Communication Ch 1-5

Polarization

 occurs when people divide into groups that seemingly share very little common ground, such as political parties

We define _________ as the process of using messages to generate shared meaning. _________ is considered a process because it is an activity, an exchange, or a set of unfolding behaviors.

Communication

The components of communication are

people, messages, channels, codes, encoding and decoding, feedback, noise, and situation.

People are involved in the human communication process in two roles

as both the sources and the receivers of messages.

A source

initiates a message

A receiver

is the intended target of the message

The message is

the verbal and nonverbal form of the idea, thought, or feeling that one person (the source) wishes to communicate to another person or a group of people (the receivers).

The channel is

 the means by which a message moves from the source to the receiver of the message. Think about how you communicate with your family.

A code is

a systematic arrangement of symbols used to create meanings in the mind of another person or persons. Words, phrases, and sentences become “symbols” used to evoke images, thoughts, and ideas in the minds of others.

Verbal codes consist of

symbols and their grammatical arrangement. All languages are codes.

Nonverbal codes consist of all symbols that are not words

 including bodily movements, the use of space and time, clothing and other adornments, and sounds other than words.

Encoding

is the process of translating an idea or a thought into a code. 

Decoding

is the process of assigning meaning to that idea or thought.

Feedback

is the receiver’s verbal and nonverbal response to the source’s message

Noise can be

physical, such as loud sounds; distracting sights, such as a piece of food between someone’s front teeth; or an unusual behavior, such as someone standing too close for comfort. Can be mental, psychological, or semantic, such as daydreams about a loved one, worry about the bills, pain from a tooth, or uncertainty about what the other person’s words mean.

Dialogue

is simply the act of taking part in a conversation, discussion, or negotiation. As we take part in dialogue, we are constantly creating meaning, interpreting meaning, assessing whether common meaning is achieved, and adapting communication behaviors as necessary.

context

a recurring pattern of behaviors that typically take place in similar settings.

Dyadic communication

 is simply two-person communication, such as interviews with an employer or a teacher; talks with a parent, spouse, or child; and interactions among strangers, acquaintances, or friends

Small-group communication

is the interaction among three to nine people working together to achieve an interdependent goal.

Public speaking

 is the process of using messages to generate meanings in a situation in which a single speaker transmits a message to a number of receivers, who give nonverbal and sometimes question-and-answer feedback

Mass communication

is the process of using messages to generate meanings in a mediated system, between a source and a large number of unseen receivers.

The online communication context, or Internet, typically allows

social media sites, gaming sites, and similar technologies to help people stay connected with close friends, acquaintances, and others with whom they share similar interests.

Synchronous communication occurs

when there is instantaneous sending and receiving of messages, such as in face-to-face or Snapchat interactions. 

Asynchronous communication occurs

when there is a brief or substantial delay in interaction. Suppose that you listen to a favorite podcast and later tweet your thoughts to the host about something that you heard.

Communication competence is

 simply the ability to effectively exchange meaning through a common system of symbols or behavior

In selective exposure

 you expose yourself to information that reinforces, rather than contradicts, your beliefs or opinions

In selective attention

 even when you do expose yourself to information and ideas, you focus on certain cues and ignore others.

Selective perception is

the tendency to see, hear, and believe only what you want to see, hear, and believe.

Selective retention is

the tendency to better remember the things that reinforce your beliefs than those that oppose them.

Organization in perception

 is the grouping of stimuli into meaningful units or wholes.

This process typically occurs through four organizational methods:

figure and ground, closure, proximity, and similarity.

Figure

is the focal point of your attention

Ground

is the background against which your focused attention occurs.

Closure

the tendency to fill in missing information to complete an otherwise incomplete figure or statement.

According to the principle of proximity,

people or objects that are close to each other in time or space are seen as meaningfully related. On the basis of the principle of similarity, elements are grouped together because they resemble each other in size, color, shape, or other attributes.

The intergroup perspective is

 one theory that guides research on how people identify and categorize themselves or others in terms of their social group membership, such as race and ethnicity, and how those categories shape perceptions and the ways people interact with others.

Members of an in-group

a group that people belong to that gives them a source of pride, self-esteem, and sense of belonging to a social world—engage in activities and hold attitudes that promote a positive image for the in-group compared to the out-group, the group marginalized by the dominant culture.

Interpretive perception

is a blend of internal states and external stimuli.

Stereotyping occurs when we offer

a hasty generalization about a group based on a judgment about an individual from that group

Prejudice

 refers to an unfavorable predisposition about an individual because of that person’s membership in a stereotyped group.

A first impression

an initial opinion about people upon meeting them.

One way to reduce these perceptual errors is

through perception checking, a process of describing, interpreting, and verifying that helps you understand others and their messages more accurately.

The personal identity

 that you have developed influences your perceptions of others.

Mental health includes

your psychological, emotional, and social well-being.

Impression Management

the sharing of personal details in order to present an idealized self.

Language

 is a collection of symbols, letters, or words with arbitrary meanings that are governed by rules and used to communicate.

Semantics

 is the study of the way humans use language to evoke meaning in others.

Syntax

 is the way in which words are arranged to form phrases and sentences.

You encode by

translating your thoughts into words.

Pragmatics

is the study of language as it is used in a social context, including its effect on the communicators.

Culture

be defined as all of the socially transmitted behavior patterns, beliefs, attitudes, and values of a particular period, class, community, or population.

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

as their theory has become known, states that our perception of reality is determined by our thought processes, our thought processes are limited by our language, and therefore language shapes our reality and our behaviors.

denotative meaning

The agreed-upon meaning, or dictionary definition, is called

connotative meaning

an individualized or personalized meaning that may be emotionally laden

Slang

 is informal, casual language used among equals with words typically unsuitable for more formal contexts.

Cliché

is an expression that has lost originality and force through overuse.

Euphemism

 a socially acceptable synonym used to avoid language that would be offensive in a formal setting.

Profanity, or Verbal Obscenities

a type of swearing that uses indecent words or phrases.

Jargon

 the language particular to a specific profession, work group, or culture and is not meant to be understood by outsiders.

Regionalisms

are words and phrases specific to a particular region or part of the country.

Gender-biased language, or gender-specific language

 is language that privileges one gender over another

Racist language

language that insults a group because of its race or ethnicity

Heterosexist Language

 is language that implies that everyone is heterosexual 

Ageist Language

 is language that denigrates people for being young or old.

Descriptiveness

 is the practice of describing observed behavior or phenomena instead of offering personal reactions or judgments

Paraphrasing

is restating another person’s message by rephrasing the content and intent of the message and the feelings of the speaker.

Operational Definitions

that is, definitions that identify something by revealing how it works, how it is made, or what it consists of.

Concrete Language

 uses words and statements that are specific rather than abstract or vague

Indexing

 is identifying the uniqueness of objects, events, and people. Indexing simply means recognizing the differences among the various members of a group.

Dating

is specifying when you made an observation, which is necessary because everything changes over time.

Frozen Evaluation

in which you do not allow your assessment to change over time

Nonverbal communication

 is the process of using messages other than words to create meaning with others.

Nonverbal communication can include

behaviors that you see, such as facial expressions and gestures; things that you hear, such as vocal volume or the speed of talking; and even nonword vocalizations, such as “ahh” and “umm.”

Repeating occurs

when the same message is sent verbally and nonverbally. For example, you say that you are “excited” while also displaying a big smile and using animated hand gestures.

Emphasizing

 is the use of nonverbal cues to strengthen your message. Hugging a friend and telling him that you really care about him is a stronger statement than using either words or bodily movement alone

Complementing

 is different from repeating in that it goes beyond duplicating the message in two channels.

With complementing,

the verbal and nonverbal codes add meaning to each other and expand the meaning of either message alone. For example, during an intense conversation you might hold up your palm to signal “stop” while you are making a point, signaling to the other person to avoid interrupting you.

Contradicting

 occurs when your verbal and nonverbal messages conflict.

Substituting

occurs when nonverbal codes are used instead of verbal codes. You roll your eyes, stick out your tongue, gesture thumbs down, or shrug. In most cases your intended message is fairly clear. 

Regulating

occurs when nonverbal codes are used to monitor and control interactions with others. For example, you look away when someone else is trying to talk and you are not finished with your thought. You walk away from someone who has hurt your feelings or made you angry. You nod your head and encourage another person to continue talking.

American Sign Language (ASL)

 to communicate mainly with people who are deaf or hard of hearing

Nonverbal codes

 are messages consisting of symbols that are not words, including nonword vocalizations. 

Kinesics

The study of bodily movements, including posture, gestures, and facial expressions

Emblems

are nonverbal movements that substitute for words and phrases.

Illustrators

are nonverbal movements that accompany or reinforce verbal messages.

Affect displays

 are nonverbal movements of the face and body used to show emotion.

Regulators

 are nonverbal movements that control the flow or pace of communication.

Adaptors

 are nonverbal movements that usually involve the unintended touching of our bodies or manipulations of a body artifact that serves some physical or psychological need.

Physical attractiveness

is the perceived desirability of another person’s outward physical appearance

Anthropologist Edward T. Hall introduced the concept of proxemics

the study of the human use of space and distance—in his 1966 book The Hidden Dimension

Territoriality

refers to the need to establish and maintain certain spaces as your own.

 Personal space

 is the personal “bubble” that moves around with you.

Intimate distance

 is a radius of 18 inches or less around a person, and it is used by people who are relationally close.

Personal distance ranges from

 18 inches to 4 feet, and it is the distance used by most Americans for conversation and other nonintimate exchanges. 

Public distance exceeds

12 feet and is used most often in public speaking in such settings as places of worship, courtrooms, and convention halls. Professors often stand at this distance while lecturing.

Temporal communication, or chronemics

 is the way that people organize and use time and the messages that are created because of their organization and use of that time.

Tactile communication

is the use of touch in communication

paralinguistic features

the nonword sounds and nonword characteristics of language.

Vocal cues include the following:

Pitch: the highness or lowness of your voice 

Rate: how rapidly or slowly you speak 

Inflection: the variety or changes in pitch 

Volume: the loudness or softness of your voice 

Quality: the unique resonance of your voice, such as huskiness, nasality, raspiness, or whininess 

Nonword sounds: “mmh,” “huh,” “ahh,” and the like, as well as pauses or the absence of sound used for effect in speaking 

Pronunciation: whether or not you say a word correctly 

Articulation: whether or not your mouth, tongue, and teeth coordinate to make a word understandable to others (for example, without producing a lisp)

 Enunciation: whether or not you combine pronunciation and articulation to produce a word with clarity and distinction so that it can be understood (a person who mumbles has an enunciation problem) 

Silence: the lack of sound

Objectics, or object language

 is the study of the human use of clothing and artifacts as nonverbal codes.