Chapter 1 - Key Terms & Quiz

theory

A general statement or principle applicable to various related phenomena.

metamessages

A message that makes reference to another message. For example, remarks such as "Did I make myself clear?" or "That's a lie" are metamessages, because they refer to other messages

transactional perspective

A point of view that sees communication as an ongoing process in which all elements are interdependent and influence one another. people serve simultaneously as speakers and listeners.

source-receiver

Any person or thing that creates messages - Any person or thing that takes in messages

messages

Any signal or combination of signals that serves as a stimulas for a receiver

noise

Anything that interferes with your receiving a messages.

interpersonal communication

Communication between two people or among a small group of persons. Communication between or among connected persons or those involved in a close relationship.

Interpersonal communication involves verbal messages only

False

Interpersonal communication is always symmetrical

False

Interpersonal communication is not ambiguous

False

The nature of interpersonal communication is not inherently relational

False

You can repeat specific interpersonal communication messages

False

content dimension

Literal information that is communicated by a message.

unrepeatability

Principle of communication stating that no communication can ever be re-created in quite the same way, because circumstances are never the same.

mindlessness

State of relative awareness. You are NOT aware of logic and rationality.

mindfullness

State of relative awareness. You are aware of logic and rationality of your behaviors and the logical connections existing among elements.

relationship dimension

The dimension of messages that comments on the relationship between the speakers rather than on matters external to them.

ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

context

The physical, psychological, social, and temporal environment in which communication takes place.

Interpersonal communication is a transactional process

True

Interpersonal communication is irreversible

True

Interpersonal communication refers to content and relationship

True

Noise is an element of interpersonal communication

True

There are both intellectual as well as practical benefits in studying interpersonal communication

True

inevitability

a principle of communication holding that communication cannnot be avoided; all behavior in an interactional setting is communication

asynchronous communication

communication that doesn't require a sender and a receiver to have an exchange at the same time, as in online communication

encoding-decoding

emphasizes that the two activities are performed in combination by each participant

Social-psychological dimension of context

includes status relationships among the participants, roles and games that people play, norms of society, friendliness, formality, or gravity of the situation.

cultural dimension of context

includes the cultural beliefs and customs of the people communicating. when you interact with people from different cultures, you may each follow different rules of communication

feedforward

information you provide before sending you primary message. Reveals something about the message to come, such as "don't judge me, but...".

competence

knowledge of the elements and rules of the language. Knowledge of communication and also the ability to engage in communication effectively.

decoder

listeners and readers

choice point

moments when you have to make a choice as to who you communicate with, what you say, what you dont say, how you phrase what you do and so on

ethics

moral principles or values

Temporal dimension of context

not only time of day and moment in history but also with where a particular message fits into the sequence of communication events. Ex: a joke about illness will be received differently than the same joke told in response to a series of similar jokes.

irreversibility

once something has been communicated, it cannot be undone

types of noise

physical, physiological, psychological, semantic

encoder

speakers and writers

feedback

tells the speaker what affect she or he is having on listeners. Can take place in many forms

channel

the means by which a message is communicated. vocal-auditory, gestural-visual, chemical-olfactory, cutaneous-tactile, etc.

captology

the study of the persuasive power of computer communication

physical dimension of context

the tangible or concrete environment in which communication takes place- the room, hallway, or park

punctuation

the tendency to divide communication transactions into sequences of stimuli and responses

complementary relationship

the two individuals engage in different behaviors. The behavior of one serves as the stimulus for the other's complementary behavior. The people occupy different positions-- one superior, other inferior, one passive, other active, etc.

symmetrical relationship

the two individuals mirror each other's behavior