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Definition
| the study of how we know what we know. |
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Definition
a view that reality and knowledge lie outside of humans, waiting to
be discovered. |
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Term
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Definition
a view that reality and knowledge are created by humans, and
consequently there exists different "truths" for different people. Knowledge
does not exist in an object, but rather in the person who perceives and uses the
object. |
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Term
| There are three defining characteristics of science |
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Definition
1. it aims to be objective through its use of explicit rules and procedures.
2. it is public, allowing for the inspection of one's methods and for
replication.
3. it is empirical - it's based on observations, not intuition. |
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Term
| There are three goals of science: |
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Definition
1. description - events and their relationships are defined and categorized.
2. prediction - the ability to anticipate events before they occur.
3. understanding - the ability to explain events. |
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| Communication scholars who endorse Worldview II conduct humanistic research. |
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Definition
Such scholars rely on intuition to help them achieve their main goal:
understanding - the ability to explain a particular event. |
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Term
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involves the controlled manipulation of independent
variables in order to determine their effect on some dependent variable. |
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people are questioned in an attempt to describe current
conditions or to find a relationship among variables. |
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"texts" are examined in an attempt to understand their
characteristics and reasons for theirs production. |
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involves the careful observation of events and discussion
with participants as a means to understanding the native experience. |
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statements of cause and effect relevant to a particular set of
variables across situations. (i.e, if X, then Y) |
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| Covering laws, as they pertain to the physical universe |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| when it comes to human behavior, they are probabilistic. |
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Definition
rules that people may or may not use to interpret
communication and the world around them. |
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attempts to describe a system that may govern people's
communicative behaviors. |
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Term
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Definition
a set of objects or entities that interrelate with one another to form
a whole. |
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Definition
| one which interacts with its environment |
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Term
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| shut off from its environment |
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Term
| All systems have three important characteristics |
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Definition
| 1. non-summativity. 2. goal-orientation. 3. homeostasis |
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Definition
| the system (the whole) is greater than the sum of its parts. |
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| every system has a purpose. |
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a process of self-regulation whereby a system adapts to changes
in its environment by maintaining an equilibrium (balance point). |
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Term
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Definition
1. organize experience. They tell us what is important and where we should turn
our attention.
2. extend knowledge. They allow us to "know" things that we haven't yet
observed. They achieve this through the logic of inductive and deductive
reasoning.
induction- the logical model in which specific observations are used to develop
general principles.
deduction- the logical model in which specific expectations ("knowledge") are
developed on the basis of general principles.
3. stimulate further research. |
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Term
| Theoretical progress occurs in two ways: |
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Definition
1. growth by extension. Knowledge is added bit by bit and the theory is
constantly refined.
2. growth by revolution. Knowledge is added by leaps and bounds as old theories
are abandoned for new ones. |
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Term
| What makes a scientific theory good? |
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Definition
1. explanation of the data. Does the theory explain the event well?
2. prediction of future events. Obviously, an accurate theory is better!
3. hypotheses that can be tested. Its constructs can be operationalized.
4. relative simplicity.
5. practical utility. The more people that benefit from the knowledge it
produces, the better. |
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Term
| What makes a humanistic theory good? |
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Definition
1. it provides a new understanding of people.
2. it is supported by a community of agreement. |
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Term
| Socio-psychological tradition |
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Definition
| the scientific method applied to communication study. (one tradition in comm theory) |
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Definition
communication as a link connecting parts of a system
(one tradition of comm theory) |
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| application of (artistic) standards to public address (one tradition of comm theory) |
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Definition
| understanding language as a system of symbols (one tradition of comm theory) |
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Definition
understanding talk as a means of coordination and a producer of social structure
(i.e., culture) (one tradition of comm theory) |
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Definition
| exposure of the ways in which communication may serve to control people (one tradition of comm theory) |
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| Phenomenological tradition |
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Definition
| analysis of everyday life from the standpoint of the person who is living it (one tradition of comm theory) |
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Term
| Socio-psychological Tradition |
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Definition
* cognitive dissonance theory
* elaboration likelihood model
* cultivation theory
* agenda-setting theory
* social penetration theory
* uncertainty reduction theory
* expectancy violations theory
* face-negotiation theory |
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Definition
* coordinated management
* symbolic interactionism
* genderlect styles |
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a communication transmitted by spoken or written words, signals, or
other means from one person or group to another. |
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Term
Information Theory
Claude Shannon & Warren Weaver
The theory introduced three important concepts: |
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Definition
1. information- data that allows someone to reduce his or her uncertainty about
a situation. The information value of a message refers not to the content
contained in a message per se, but instead to all possible messages that could
be transmitted.
Communication according to information theory involves the transmission of
information from point A to point B for the purposes of reducing uncertainty, or
entropy.
2. noise- anything that interferes with the transmission of information.
3. redundancy- the opposite of information. Something that is redundant adds no
information to a message. |
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Term
| Information theory ignores several important features of human communication: |
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Definition
· human communication involves feedback and it is dynamic.
· humans communicate for reasons other than the transmission of information.
· human communication involves individual interpretation. |
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Term
How are people able to coordinate their meanings?
Because of context- |
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Definition
we depend upon context to uncover the meaning of words. This
is the basic idea behind Pearce and Cronen's Coordinated Management of Meaning
(CMM). |
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Term
| Context can be broken down into several different levels: |
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Definition
1) content- spoken or written words that require context to be understood
2) speech act- the basic unit of language for expressing meaning. What are the
words meant to accomplish? Threaten? Command? Question?
3) episode- a routine that has definite boundaries and rules.
4) relationship- the relationship between participants.
5) self-concept- clusters of episodes defined by the person as those in which he
or she does or might participate.
6) culture-modes of experience encouraged by participation in particular
societies |
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Term
| Higher levels of meaning determine |
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Definition
interpretations that are lower or deeper
within the system. |
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Term
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Definition
rules of meaning used by communicators to interpret or
understand an event. |
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Term
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Definition
rules of action used to determine how one should behave in
response to a remark or an event. |
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Term
How are people able to coordinate meaning?
CMM's answer |
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Definition
"by sharing similar contexts, developing similar constitutive
rules, and following similar regulative rules." |
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Term
What is communication?
Information theory |
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Definition
Communication is the transmission of information, from a
source to a receiver, undertaken for the purpose of reducing uncertainty. |
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Term
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Definition
Communication is a sequence of acts, each of which evokes and responds to
the acts of others persons, undertaken for the purpose of coordinating action
and constructing social worlds. |
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Term
| Information theory ignores several important features of human communication: |
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Definition
· human communication involves feedback and it is dynamic. -Addressed by CMM.
· human communication involves individual interpretation. -Addressed by CMM
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· humans communicate for reasons other than the transmission of information. CMM
states that we communicate in order to create and coordinate social worlds.
"When we communicate, we are not just talking about the world, we are literally
participating in the creation of the social universe." -W. B. Pearce |
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