COMM 101 Lecture 6 Outline of Last Lecture I. Definitions (continued from last lecture)A. Sciencei. Scientific MethodB. HumanismII. Variations in Philosophical Orientations Toward Theory (handout on D2L)a. Supplementary notes on handouti. Ways of Knowing: What is Reality?ii.Purpose of Theoryiii.Research Methodsiv.Role of the ScholarIII. Goals for Theory: Sciencea. Explanationb. Development of Hypothesesc. Accurate Predictiond. Organization and Simplificatione. ImplementationIV. Goals for Theory: Humanisma. Insightb. Clarification of Valuesc. Elegance (Aesthetic Criteria)d. Acceptancee. ReformV. Research (beginning of new lecture topic)a. DefinitionOutline of Current Lecture I. ResearchA. DefinitionB. Focus on Message-Related BehaviorC. Theories/ModelsD. Components of Communication Researchi. Theoryii. Methodiii. ResultsThese 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.iv. DiscussionII. Communication Theorya. General Definition of Theoryi. Abstractii. Constructedb. Types of Theoriesi. Implicitii. ExplicitIII. Traditions in the Field of Communicationa. Socio-Psychological Traditionb. Cybernetic Traditionc. Rhetorical Traditiond. Semiotic Traditione. Socio-Cultural Traditionf. Critical Traditiong. Phenomenological TraditionCurrent LectureI. ResearchA. Definition: set of systematic procedures for gathering credible info about some object or processB. Focus on Message-Related Behavior: Communication focuses on the research of messages, which can be just about anythingie: language, an outfit, a color in an ad, etcC. Theories/Models: Both are used in the research of communicationa. Theory: an explanation using wordsb. Model: an explanation (usually) using picturesD. Components of Communication Researchi. Theory: an idea/explanation, what you think is going to happen in a givensituationii. Method: where researchers tell us what they are doing, such as how theyconducted the study (ie: experiment or interview)iii. Results: showing what was found, what the point of the study wasiv. Discussion: interpretation of resultsII. Communication Theory: The ultimate goal of communication research is the development of communication theorya. General Definition of Theory: a theory is an attempt to explain or to represent a phenomenon. Theories are:i. Abstract: a theory is only a partial representation of a phenomenon. A theory is like a map – it takes a big, complicated idea and makes it simplerand easier to understand. It only leaves in critical pieces, not all the little details.ii. Constructed: Theories are a product of human activity, and so will not be perfectb. Types of Theoriesi. Implicit: everyday, personal theories (that haven’t been rigorously tested) for explaining things that happen in life ie: “People are stupid.” ii. Explicit: these theories aim to produce knowledge that is verifiable (whether or not it proves the theory itself correct) and are rigorously testedIII. Traditions in the Field of Communication: The following categories are based off an influential article published by Communication research done by R.T. Craiga. Socio-Psychological Tradition: The scientific study of communication (messages); since science only believes in one reality, this can be the only true scientific tradition, and the following are all humanistic traditionsb. Cybernetic Tradition: How different parts of a system are connected with messages; often very technical; closely related to the scientific traditionie: looking at text messages and how they workc. Rhetorical Tradition: The study of speech (people giving speeches AND the audience listening to them)ie: studying effective techniques in political speechesd. Semiotic Tradition: The study of signs and their meanings; remember that signs can be many things – color, shape, language, non-verbal communication, even as specific as sweatie: Prof. Tusing mentioned a researcher who was studying the meaning of ‘sweat’, or what it meant when people started sweating, emphasizing the importance of contexte. Socio-Cultural Tradition: (a ‘hard-core humanistic’ approach to communication research) The study of how people create reality through communication; humanism believes that communication can cause people to assume, think different things and create different realitiesie: how different words can create fundamentally different realities (perspectives) for peoplef. Critical Tradition: The critiquing of messages; looking for what needs to be done better; this tradition often criticizes large institutions/corporations, the government, the mass mediaBelieve that science is a tool of those in power, that it strips people of their individualityBelieves that those in power sometimes use words to deceive/exploit othersg. Phenomenological Tradition: (gentler humanistic tradition than above)Believe that every human has an individual, worthy “story”; want to know what it’s like to have someone else’s “lived experience”; believe that communication allows people to understand other’s storiesie: books, blogs, etc. allow others into personal “stories”/”lived