COM1101 Exam 1
Reflected appraisal
How we think others perceive to the messages we send. What we think others think of us
Social comparison
How we think we compare to others. Media provides many parts of comparison, but so do people we meet face-to-face. How might social media be used for social comparison?
Assimilation effect
Ignoring small differences between messages and our self-concept
Be able to give examples of highly individualistic and collectivist cultures.
Individualistic -- America, Canada, Australia; Collectivist-- China, Russia, Japan, Brazil
Explain the idea that "culture is the stuff everybody takes for granted"
Information that you assume everybody knows.Information that you hear many times in many places. Visitors to a culture may be especially aware of natives take for granted.
Cognitive cultural intelligence
Knowledge of norms, practices and conventions in different cultures
According to the textbook and the lecture on communication models, where can we find meanings?
Meanings are not in the message but rather the person. Body language... How we choose to interpret in the decoding stage.
Self-serving bias
Means that when we perform poorly, we usually blame external forces-- and when we perform well, we credit ourselves rather than the situation.
Decoding
"receiving" -- the act of assigning meaning to a message -- who is the audience? Meanings are in/among people, not messages. Messages in influence meaning, but do not fully control them
How much information does the average American consume from media each day?
34 gigs and 100,500 words per day
Content vs. relational dimension of a message
Content: The information that is being said. Relational: How the relationship between the sender and receiver affects how the message is said or communicated
Ambient communication
Culture is the stuff that we take for granted.... Assume everyone knows or information you hear everywhere. Impact on: What you can do with communication. How you are evaluated as a communicator, Level of social coordination, Culture is the toolkit for creating shared meanings
Low context cultures
Cultures in which what is said is more important than how it is said
Encoding
the source. Where the message came from
Out group
those we view as different
Out group
those we view as different; a group that we're not a part of
Face
to describe the socially approved identity
Facework
to describe the verbal & nonverbal ways in which we act to maintain our own presenting image and the image of others.
Transactive memory
Memory constructed with others help. Often constructed & reconstructed memories through conversation. Other people become our 'external storage' 3 aspects --- Transactive encoding, Transactive retrieval, Co-construction
Metacognitive cultural intelligence
Mental processes such as planning and monitoring
Co-constructed memory
No one has all the pieces, instead a joint memory is 're-assembled' through conversation.
We have many self-concepts. Are they all equally important?
Not all self-concepts are equally important. Some self-concepts change overtime or are completely discarded from our "list", while others are central to our identity
Selective perception
Organizing & interpreting perceptions. Once you orient to something you have to make sense of it. Example: Selling something at a higher price so everything else seems cheaper
What are three principles guiding what we pay attention to?
Potential Danger/threat, Things that are comforting or encouraging that line up with our beliefs, Vividness or novelty
How do self-concepts influence our choice of friends, people to associate with?
Reinforcement Principle-- We prefer to associate with people who will accept us-- that is, who will reinforce our existing self-concepts.
What is the reinforcement principle? How does it affect the way we process messages?
Reinforcement Principle-- We prefer to associate with people who will accept us-- that is, who will reinforce our existing self-concepts.
Social identity theory
Reminds us that surface factors count: We use them to instantly classify in-group and out-group member. Triggers differences in how we feel and interact with them.
Richness vs. Leanness of channels
Rich channels convey a lot of information through nonverbal messages, tone, body language etc. (face to face, phone call, facetime). Lean channels consist of just words, less clear due to lack of nonverbal cues (Texting, email)
Horizontal cultures
Seek to minimize power difference, reduce hierarchy, inequalities not seen as fixed, emphasize equality between people.
Selective exposure
Seeking contact with people who are similar to us-- similar age, ethnicity, economic status, political beliefs, interests, etc.
Transactive retrieval
Thinking about who in a group would most likely to have remembered something
Fundamental attribution error
The tendency to give more weight to personal qualities than to the situation when making attributions. EX-- If someone you know makes a hurtful comment, you're likely to chalk it up to flaws in her or his character than to external factors.
Social identity theory
Theory that the cultures and groups we belong to influence how we think and act
How does the reinforcement principle help explain why self-concepts are so hard to change?
We prefer to associate with people who will accept us-- that is, who will reinforce our existing self-concepts.
Reinforcement principle
We prefer to associate with people who will accept us--that is, who will reinforce our existing self-concepts
Collectivism
cultures where helping the group, family, community, or organizations are more important than individual needs. Peoples identity lies in the groups they belong to
Individualism
cultures whose members view their primary responsibility as helping themselves. People shape their own identities and value independence
In group
group with whom we identify
Self-esteem
how our self concept affects the way we think of ourselves. More negative self concepts indicate low self esteem while more positive self concepts show a high self esteem
Disinhibition
lack of restraint when communicating that leads to breaking of social norms or standards, happens more online due to lack of accountability
Self-monitoring
regulating speech and actions to fit with social norms and expectations
Receiver
the audience of the message who assigns meaning to it
Do sources always have to intend to communicate in order for communication to occur?
Communication occurs without knowledge. We can communicate with body language or facial expressions without meaning to.
Halo effect & horns effect
Applying one positive or negative trait of a person to everything about them. (someone is attractive so we think they are a good person/ smart etc.)
According to Dr. Bellinger, what is the most important communication skill?
Being able to anticipate how others will interpret our message
Motivational cultural intelligence
Capability to direct attention & energy toward engaging others cultures
Behavioral cultural intelligence
Capability to exhibit appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors in cross-cultural situations
When somebody says something that challenges how you see yourself, what are four ways you might mentally discount and ultimately reject the message?
Challenge the sources motives, Challenge the sources expertise, Say the circumstances are unusual, Simply ignore or forget
What are two factors that create cultural fragmentation and mixing?
Communication and transportation
Be able to explain this sentence: "Culture is a toolkit for creating shared meanings."
Different cultures provide and create diversity. It is a toolkit because it allows us to learn and understand different cultures. This enables us to gain new perspectives and better understanding of each other.
The five sources of self-concepts & self-esteem
Direct Feedback, Indirect Feedback/ Implicit, Media Images, Social Roles, Social Comparisons
What's the difference between a direct message and an indirect or implicit message?
Direct messaging is what others say directly to you or about you. (EX-- Recognition, award, face-to-face expression). Indirect or implicit messaging is what we imaging others think about us through our own inferences based off of body language or facial expressions of the sender.
Contested memory
Disagreements about memory can happen in couples, group, communities, cultures. -- Contested memory is about tension in both past and present. Examples: Memory of coach Owens is contested. It reflects: Conflicting version of history, Conflicting views of the present situation
Vertical cultures
Emphasize power differences, hierarchy, acceptance of inequalities between individuals and groups, loyalty to one's own group
According to the first lecture, what are the effects of expressing affection (kissing) more often?
Expressing affection increased relationship satisfaction, decreased stress, and decreased cholesterol.
Impression management
Face and Facework
What was Dr. Bellinger's advice for improving communication with someone from another culture?
First, there's standard stuff that we already know.. Understanding your own attitudes and prejudices. Don't use stereotypes. Also helps to...Be curious and have a sense of humor, manage your own anxiety. Actively seek and descriptive feedback. Pay attention to nonverbal expressions.Ask for help - to have something repeated, explained, etc.Try to identify shared goals, focus on what each person is trying to accomplish. Be open to using other channels, sometimes writing may be better than speaking. Focus on the individual, not the culture
Be able to distinguish between selective exposure, selective attention, selective perception, and selective memory.
Selective Exposure-- You choose to expose yourself to some sources and types of information rather than others. Selective Attention-- We obviously can't give equal attention to every piece of information that comes our way. So our attention has to be selective. Selective Perception-- Once you orient to something, you have to make sense of it. Selective Memory-- We forget most of what happens. Most of what we see or do. We usually remember things that stand out. Our memory changes over time due to perception.
Shibboleth
Specifically: A word whose pronunciation identifies its speaker as being a member or not of a particular group. Generally/Metaphorically: Something that identifies an individual as a member of a particular group
Synchronous vs. asynchronous channels
Synchronous: Communication that occurs in real time (face to face, phone call). Asynchronous: Communication that happens at between people in different locations at different times (texting, email, letters)
Primacy effect
Tendency to remember and be affected by the first items presented more than the rest
Self-concept
The 'residue' of all the messages we have received, how we view ourselves based on direct and indirect feedback
"Encoding" (or "sending")
The act of translating (expressing) inner thoughts and feelings into observable behavior. Sources can be individuals, groups, institutions. Not automatic, but we are often not aware of how we do it. You can communicate without knowing it. Humans are "multi coders" -- we are usually sending several messages simultaneously.
Culture
The language, values, beliefs, traditions and customs people share and learn
Channel
The medium through which the message is being sent (face to face, over the phone, written, email)
In class we said that differences between cultures were often difficult to talk about. What is that?
The real differences are difficult to talk about because we don't think about our own culture, it's always background
In class we said that differences between cultures were often difficult to talk about. Why is that?
The real differences are difficult to talk about because we don't think about our own culture, it's always background
Dr. Bellinger said that culture was becoming both less important and more important at the same time. How could that be?
Today cultures and co-cultures mix and influence each other as never before in history. Communication and transportation drive cultural mixing and fragmentation. This makes culture both less important and more important at the same time.
Contrast effect
Treating larger differences as if they are bigger than they actually are. Also, using mental strategies to reject others' messages.
Perception involves a number of highly selective activities. Are we usually aware of these processes as they are occurring?
We are not usually aware as they are occuring. Due to selective attention; we can not give our attention to every single thing that comes our way. We have to make choices and only focus on one thing at once. ---EX. Gorilla Video
How does the fact that so much information is available via computer change the way we go about remembering things? What would Plato say about our use of books and computers to remember things for us?
We automatically think of using the computer when asked a general knowledge question. We are more likely to forget what we're told if it can be found online. Better memory if we're told it's not available online. We make more mistakes recalling information if we have been told it is stored online. Fewer mistakes if not online. We do a better job of remembering where we stored information than what it was.
Be able to recognize examples of how people express different self-concepts, or aspects of themselves, in different situations.
We express different self-concepts when put into different environments. Our expressions and self-concepts around our friends are different from those that are expressed in a classroom or work setting.
Selective memory
We forget most of what happens, and most of what we say and do. But we do so selectively... We tend to think and talk about, memories in term of storage, like a book kept on a library shelf. But memory is not fixed. It is revised by each new experience. So memory of what happened today will change over time
Why do "surface factors" sometimes make a big difference in intercultural communication?
We use them to constantly classify in-group and out-group members and this triggers the way we feel and interact with them. There are larger judgments about us then one can learn from social identity indicators.
WYSIATI
What You See Is All There Is
Message
What is being communicated, what the receiver is responding to. Can be intentional or unintentional, and can sometimes be received differently than the sender intended.
Noise
What might interfere with the message reaching the receiver? Channel or 'external' noise. Internal noise ( distractions inside the source or receiver)
Selective attention
What you dwell on. Principles guiding where we place our attention: Potential danger/threat, Things that are comforting in line with our desires and expectation (Reinforcement Principle), Vividness, novelty ( bright & shiny object affect)
Once we put something into memory, does it ever change?
Yes; due to shifts in perception that we gain overtime. It is also revised by new experiences.
Co-culture
a group that exists within a larger, dominant culture but different from the dominant culture in one or more significant ways ( subculture)
Confirmation bias
a tendency for a person to search for information that confirms one's preconceptions
Feedback
added in the interaction model: any message the receiver makes in response to the sources original message. Links the sender and receiver because the receiver's response becomes a message that is sent to the original sender
High-context cultures
cultures that operate on mostly nonverbal cues, body language is more important than what is said