Chapter 1-4 Test

Axiology

values Value judgments, researcher neutrality (not bias), personal views should not distort research

Method

ways of establishing whether theories do or do not represent reality in ways that command the respect of the majority of thinking people.

What are theorems?

A proposition that logically and necessarily follows from two axioms. Total of 28 theorems

According to Glenn Sparks' objective analysis of the Budweiser ad, what might we do to validate his explanation? A. Examine whether beer sales increased after the Super Bowl. B. Test audience response against an ad without warm emotional memories. C. Interview advertising executives to discover their thoughts about the ad. D. None of the above; Glenn admits his explanation cannot be validated.

B. Test audience response against an ad without warm emotional memories. Science is about comparing alternative explanations against observed data.

Uncertainty Reduction Theory key theorist?

Charles Berger

What tradition challenges hierarchies and injustice that exists?

Critical

What tradition illustrates the way feedback makes information processing possible in our heads and our laptops?

Cybernetic-

Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks suggest that communication students should grow to the point where they think about theory every time they communicate with someone.

False

One limitation of the "lens" metaphor is that it leaves little room for human free will. True False

False This is, arguably, a limitation of the "net" metaphor.

One of the main differences between objective and interpretive scholars is that interpretive scholars believe they can discover the one reality that exists. True False

False this is for objective scholars

Who are the key theorist for the expectancy violation theory?

Judee Burgoon- believed everyone should know the 4 proxemics zone Edward Hall- believed we should adjust our nonverbal behavior to conform the communication rules of our partner in order to be effective.

What is the nature of being human nature?

Ontology

Social Information Processing Theory's tradition and theory?

Paradigm: Objective Tradition: socio-psychological

What is communication?

Relational process of creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response

What is the Criteria for good objective?

Relative simplicity, testability, practical utility, and quantifiable research.

What is a Paradigm?

a world view- how we move through the world, see it, perceive it, and make decisions

What does practice teach us?

how they might or might not work. practice is applied theory

What does theory teach us?

how things should work Theory is abstracted practice

Researchers in the interpretative are concerned with____?

meanings People have free will, purposes, goals, etc

Ontology

nature vs reality

Critical paradigm focuses on ____?

oppression Believe it is necessary to understand the lived experience of real people in context.

Philosophy:

the study of the theoretical basis of a particular branch of knowledge or experience.

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that reality shapes our language. True False

False

What is a theory?

"a set of systematic, informed hunches about the way things work" -Burgoon

In the self-referential imperative, Krippendorff encourages scholars to remove as much bias from research as they possibly can. True False

?False The self-referential imperative calls researchers to embrace subjectivity.

What is value judgments / researcher neutrality / objectivity vs. emancipation?

Axiology

Which of the following statements is not a standard for a good interpretive theory? A. "A good theory has aesthetic appeal." B. "A good theory has practical application." C. "A good theory reforms society." D. "A good theory creates a community of agreement."

B. "A good theory has practical application." As a general rule, interpretive theories focus on understanding human nature versus practical application.

Which tradition built on the ideas of Karl Marx and the Frankfurt School? A. Phenomenological. B. Critical. C. Socio-psychological tradition. D. Rhetorical tradition.

B. Critical. Theorists in this tradition focus on critiquing what they believe are unjust practices in society.

Which of the following companies is most clearly a member of the "culture industries" critiqued by critical scholars? A. American Airlines. B. Disney. C. Wal-Mart. D. Ford.

B. Disney. The "culture industries" are entertainment businesses that reproduce the dominant ideology of a culture.

Why might an objective scholar choose to administer a survey rather than performing an experiment? A. Surveys are better at demonstrating cause-effect relationships. B. Surveys often save time and cost less money. C. Surveys yield more useful results. D. Surveys provide the researcher with more control over the independent and dependent variables.

B. Surveys often save time and cost less money. Experiments can provide powerful insight into cause-effect relationships, but they can also be costly and time-consuming to perform.

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis claims that: A. Words don't mean things; people mean things. B. The structure of a language shapes what people think and do. C. Rhetoric is the study of all available means of persuasion. D. Life is best understood from the standpoint of the person living it.

B. The structure of a language shapes what people think and do.

Of the traditions listed below, which is the most objective? A. Cybernetic. B. Rhetorical. C. Phenomenological. D. Socio-cultural.

A. Cybernetic. Scholars in the cybernetic tradition emphasize the existence of an independent reality that scholars can accurately observe.

Which of the following traditions is most ancient, dating back to Greco-Roman scholars such as Aristotle and Cicero? A. Rhetorical. B. Critical. C. Socio-cultural. D. Socio-psychological.

A. Rhetorical. Every other tradition developed much more recently.

With which of the following metaphors for theory covered in Chapter 1 would Craig probably find most useful? A. Net. B. Lens. C. Map. D. Tapestry.

C. Map.

All of the following are names for humanistic scholars except: A. Hermeneuticists. B. Social action theorists. C. Phenomenologists. D. Empiricists.

D. Empiricists. Empiricists seek empirical data—in other words, data that is observable using the scientific method.

How many different definitions of "communication" have communication scholars developed? A. Two. B. Five. C. Thirty. D. Over one hundred.

D. Over one hundred.

Critiques of the theory, egoism

Petronio thinks it's simplistic to equate self-disclosure with relational closeness. It can lead to intimacy, but a person can easily reveal private information merely to express oneself.

Messages are the core of communication study. True False

True

If communication theory is like fashion design, then interpretive scholars are most likely to create: A. A one-of-a-kind custom suit. B. A one-size-fits-all suit for many different occasions. C. Light clothing useful in the summertime. D. Heavy clothing suitable for harsh winter storms.

A. A one-of-a-kind custom suit. Objective theories often seek to be general; interpretive theories often seek to be specific.

When comparing objective and interpretive theories, the counterpart to the objective standard of simplicity is the interpretive standard of: A. Aesthetic appeal. B. Understanding of people. C. Practical utility. D. Reforming society.

A. Aesthetic appeal. Sometimes, simplicity is a form of aesthetic appeal.

Carlos' participants one of three advertisements for soap. Carlos has carefully manipulated the credibility of each ad across conditions. He then measures whether participants are interested in buying the soap. What kind of data collection is Carlos conducting? A. An experiment. B. A textual analysis. C. A survey. D. An ethnography.

A. An experiment. In an experiment, the researcher tightly controls the situation and manipulates the independent variable(s).

If an interpretive theorist's article meets the standard of aesthetic appeal, what are you most likely to find in the article? A. Artful metaphors. B. Esoteric jargon. C. Clear hypotheses. D. Clarification of values.

A. Artful metaphors. Many interpretive scholars value artistic literary devices such as metaphors, imagery, and memorable narratives.

The requirement that a scientific theory must be stated in a way that it can be tested using empirical data is: A. Falsifiability. B. Parsimony. C. Utility. D. Epistemology.

A. Falsifiability. The ability to test a theory against data is one of the most important criteria for good scientific work.

Which of the following concepts is most important to a scholar in the cybernetic tradition? A. Feedback. B. Power. C. Culture. D. Metaphor.

A. Feedback. Recall that early cybernetic work concerned anti-aircraft weaponry that self-adjusted based on past performance—feedback in action.

Which question best fits epistemology? A. How do we know what we know, if we know it at all? B. What is the nature of reality? C. What does it mean to be human? D. How do we decide questions of ethics and value?

A. How do we know what we know, if we know it at all? Epistemology is the philosophy of how we obtain knowledge.

According to Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks, why is it important to understand the differences between interpretive and objective approaches? A. It helps prevent the theories from blurring together in your mind. B. It is impossible to understand anything about communication theory without first understanding this distinction. C. Students do not have a preference for certain types of theory until they understand this difference. D. It will help you distinguish between a theory and a hypothesis.

A. It helps prevent the theories from blurring together in your mind. Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks emphasize how knowing this distinction will help you keep track of the theories throughout the course.

When some scholars refer to communication as a "crossroads discipline," they mean: A. It incorporates interests from fields such as psychology, sociology, and philosophy. B. Professors who study communication also tend to teach and publish in other fields. C. Students tend to double-major in something in addition to communication. D. The study of communication touches all aspects of human life.

A. It incorporates interests from fields such as psychology, sociology, and philosophy. As you study communication theory, try to spot insights that come from other disciplines. See how communication theorists have adapted those ideas to focus on messages.

The twin objectives of scientific research are: A. Predicts some future outcome and explains the reasons for that outcome. B. Develops a simple explanation and improves society. C. Explains patterns of behavior and recommends changes to those patterns. D. Creates testable hypotheses and evaluates them using experiments.

A. Predicts some future outcome and explains the reasons for that outcome. Simplicity, practical utility, and falsifiability are important parts of science, but prediction and explanation are most crucial.

A record of a message that can be analyzed by others is a(n): A. Text. B. Specimen. C. Artifact. D. Object.

A. Text.

The __________ states that researchers should grant others that occur in their construction the same autonomy they practice constructing them. A. ethical imperative B. self-referential imperative C. critical imperative D. inclusive imperative

A. ethical imperative In other words, many interpretive scholars value freedom not only for themselves, but also for those they study.

The ____________________ tradition might analyze the way a politician uses metaphors to win support for his or her policy during a speech. A. rhetorical B. socio-cultural C. socio-psychological D. cybernetic

A. rhetorical Public political speech has long been the central concern of the rhetorical tradition.

Metatheory is theory about __________________. A. theory B. ideas C. values D. people

A. theory

What is the onion layer?

An onion has many layers; the more you peel the closer you get to the core. The outer layer is our public image and the inner layer is more of who we really are.

What is the goals for the Social Penetration Theory?

As relationships develop, the partners share more aspects of the self, providing breadth and depth, through an exchange of information, feelings, and activities.

The textbook mentions three metaphors for communication theory. Two of them are the "lens" and the "net." What is the third metaphor? A. Computer. B. Map. C. Music. D. Photograph.

B. Map. Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks see A First Look at Communication Theory as an atlas of 'must-see' theories.

Which of the following statements accurately describes how people create messages? A. Message creation is always planned carefully in advance. B. Much message creation is habitual in nature. C. It is more difficult to create messages online than it is when face-to-face. D. Communication majors are only better at interpreting messages, not constructing them.

B. Much message creation is habitual in nature. For even highly trained communicators, much of our day-to-day communication happens on "autopilot."

When we say a theorist's ideas (or hunches) are "informed," we mean: A. The theorist has earned a Ph.D. B. The theorist is familiar with alternative explanations for the topic of interest. C. The theorist has answers for all possible objections to the theory. D. The theorist has thought very carefully about his or her ideas.

B. The theorist is familiar with alternative explanations for the topic of interest. This is the critical piece that makes having a hunch more than just a guess.

Most scholars reserve the term theory for an integrated _______ of concepts. A. group B. system C. collection D. None of the above.

B. system What makes a system different than a "group" or "collection"? It's that the ideas are deeply connected to each other.

Fill-in-the-blank: Objective approaches attempt to find ___________ that explain human behavior in a variety of situations. A. interpretive guides B. universal laws C. informed hunches D. emancipatory statements

B. universal laws Objective scholars often use quantitative (statistical) approaches to discover such laws.

Why is theory building a "risky business"?

Because theory building moves beyond accepted wisdom Moving beyond what we know involves risk.

The range of areas in an individual's life over which disclosure takes place.

Breadth

Bill Rawlins interviewed two women about their friendship. Because he worked from within the phenomenological tradition, what did he do to verify the accuracy of his report of the interview? A. Conducted a controlled experiment to test his hypotheses. B. Compared the women's claims against previously published research. C. Asked the women to read his report and provide feedback to him. D. Nothing; as a phenomenologist, Rawlins' own perspective is just as valid as the women he studied.

C. Asked the women to read his report and provide feedback to him. Phenomenologists place a premium on the subjective experiences of those they study.

Which of the following is most likely to bother a critical theorist? A. Mathematical error. B. Biased results. C. Injustice. D. Lack of aesthetic appeal.

C. Injustice. Although critical scholars might also be concerned with aesthetic appeal, what makes them "critical" is their concern about unjust practices.

Which of the following statements is accurate? A. Objective approaches focus on questions of value. B. Objective approaches are concerned with expanding human choice. C. Interpretive approaches assume that there is more than one reality in the world. D. Interpretive approaches seek simple explanations.

C. Interpretive approaches assume that there is more than one reality in the world.

Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks compare the interpretive and objective approaches to two elements of the Myers-Briggs personality assessment. Which of the following correctly matches the theoretical tradition to the personality type? A. Interpretive: Perceiving; Objective: Judging B. Interpretive: Sensing; Objective: Judging C. Interpretive: Intuition; Objective: Sensing D. Interpretive: Judging; Objective: Intuition

C. Interpretive: Intuition; Objective: Sensing In other words, interpretive scholars are deeply concerned with intuitive ideas and values, whereas objective scholars are deeply concerned with data gathered through the five senses.

Interpretive scholars differ from objective scholars in that they believe that truth A. Can be discovered through careful research. B. Is best understood from a religious point of view. C. Is mainly subjective, meaning multiple meanings or truths are possible. D. Is impossible to find.

C. Is mainly subjective, meaning multiple meanings or truths are possible. By "subjective," many interpretive scholars mean they are interested in people's individual experiences more than general explanations that cut across people.

Objective scholars have studied communication apprehension. What weakness exists in this body of research? A. It doesn't clearly define what communication apprehension is. B. It cannot identify the signs of being a nervous public speaker. C. It doesn't explain why some people become nervous and others don't. D. It has small scope because it only explains apprehension in public speaking contexts.

C. It doesn't explain why some people become nervous and others don't. "When you evaluate an objective theory, keep in mind that the reason something happens becomes as important as the fact that it does."

Words and other symbols are open to multiple interpretations, making them: A. Confusing. B. Ambiguous. C. Polysemic. D. Rhetorical.

C. Polysemic. The prefix "poly" means "many": many interpretations.

A(n) __________ would take a pluralistic view, where all perspectives on truth could be legitimate in different ways. A. Objective approach. B. Ethical tradition. C. Pragmatist tradition. D. Symbolic approach.

C. Pragmatist tradition. Craig sees his own work as fitting quite well within a pragmatic theoretical tradition.

How many distinct traditions of communication theory does Craig identify? A. Two. B. Four. C. Seven. D. Nine.

C. Seven. Each of the seven traditions takes a different approach to communication problems.

Which of the following would most likely be said by a determinist? A. She gave a good speech because she sought such good training. B. She gave a good speech because she found a sympathetic audience. C. She gave a good speech because she is genetically predisposed to be a good communicator. D. She gave a good speech because she chose a good topic and clear examples.

C. She gave a good speech because she is genetically predisposed to be a good communicator. A hardline determinist doesn't leave much (or any) room for individual choice; instead, external factors determine our communication behavior.

Which of the following statements correctly identifies the relationship between the objective/interpretive approaches and the theories covered in the book? A. Most of the theories in the book are both interpretive and objective. B. Theories always clearly belong to one approach and not the other. C. Some areas of study in communication may have an objective or interpretive bias. D. Theories that are purely objective or purely interpretive are very rare.

C. Some areas of study in communication may have an objective or interpretive bias. For example, interpersonal communication scholars tend to use objective approaches, and organizational communication scholars tend toward interpretive approaches.

The rule of parsimony states that: A. Good theories should reform society. B. All hypotheses need to be tested. C. The simpler of two plausible explanations for an event should be accepted. D. Good theories provide a new understanding of people.

C. The simpler of two plausible explanations for an event should be accepted. Of course, we care about other criteria too—but all else being equal, objective scholars prefer simple explanations over complex ones.

Deetz says that every general communication theory has two priorities: effectiveness and ______________. A. predictiveness B. emancipation C. participation D. observation

C. participation By participation, Deetz refers to the ability of everyone to have a say in decisions.

Communication is a ________ process because it takes place between two or more people. A. complex B. variable C. relational D. cognitive

C. relational Although communication is complex, variable, and cognitive, only "relational" specifies that communication occurs between people.

The __________ tradition of communication research epitomizes the objective perspective. A. rhetorical B. semoiotic C. socio-psychological D. critical

C. socio-psychological Although the cybernetic tradition is quite objective as well, the socio-psychological tradition is considered the 'classic' objective approach.

A systematic hunch: A. is written down in an orderly, easy-to-understand fashion. B. explains how the idea might change social systems. C. specifies the relationship among the theorist's ideas. D. builds on the shoulders of theory developed in the past.

C. specifies the relationship among the theorist's ideas. Identifying how things relate to each other is one of the main goals of an excellent communication theory.

Which of the following statements is not a standard for a good objective theory? A. "A good theory should explain some type of behavior." B. "A good theory should be relatively simple." C. "A good theory should be useful." D. "A good theory creates a community of agreement."

D. "A good theory creates a community of agreement." Objective scholars believe a good theory should match the data, regardless of what the community thinks about the theory.

Which of the following is an interpretive theorist most likely to investigate? A. General communication patterns common to all people. B. Cause-effect relationships between independent and dependent variables. C. Practical solutions to practical questions. D. A one-of-a-kind speech community with a specific language style.

D. A one-of-a-kind speech community with a specific language style Interpretive scholars tend to care less about general patterns and more about the experiences of specific human groups.

Laura travels to a foreign country on study abroad for a semester. While there, she takes every opportunity to immerse herself in the local culture. She takes many notes on her observations about the country, and then turns her notes into a term paper. Laura's activity is most similar to: A. An experiment. B. A survey. C. A textual analysis. D. An ethnography.

D. An ethnography. As Geertz observed, ethnographers seek meaning through their own direct and personal observations.

Which of the following traditions is the most interpretive? A. Socio-psychological. B. Rhetorical. C. Semiotic. D. Critical.

D. Critical. Critical scholars deny the possibility of being truly objective and embrace political activism in communication scholarship—hallmarks of an interpretive approach.

Archetypal myths: A. Are always based on tales of Greek heroes such as Ulysses. B. Differ greatly between cultures. C. Are more persuasive than other types of myth. D. Draw upon universal human experiences.

D. Draw upon universal human experiences. Note that, as Marty Medhurst uses the term, just because it's a "myth" doesn't mean it isn't true.

According to the textbook, for a message to be considered communication, it must: A. Be delivered. B. Be understandable. C. Be heard. D. Elicit a response.

D. Elicit a response.

Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks suggest adding which of the following as an eighth tradition? A. Pragmatic. B. Spiritual. C. Sociological. D. Ethical.

D. Ethical. The ethical tradition focuses on questions of right and wrong—what is harmful and beneficial, what is good and virtuous.

According to Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks, the behavioral scientist usually describes human conduct as occurring because: A. Humans have free will. B. Humans have conscious intent. C. Humans are random. D. Humans react to forces that are often outside the individual's awareness.

D. Humans react to forces that are often outside the individual's awareness. Although many objective scholars acknowledge free will, in their scholarship they often look for explanations outside the individual's conscious control.

The textbook suggests that one limitation of the "lens" metaphor is that it: A. Does not accurately describe all communication theory. B. Leads to observations that are too narrow in scope. C. Has not achieved much recognition by communication scholars. D. May encourage us to abandon any search for truth.

D. May encourage us to abandon any search for truth. Although the lens influences what we see, Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks warn gently against thinking that the lens is the only thing we see.

Deanna researches how the meaning of the word "freedom" has changed over time. With which tradition is Deanna probably most familiar? A. Cybernetic. B. Phenomenological. C. Critical. D. Semiotic.

D. Semiotic. The link between signs (and symbols) and meaning is of chief interest to scholars in the semiotic tradition.

A scientist seeks to gather information about the world chiefly through: A. Language and thought. B. Logic, reason, and philosophy. C. Values, ethics, and tradition. D. Sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.

D. Sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. If a phenomenon cannot be detected using the five senses, it is beyond the ability of the scientific method to explain it.

Using Popper's metaphor of the net, what does he mean when he talks about making the mesh of the net "finer and finer"? A. The theorist continually tries to express the theory more clearly. B. The theorist continually uses the theory to improve the world. C. The theorist continually makes the theory's scope larger. D. The theorist continually tries to capture more and more of what humans think and say.

D. The theorist continually tries to capture more and more of what humans think and say. A fine net can capture smaller and smaller things; a refined communication theory can capture more and more of social life.

The degree of disclosure in a specific area of an individual's life

Depth:

What is the study of the origin, nature, method, and limits of knowledge / how we know what we know?

Epistemology

All rhetorical critics do interpretive analysis, so all interpretive scholars are rhetoricians. True False

False For example, some interpretive scholars engage in ethnographic research of culture; many such scholars would not describe themselves as rhetoricians.

Schwartz' theory of resonance is a good example of a metatheory. True False

False Metatheory is theory about theory. In contrast, Glenn uses Schwartz' theory to discuss the Budweiser ad—but it's a theory, not a metatheory.

Empiricists maintain that as long as a theory can accurately predict future behavior, knowing the reason why it did is relatively unimportant. True False

False Scientists care about the reason, too. The best objective theories both predict and explain.

The cybernetic tradition focuses chiefly on communication across the Internet. True False

False The cybernetic tradition focuses on information processing, feedback, and control in communication systems. The Internet is one such system, but definitely not the only one.

Scholars who call themselves "humanists" believe that theories need to be tested using empirical evidence. True False

False This is true of scholars who see themselves as scientists.

What is soft determinism?

Human behavior and actions are solely determined by casual events.

Who are the key theorist for the Social Penetration Theory?

Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor

Social Information Processing Theory theorist?

Joseph Walther

Social Penetration Theory is in what paradigm and tradition?

Paradigm: objective Tradition: socio-psychological

What does EVT predict?

People's interaction patterns on their impressions of one another and the outcomes of their interactions.

What tradition places great emphasis on people's perception and their interpretation of their own experience.

Phenomenological

What tradition speakers have sought practical advice on how to best present their case—speeches / public speaking

Rhetorical

The voluntary sharing of personal history, preferences, attitudes, feelings, values, etc., with another person—transparency.

Self-disclosure:

What tradition the study of signs—anything that can stand for something else.

Semiotic

What tradition based on the premise that as people talk, they produce and reproduce culture.

Socio-cultural

What tradition looks for cause-and-effect relationships / believe there are communication truths that can be discovered by careful, systematic observation?

Socio-psychological

Expectancy Violation Theory is in what paradigm and tradition?

Socio-psychological tradition Objective paradigm

What are the names of the seven traditions of communications?

Socio-psychological, cybernetic, rhetorical, semiotic, critical, phenomenological, and socio-cultural

When we say communication is a process, we mean:

The flow of communication is always in flux. Although many communication scholars would agree with the other answers, "process" and "flux" both capture the idea of change.

What is the goals for the Expectancy Violation Theory?

To explain and predict how people communicatively respond to others' behavior that deviates from expectation.

Goals of the Social Information Processing Theory

To gain information about each other and use that information to form interpersonal impressions.

Goals of Uncertainty Reduction Theory?

To make sense of our interpersonal world.

A sign is anything that can stand for something else. True False

True

According to Burgoon, a theory is basically an informed "hunch." True False

True

According to Griffin, communication is the relational process of creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response. True False

True

Another term for "relative simplicity" is "parsimony." True False

True

Many interpretive scholars believe truth is socially constructed through communication. True False

True

One measure of a good interpretive theory is the extent to which it reforms society. True False

True

The aim of textual analysis is to describe and interpret the characteristics of a message. True False

True

The critical tradition is concerned with the way that language can be used to perpetuate power imbalances. True False

True

The phenomenological tradition attempts to understand everyday life from the standpoint of the person who is living it. True False

True

Axiom is a what?

a self-evident truth that requires no additional proof. Verbal communication, nonverbal warmth, information seeking, self-disclosure, reciprocity, similarity, liking, and shared networks

Criteria for good interpretive?

identifies values, create understanding, inspire aesthetic appreciation, stimulate agreement, reform society, and conduct qualitative research.

Epistomology

knowledge How we know what we know, nature of knowledge, singular vs multiple truths

Researchers in the objective paradigm consider themselves ___?

scientists