GroupThink Janis 1972 Goal to understand the nature of decision making in small groups Evaluation Positives Heuristic Withstood the test of time Negatives Narrow scope testability Defines Communication as Socio psychological Small group Organizational Positivistic empirical Metatheoretical Assumptions O Humans have no control E There is one big Truth out there A No values Social scientific Aristotle Goal to determine in any particular case all the available means of persuasion Evaluation Positive Heuristic value Validity people use this to create discourses and evaluate speeches Negative Narrow scope other factors may explain why people are persuaded Ethics does not take morality of ideas into consideration Metatheoretical Assumptions O Humans have a choice in discourse E Rhetoric creates reality believed in cyclical nature of human histrory A values can play a role Humanistic Muted Group Theory Kramarae 1981 Goal to explain how ridicule ritual control and harassment are used by the predominantly white male society to silence minority groups like women and others and to understand their field of experience as expressed in man s language Defines communication as ethical and honest Evaluation Metatheoretical Assumptions O make choices social contextual E understood through social constructivism A not value free social change Humanistic OIT Weick 1969 Goal to describe how organizations collect manage and use the information they receive Act Respond Adjust cycle Evaluation Positives Utility focus on communication process resonates with communication scholars Heurism 4 models of PR serve as a concrete application of OIT and how organizations manage and use information according to particular process Negatives Logical Consistence do people really follow rules make choices Metatheoretical Assumptions O make choices social context matters humanistic E social scientific A social scientific Overall middle towards social scientific Dramatism Burke 1950 Goal to understand human behavior given a motive and a set of choices Evaluation Positive heuristic Viewing communication as drama puts new insights on human action Negatives Scope too broad Some believe Burke s ideas are confusing and obtuse Define Communication as Symbolic Action Metatheoretical Assumptions O Humans choose their language E All things have substance A Guilt Redemption Humanistic Face Negotiation Theory Stella Ting Toomey 1988 Goal to explain how members of different cultures manage conflict and conflict of different cultures interacting Defines communication as correspondence Evaluation Positive Heuristic Scope and boundaries are clear Parsimoniously stated Logically consistent Negatives Validity culture dimension of individualism collectivism may not fully explain cultural differences and other issues pertaining to face needs may exist but aren t identified by this Metatheoretical Assumptions O can make choices social context matters E Conflict mgmt compromising obliging dominating integrating A value free In the middle but closer to the humanistic side
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