Introduction to Communications - Fall 2025

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the Introduction to Communications course syllabus and lecture content.

Communication Process

The series of stages involved in exchanging information, including encoding, decoding, and feedback.

Plagiarism

The use of someone else's work or ideas without proper attribution, considered a violation of academic integrity.

Linear Models

Communication models that depict messages traveling straight from sender to receiver, often simplified and neglecting feedback.

Symbolic Thinking

The cognitive ability to use symbols to represent ideas, allowing for abstract reasoning and communication.

Encoding/Decoding Model

A communication model proposed by Stuart Hall emphasizing the active role of the receiver in interpreting messages.

Transactional Model

A complex model of communication that views communicators as continuously exchanging messages and meanings.

Ethnography

A qualitative research method involving the extensive observation and description of cultural practices and communication.

Content Analysis

A quantitative research method used to systematically analyze communication content for patterns and trends.

Explanatory Systems

Frameworks used to explain complex phenomena by simplifying visible occurrences into understandable concepts.

Interdisciplinary

A term describing a field that combines knowledge and methodologies from various disciplines to enhance understanding.