Chapter Two Communications

The three functions of models are

Explanation, prediction, control

The research question "What norms do students at a given college follow to fit in and gain acceptance from their peers?" is an example of the kind of question asked by researchers who take a laws approach.

False.

When people who study communication focus their attention on spoken symbolic interaction, their primary interest is in which of the following?

The way people use words to create common meaning.

A symbol is an arbitrary and conventional representation of an object or concept.

True.

People who take a cultural studies perspective to communication

are interested in uncovering the hidden power relations that often exist in mediated texts

Models do all of the following EXCEPT:

capture a process completely.

Of the following definitions, the one that is broadest is

communication is the discriminatory response of an organism to a stimulus.

Which of the following perspectives would be most likely to generate the following research question: In what ways do the situation comedies of the Golden Age of Television support the subservience of women?

cultural studies perspective.

According to the pragmatic perspective we can improve communication by

describing and understanding destructive patterns.

Which of the following elements are part of Hymes ethnographic model?

ends, keys, instrumentalities, norms.

The perspective that places the most emphasis on behavioral patterns is

pragmatic perspective.

According to the social constructionist perspective we can improve communication by

recognizing that we create reality by talking about it and taking responsibility for our talk.

People who see definitions as constructions rather than discoveries believe

several different definitions may be equally valid.

Which of the following elements are part of the social constructionist perspective?

symbolic codes, cognitive customs, cultural traditions

A broad definition of communication is one that identifies a large number of phenomena as communication.

true

Which of the following ways of understanding a city is an example of a model?

All are examples of models.

According to Hymes, a speech act is a social role people use in public situations.

False.

According to the pragmatic perspective, communication will be most successful when the mental sets of individual communicators are similar.

False.

According to your text, the best definition of communication is one that is broad and receiver-based.

False.

According to your text, the best definition of communication is one that is narrow and sender-based.

False.

Although there can be many definitions of communication, there is only one correct model of communication.

False.

Dell Hymes' model of communication is a description of the processes speakers go through to construct and present speeches.

False.

In the 1970's when Dance reviewed definitions of communication, he found that most experts agreed on a single definition.

False.

Noise is defined as the extent to which a sender amplifies a message by making it louder and clearer.

False.

Pragmatic therapists take special care to identify factors in the past history of their clients that might have caused the problems they face today.

False.

The perspective that compares communication to an intricate game is the social constructionist perspective.

False.

The prespective that focuses on uncovering ways in which cultural texts support oppression is called the pragmatic perspective.

False.

The research question "Are multiple channels more effective than single channels for transmitting complex messages?" is an example of the kind of question asked by researchers who take a laws approach.

False.

Which of the following elements are part of the psychological perspective?

Sender/receiver, messages, channel, encoding/decoding.

Which of the following is NOT true of the psychological perspective?

The psychological perspective puts a lot of emphasis on the social context in which communication occurs.

A speech community is a group of people who share common attitudes toward speech.

True

According to the pragmatic viewpoint, the smallest significant unit of communication is the interact.

True

An intentional definition of communication holds that communication is purposeful and planned.

True

The most widely use models and definitions of communication are based on the psychological perspective.

True

The term definition comes from a Latin word meaning "to determine or bring to an end."

True

According to the social constructionist perspective, communication is constrained by culture in important ways.

True.

According to the social constructionist perspective, we experience the world indirectly through cultural blinders.

True.

All models make assumptions about the processes they describe.

True.

Dance believes communication is not a single concept but rather a series of related concepts.

True.

The social constructionist perspective defines good communication as socially appropriate communication.

True.

Which of the following research questions takes a rules approach?

What implicit norms do first year students follow as they acclimate to college?

The psychological perspective is generally associated with

a laws approach to research.

A mental set consists of

a person's beliefs, attitudes, values, and feelings.

People who take a pragmatic perspective to communication

are interested in interaction rather than personality.

Of the following definitions, the one that is sender-based is:

communication has as its central interest those behavioral situations in which a source transmits a message to a receiver with conscious intent to affect the latter's behavior.

Of the following definitions, the one that implies that communication is intentional is

communication has as its central interest those behavioral situations in which a source transmits a message to a receiver with conscious intent to affect the latter's behaviors

The psychological perspective

focuses on individual communicators as they transmit and receive messages.

Which of the following research questions takes a systems approach?

how do successful couples organize or structure their behavior and how do they evolve or adapt themselves to change?

According to a laws approach to research

human behavior is governed by invariant cause and effect relationships; research discover these relationships.

Which of the following is a criticism of the social constructionist perspective?

it places too much emphasis on the social self and not enough on the individual self.