Exam 1 Chapters 1-3

Question 1

Parsimony

Answer 1

Simpler models are better

Question 2

Communication

Answer 2

A systematic process in which people interact with and through symbols to create and interpret contextual meanings
an ongoing and dynamic process
takes place I a system - a collection of interrelated parts that affect one another

Question 3

communication competence

Answer 3

the knowledge of effective and appropriate communication patterns, and the ability to use and adapt that knowledge in a variety of contexts

Question 4

masspersonal communication

Answer 4

broadcasting private information to larger audiences via technology

Question 5

What are the two levels of communication?

Answer 5

content - the literal meaning

relationship - what the message says about your relationship with that person

Question 6

What are highly impersonal communications?

Answer 6

Making an appointment

answering a phone survey

Question 7

What are highly personal communications?

Answer 7

Marriage proposal

Asking for forgiveness

Question 8

What is media richness theory?

Answer 8

How relationships go from leaner to richer based on the channel of communication
From lean to rich
emailing, texting, letters
phone calls, voice mails
video conferencing, skyping, facetime
face-to-face interaction

Question 9

What are the three categories of communication models, and how do they differ?

Answer 9

linear models - one way process from sender to receiver, most simple version of a model
Interactive models - sender and receiver, but with feedback, communication flows in both directions
Transactional models - communication is a shared message, considers environment of sender and receiver, also takes noise (interference) into account

Question 10

What are the dimensions of communication competence?

Answer 10

Knowledge - your ability to understand what is effective and appropriate in a situation, “should”
Skill - being able to translate knowledge into action, “can”
Motivation - activates knowledge and skills, the behaviors actually performed, “want”

Question 11

What are characteristics of competent communicators?

Answer 11

Adaptable
Perceptive-taking
Cognitive complexity
Self-monitoring

Question 12

Define the self

Answer 12

an ever-changing system of perspectives that is formed and sustained in communication with others and ourselves

Question 13

What are the characteristics of the self?

Answer 13

the self is a perspective
dyamic
a system
communicative

Question 14

Define reflected appraisal

Answer 14

the process of seeing ourselves through the eyes of others

Question 15

Define direct definition

Answer 15

communication that explicitly tells us who we are by labeling us and our behaviors

Question 16

Define social comparison

Answer 16

when we rate ourselves relative to others, with respect to our talents and abilities

Question 17

Define self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 17

When you create the very conditions that you anticipate

thoughts can impact our behavior that then enforces these thoughts

Question 18

Define online presence

Answer 18

Describes the way an individual or company represents itself on social media

Question 19

Define schemata

Answer 19

Cognitive structures we use to organize perceptions

Question 20

Define prototypes

Answer 20

the ideal example of some category

Question 21

Define stereotypes

Answer 21

predictive generalizations about a person or situation

Question 22

Define personal constructs

Answer 22

used to measure a person along bipolar dimensions

people vary in their cognitive complexity

Question 23

Define scripts

Answer 23

a sequence of activities that spells out how we are supposed to act in certain situations

Question 24

Define the self-serving bias

Answer 24

people tend to attribute positive events to internal, stable, and controllable factors
people ted to attribute negative events to external, unstable, and uncontrollable factors

Question 25

Define fundamental attribution error

Answer 25

our tendency to explain others' behaviors using internal rather than external attributions

Question 26

Define primacy (and recency) effect

Answer 26

our tendency to pay attention to and recall things that happen first

Question 27

Define Halo (and horns) effect

Answer 27

our tendency to form a positive overall impression of a person based on one positive characteristic

Question 28

Define the confirmation bias

Answer 28

our tendency to seek out and organize our impressions to support an existing opinion minimizes dissonance

Question 29

Define monitoring

Answer 29

calls behaviors to our attention so we can observe and regulate them

Question 30

What communication processes influence the self?

Answer 30

Generalized - society as a whole Particular - significant individuals Influencers - significant individuals input

Question 31

What are attachment styles that affect our thoughts of self?

Answer 31

``` Thoughts of self, thoughts of partner(s) positive, positive - secure positive, negative - dismissive negative, positive - preoccupied negative, negative - fearful ```

Question 32

What are some benefits and risks of self-disclosure?

Answer 32

benefits - catharsis, self-clarification and validation, reciprocity, impression formation, relational maintenance, moral obligation risks - judgment, rejection, trust, loss of control over information

Question 33

What are the dimensions of attributions?

Answer 33

Interpretation is the selective process of creating explanations for our experiences (attributions) Internal vs. external factors stable vs. unstable factors controllable vs. uncontrollable factors

Question 34

Distinguish facts from inferences and judgments

Answer 34

Facts are statements based on observation/truth Inferences are logical leaps that go beyond what you know to be true Judgments are evaluations of facts and can be emotional

Question 35

What does Mead's quotation about being "talked into" humanity imply about communication?

Answer 35

Sense of self comes from communication with other people

Question 36

What factors influence what stimuli we notice in our perception?

Answer 36

larger, more intense, or unusual stimuli changes in our environment self-talk or self-concepts needs, interests, or expectations

Question 37

What is the relationship between personal constructs and cognitive complexity?

Answer 37

The more personal constructs one uses, the higher the cognitive complexity it is a positive relationship

Question 38

What factors influence the interpretations of expectancy violations?

Answer 38

Whether the violation is positive or negative (valence) The magnitude of the deviation The perceived effect of the violation on the relationship

Question 39

What are the components of perception?

Answer 39

Selection - what we notice about the world around us Organization - how we categorize our observations using schemata Interpretation - how we assign explanations to our observations

Question 40

Define displacement

Answer 40

Refers to our ability to talk about events that are removed in space or time from a speaker and situation

Question 41

Define denotative

Answer 41

The commonly accepted definitions of a word

Question 42

Define connotative

Answer 42

The individual emotional or experiential associations people have with a word

Question 43

How does punctuation affect communication?

Answer 43

The punctuation of verbal communication is a way to divide a flow of activity into meaningful units

Question 44

Define totalizing

Answer 44

Responding to a person as if one label completely represents them

Question 45

Define loaded language

Answer 45

Exceedingly slants our perceptions, and thus meanings

Question 46

What are the three A's of language?

Answer 46

Arbitrary - verbal symbols aren't intrinsically connected to what they represent Ambiguous - it doesn't have clear-cut, precise meanings Abstract - words are stand-ins for the concrete or tangible phenomena they represent

Question 47

What are the rules of language?

Answer 47

Syntactic rules - govern language at the mechanical level Regulative rules - control interaction by specifying when, how, where, and with whom to communicate about certain things Constitutive rules - define what communication means or stands for