SPC 3210 MIDTERM REVIEW Chapter 1 Introduction to Communication Theory Definitions of Communication o The relational process of creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response stimulus o A social process in which individuals employ symbols to establish and interpret meaning in their environment o Communication is the discriminatory response of an organism to a o the transmission of information ideas emotions skills etc by the use of symbols words pictures figures graphs etc o communication has as its central interest those behavioral situations in which a source transmits a message to a receiver s with conscious intent to affect the latter s behaviors o Human communication has occurred when a human being responds to a symbol o the eliciting of a responses through verbal symbols o Controversy over communication Over 120 different definitions of communication There are disagreements on definitions because There are disagreements on the nature of communication Communication is less precise than other sciences thus the study of communication can be more complex Characteristics of Communication o Social two people interactive o Process on going and unending no definable beginning or ending past interactions affect present interactions dynamic continually changing o Symbolic words are arbitrarily assigned concrete and abstract symbols interpretations may differ based on experiences o Miscommunication misinterpretation occurs due to dynamic nature o Environment The situation or context in which communication takes of communication place Linear Model of Communication Shannon and Weaver 1949 o Sender Message Channel Receiver o Noise semantic physical psychological physiological o Assumes only one message in the communication process only one source o Overly simple feedback is missing Interaction Model Schramm 1954 o Two way communication process o Communication is ongoing process but o No simultaneous roles source receiver one can be a sender OR receiver not both o Feedback is a key element o Field of Experience there is an overlap of the sender s and receiver s culture experience and heredity in communication Transactional Model Barnlund 1970 o Simultaneous sender and receiver roles due to o Feedback o Mutual responsibility to meaning S and R o Communication influenced by past experiences o Interdependency of messages each builds on and effects the next message o Dance Helix o Most accepted contemporary model The Basic Components of Communication o Source transmits encodes the message o Encoding the process of taking an already conceived idea and getting it ready for transmission o Message the stimulus that the source transmits to the receiver o Channel means by which the message is conveyed o Receiver decodes the message o Decoding the process of taking the stimuli that have been received and giving them meaning through individual interpretation and perception o Noise anything not intended by the information source It inhibits the receiver s accurate reception of the message Types of Noise semantic physical external psychological physiological o Feedback The component that helps make communication a process Occurs throughout the communication process Messages we send back to the source Some feedback is better than no feedback Can be or Negative feedback can sometimes be more helpful than positive feedback Verbal or nonverbal Immediate delayed Critical supportive Low monitoring high monitoring totally honest highly Accurate feedback is important to communication guarded improvement Chapter 2 Talk about Theory Theory Defined o A set of systematic informed hunches about the way things operate o An abstract system of concepts and their relationships that help us to understand a phenomenon Objective Approach o Assumes that truth is singular and is accessible through unbiased o Committed to uncovering cause and effect relationships Griffin sensory observation 2012 p 14 o Goal is to explain and predict human behavior o Social scientists often use this approach Interpretive Approach o The linguistic act of assigning meaning or value to communicative texts o Assumes that multiple meanings or truths are possible o Rhetorical critics often use this approach Distinguishing between Objective and Interpretive Epistemology o Epistemology The study of origin nature method and limits of knowledge o How we know what we know o Objective o Interpretive Truth is singular not dependent on local conditions Good theories are reflective of nature Good theories represent reality Truth is objective Social reality is always in flux Truth is socially constructed through communication Knowledge is viewed through a particular standpoint Truth is subjective Distinguishing between Objective and Interpretive Determinism vs Free Will o Determinism the assumption that behavior is caused by heredity and environment o Free Will every human act is ultimately voluntary o Objective Determinism Explain human behavior in causal terms and In terms of prior stimulus o Interpretive Human Choice Explain human behavior in terms of conscious intent Distinguishing between Objective and Interpretive Objectivity Effectiveness vs Emancipation Participation o Objectivity Reality based on observed empirical evidence free from o Emancipation Liberation from any form of political economic racial religious or sexual oppression empowerment bias o Objective Objectivity Effectiveness Use of objective tests in order to find the truth Personal o Interpretive values are set aside in finding truth Seeks empirical evidence for claims Suggest ways to validate ideas and claims Believe the evidence should speak for itself Emancipation Participation Brings own values into interpretation of text Oppose detached stance of social scientists Seek to liberate people from oppression Insist that knowledge is never neutral Chapter 3 Weighing the Words Evaluating Theory Criteria for Evaluating Objective Communication Theory o Explains Data Explains an event or human behavior p 26 Makes sense out of chaos clarifies Focuses on what s important helps ignore insignificant information o Predicts Future Events Often in the form of hypothesis after some evidence has been forwarded prior research a body of evidence that precedes prediction etc Referred to as soft prediction due to human nature o Relative Simplicity Parsimony Should not be overly cumbersome to understand or to use Should use the fewest number of terms necessary to explain the communication
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