comm exam 1

What is communication?

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

What needs does communication meet?

physical, relational, identity, spiritual, and instrumental

physical needs examples

being hugged, talked to, human interaction

relational needs examples

companionship, affection, the ability to relax and get away from our problems

identity needs examples

they way we communicate with others, and how they communicate with us shapes us in how we see ourselves

spiritual needs

the principles someone values in life, a person's morals, and beliefs about the meaning of life

instrumental needs

practical, every day needs

need to be met before any other needs

What are the 3 models of communication?

action (linear), interaction (interactive, and transaction

Communication as Action

one way process- starts with the source to the receiver

source encode the message, send the message through a channel (face to face, text), the receiver is the person who decodes the message

Communication as Interaction

picks up where the action model leaves off, recognizes communication is a two way process and adds two elements to the mix: feedback and context

feedback: (non)verbal responses to the message

context: environment you are in

Communication as Transaction

doesn't distinguish between the roles of source and receiver or represent communication as a series of messages going back and forth

both people in the conversation are simultaneously sources and receivers

conversation flows in both directions at the same time

examples of context

facial expressions, gestures of tone and voice, touch, and physical appearance

What are channel-rich contexts?

environments that incorporate many communication channels at once

What are channel-lean contexts?

environments that use relatively fewer channels

Perceptual filters:

influence how different people understand the same words

What is metacommunication?

communication about communication

What are the 5 types of communication?

intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, public, and mass communication

What does communication competence mean?

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

Good communicators have these skills:

self-aware, adaptable, empathic, cognitively complex, and ethical

What is a culture?

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

What are in-groups?

refer to groups we identify with

What are out-groups?

groups we see as different from us

We acquire our culture by learning the traditions, values, and language of the people who raised us.

true

What does enculturation mean?

the process of acquiring a culture

What are co-cultures?

groups of people who share values, customs, and norms related to mutual interest or characteristics other than their normal citizenship; smaller groups who you identify with

You can only identify with one co-culture.

false

What are individualistic cultures?

people believe their primary responsibility is to themselves

What are collectivistic cultures?

taught that their primary responsibility is to their families, their communities, and their employers

What are low-context cultures?

people are expected to be direct and to say what they mean

What are high-context cultures?

people are taught to speak in a much less direct way, maintaining harmony and avoiding offense are more important than expressing true feelings

What are low-power-distance cultures?

the belief that all men and women are equal and that no one person or group should have excessive power

What are high-power-distance cultures?

power is distributed less equally; certain groups have great power, and the average citizen has much less

What are masculine cultures?

people tend to cherish stereotypically masculine values, ambition, achievement, and the acquisition of material goods; also value sex-specific roles for women and men

What are feminine cultures?

people tend to value nurturing behavior, quality of life, and service to others; tend not to believe that men and women's roles should be strongly differentiated

What are monochronic cultures?

view time as a commodity; save time, spend time, fill time, invest time, and waste time as though they were tangible; they treat time as valuable

What are polychronic cultures?

conceive time as more holistic and fluid and less structured; they perceive time as like a never-ending river

What is uncertainty avoidance?

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

What is ethnocentrism?

the tendency to judge other cultures' practices as inferior to one's own

Communication codes are verbal and nonverbal behaviors whose meaning are often understood only by people from the same culture.

true

Ambiguity is a lack of certainty, and you should expect it when communicating with other cultures.

true

Research shows that snap judgements are surprisingly accurate.

true

What is perception?

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

What are the three basic stages of perception?

selection, organization, interpretation

selection:

initiated when one or more of your sense are stimulated by being unusual, repetitive, and intense

organization:

the classification of information in some way; your mind applies a perceptual schema to classify your stimulus

What is perceptual schema?

a mental framework for organizing information into categories call constructs

What are the 4 types of perceptual schema?

physical constructs, role constructs, interaction constructs, and psychological contracts

interpretation:

after noticing and classifying a stimulus, you have to assign it an interpretation to figure out its meaning for you, you will likely pay attention to: your personal experience, your knowledge of this person, and the closeness of your relationship with the person

Perception occurs in stages, but the process is far from linear; all three stages overlap.

true

We each have multiple lenses through which we perceive the world, and those lenses have the potential to influence not only our own communication behavior but also our perceptions of the communication of others.

true

What is a stereotype?

a generalization about a group or category of people that can have a powerful influence on how we perceive others and their communication behavior

What is selective memory bias?

remembering information that supports stereotypes while forgetting information that does not

What is the primacy effect?

first impression are critical because they set the tone for all future interactions

What is the recency effect?

the most recent impression we have of a person's communication is more powerful that our earlier impressions

What is a perceptual set?

our biases, expectations, and desires; a predisposition to perceive only what we want or expect to perceive

Our perceptual set influences how we make sense of people, circumstances, and events.

true

What is an attribution?

an explanation of observed behavior, the answer to the question "why did this occur?"

Attribution vary along these 3 important dimensions:

locus, stability, and controllability

locus:

where the cause of a behavior is located, within or outside

stability:

stable or unstable cause?

stable cause is one that is permanent, or semipermanent

unstable cause is events that occur only from time to time and are largely unpredictable

controllability:

how controllable a behavior is;

controllable attribution when you believe the cause of the behavior was under that person's control

uncontrollable attribution identifies a cause that was beyond the person's control

What is self-serving bias?

the tendency to attribute our successes to stable, internal causes while attributing our failures to unstable, external causes

What is the fundamental attribution error?

the tendency to attribute other people's behaviors to internal rather than external causes

What is self-concept?

your identity, composed of your own stable perceptions about who you ar

One way to think about your self-concept is to distinguish between aspects of yourself that are known to others and aspects of that are known only to you.

true

Johari window is composed of what 4 separate parts?

open, hidden, blind, unknown

Self-concept is partly subjective.

true

What are the two hallmarks of self-monitoring?

the ability to notice how others are reacting to them and to adjust to their behaviors accordingly

What is self-esteem?

your subjective evaluation of your value and worth as a person

What is does our image refer to?

the personal 'face' we want others to see

What is image management?

the process of behavioral adjustment to project a desired image

Helping someone "save face" means helping that person to avoid embarrassment and preserve dignity as a time when that dignity is jeopardized.

true

What does the term facework mean?

the behaviors we use to project the desired image to others

What are the 3 face needs?

fellowship, autonomy, and competence

fellowship face:

the need to have others like and accept us

autonomy face:

our need to avoid being imposed on by others

competence face:

our need to be respected