We can go up or down in this. it can communicate our age, trustworthiness, personality

Stress

Can change the entire meaning of what we are saying, different stressing can change what a sentence means

Gaze

When one person is looking at another in the direction of their face

Mutual gaze

Both people are looking in the direction of their face

Gaze aversion

Looking at the ground or the sky. Don’t want to give eye contact for whatever reason

7 universal facial expressions

Sadness, joy, fear, anger, disgust, surprise, contempt

Decoration

We can decorate our bodies differently, wearing different types of clothes

Protection

Wearing clothes as a protective manner, jacket if its cold, firefighter suit

Attraction

We can wear clothes to enhance our attractiveness or to decrease it

Group identification

Clothes that can signal we are a member of a particular group

Status or role

Clothes that communicates affluence, wearing brand names, or roles like cops

Intimate proxemic zone

Between 0 and 18 inches away. We don't communicate with a lot of people in this zone, only for people that we are really close with. Space is cultural, different cultures will have different approaches for what is and is not acceptable. Touching occurs in this zone, can hear well

Personal proxemics zone

18 inches to 4 feet, or 1,5 feet or 4 feet. Being at an arms distance, the end of the arms are the end of this zone. We can hear, see, see facial expressions, not touch. Usually only reserved for people we are close to

social proxemic zone

4 feet to 12 feet. We can interact with pretty much everyone in this zone. Stanger's, friends, whoever. Interaction is easy when they are closer, but the far we get its harder to see, hear, or understand, may have to increase volume

Public proxemic zone

12 to feet to infinity. Not a lot of interpersonal interaction happening here. You can't really interact with someone 20 feet away, at least not privately. Nonverbals tend to be harder to see and understand

Attachment theory

Infants want closeness and safety, this is because it gives them a sense of survival. They especially want this during a time of need. ex: during illness, hungry, sleepy, diaper changed, being scared. The caregiver could respond consistently, not consistently, or rebuff, Caregiver response during a time of need is what forms the attachment. In essence, the caregiver is teaching the child what they need to do to get that sense of survival

Model of others

How I view you, especially someone I view as an attachment figure

Model of self

How I view myself

Consistent response

Caregivers are frequently coming to the child during a time of need. That would form a secure attachment, have a positive model of self and positive model of others. View themselves as being worthy of love and their caregiver as someone they can relies on