COMM 1000 1nd Edition Lecture 9 Outline of Last Lecture I. Theories on Self ConceptII. Social ComparisonIII. Self EsteemIV. AttributionA. Why Biases?B. Kinds of BiasesV. Impression FormationVI. Implicit Personality TheoryOutline of Current Lecture VII. CharismaVIII. StereotypesIX. Verbal CommunicationX. SymbolsXI. ReferentsXII. Kind of RulesA. SemanticB. SyntacticC. PragmaticCurrent LectureFloO:Charisma- personal magnetism that enables an individual to attract and influence people- Research shows that expressiveness and charisma are linked- Charisma is harder to operationalize and define- Central to studying strong leaders or leadership (influence)Stereotypes:Definition- a generalization about a class of people, objects, or events that is widely held by a given culture- Reducing all members of a given group to a certain collection of traits or behaviors Why?- Normal to categorize the world- Tendency to divide into “us” and “them”These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Want to do as little cognitive work as possibleEffects of Stereotypes:- Often carry a negative tone- Person is not perceived as an individual but as a member of a category- With outgroups, remember less favorable info- With ingroups, remember more favorable infoo Can result in self-fulfilling prophesiesVerbal Communication-What is Language?Definition- a system of symbols and codes used to construct and convey messages- Symbols are arbitrary, human-made- Can simplify a complex realityo Uninhibitedo Capable of displacement Ability to talk of things that are not thereo Rule-governed Grammar, definitionsSymbols and Referents- The symbol is the world itself- Arbitrary, random- Has no inherent meaning- B E N C H- Referents are the objects, ideas, things themselvesSymbol- a dog says “woof”Sign- smoke rising from a fireProblems with Symbol/Regerent- Less ‘concrete’ the referent, the more difficult it is to agree on the ‘meaning’ of the symbolKind of Rules:Category 1- Semantic-rules of word meaningCategory 2- Syntactic-rules of word organizationo “she gave her dog the biscuit”o “she gave her the dog discuit”o “colorless green ideas sleep furiously”Category 3- Pragmatic rules-how language is used practicallyo “I have to hit the ballroom”How does language help us communicate?- We “refer” to things and ideaso The referential function of languageo Example: “round thing a-ma-bob” 1. Categorization –grouping similar objects and characteristics2. Naming-peach and oranges3. Assign Meaning- with knowledge, experience, perception, context, relationshipMeaning:- Two basic types of meaningo Denotative- primary association word has for most people (dictionary meaning)o Connotative- secondary associations a word has for one or more members of a group or population (emotional/evaluative meaning)- Can be idiosyncratic but is often culturally shared- Words-the basic elements of language- With them we create meaning but…o Words do not “have” meaning Meanings are not inherent in words Words are meaningful only after they’ve been associated with somethingConnotation:- Negative-positiveo CT school for Imbecileso CT school for feebleminded- Research using semantiv differentialso Test our reactions to words-commitment Evaluation- good or bad Potency- powerful or weak Activity- fast or slowThus…- Words and referents do not alone ‘make up’ language- They work on a social contract- Language helps us communicate by1. Categorizing2. Naming3. Assigning