COMM 101 Exam
Describe at least two advantages and two disadvantages of conducting interpersonal interactions online.
3 Advantages: *Can connect with anyone anywhere Enable friendship work *Increase sociability 3 Disadvantages: *Threaten privacy *Create pressure to construct idealized images *Result in context collapse
What is the scientific method?
A logical, systematic approach to the solution of a scientific problem
What is a model? What are three functions of models? What are three drawbacks to models?
A model- an abstract representation of a process, a description of its structure or function 3 Functions: Explanatory Predictive Control 3 Drawbacks: Models are necessarily incomplete Many ways to model a single process Make assumptions about processes
What is linguistic productivity? What conclusion do linguists draw from the fact that language is productive?
Ability to understand and create unusual sentences They tell us how to make the sounds of our language, how to combine those sounds into words, how to order those words, and how to use sentences in interaction
List and define the affordances of new media.
Affordances: technology's own characteristics, properties that allow individuals to take actions unique to that technology Persistence: Texts, posts, etc. can be stored forever, even when erased, they can always be reclaimed Visibility: the number of people who have access to one's messages and posts Spreadability: the ease and speed with which a message can go beyond its original intended audience
Explain and give an example of each of the following kinds of language: ambiguous language, abstract language, euphemistic language, metaphorical language, immediate language. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using each kind?
Ambiguous language: a language that can be interpreted more than one way ("The University shall be responsive to its surroundings") Abstract language: general language and intangible qualities, ideas, or concepts. It is often vague and open to interpretation (love, success, freedom, good, etc.) Euphemistic language: polite, pleasant, or neutral words and expressions to refer to things that people may find unpleasant, upsetting, or embarrassing ("Passed away" instead of "dead") Metaphorical language: any form of language that makes use of metaphor ("He shot down all my arguments) Immediate language: a form of interpersonal communication ( a speaker who is communicating to an audience, their style of communicating is to reach the individuals on a personal level-relating to the audience
List one way you could improve each of the following: attention, interpretation, evaluation, responding, and storage and retrieval.
Attention: Open myself up to others messages and perspectives Interpretation: Prepare to listen ahead of time Evaluation: Don't jump to conclusions Responding: To realize that you cannot not communicate Storage and Revival: Actively work to retain it
What four directions did rhetoric take in the modern period?
Classical approach Psychological/epistemological approach Belletristic approach Elocutionary approach
Define nonverbal communication. What special characteristics does nonverbal communication have?
Communication that occurs without words Characteristics: May be unintentional Consists of multiple codes Immediate, continuous, and natural Both universal and cultural
What three kinds of display rules govern our use of affect displays? Give examples of each.
Cultural display rules (men follow a cultural display rule that tells them to not show fear in public) Professional display rules ("poker face") Personal display rules (Externalizers vs. Internalizers)
Why does listening often fail? What are some things that can be done to improve listening?
Due to cultural values, we are adjusted into a cultural norm where expressing our ideas is much more significant than listening to others Improvements: Maintain eye contact with the speaker. Visualize what the speaker is saying. Limit judgments. Don't interrupt. Wait for a pause to ask questions. Ask clarifying questions. Empathize with the speaker. Pay attention to nonverbal cues.
Define and give examples of emblems, illustrators, regulators, affect displays, and adaptors. Which nonverbal code are these categories used to describe?
Emblems: kinesic behaviors whose direct verbal translation are known to all the members of a social group ("All right! Excellent!" by pumping your clenched fist in the air) Illustrators: Gestures like these can add meaning while also indicating structures of utterances (the term zigzag) Regulators: nonverbal behaviors that act as "traffic signals" during interaction (head nods, eye, and hand movements) Affect Displays: body movements that convey emotional states Adaptors: behaviors that people use to adapt to stresses and to satisfy personal needs (fist clenching or foot kicking)
According to CMM theory, what four levels of context must we take into account during communication? Give an example of a pragmatic rule at each of the four levels.
Episode (ex. Cross-examination) Relationship (ex. Of a hostile witness) Life Script (ex. an aggressive defense attorney) Cultural Pattern (ex. In the U.S. court of law)
What were the three ways Aristotle thought a speaker could sway an audience? Give an example of each.
Ethos- personal character (I am a doctor, so I have qualified to give you this diagnosis) Pathos: emotional appeal- (If you buy this product, you will be loved by everyone you know, pulling on the heartstrings) Logos: logical, factual, true by facts (This person has committed this crime based on the evidence at the crime scene)
Often nonverbal messages are used in conjunction with verbal messages. Name at least five or the six ways nonverbal messages modify verbal messages. Give examples.
Facial expressions Eye Behavior Kinesis (Illustrators, Regulators, affects displays) Paralanguage (Vocal qualities, vocalizations) Chronemics (willingness to wait amongst schedule and meetings) Proxemics (touch, personal space, territoriality) Physical appearance Object language
What are some of the factors that can impede message storage and retrieval?
Highly suggestable Memory is fallible False memories
In what two ways can definitions be viewed? What is the difference between them? What view does your textbook take?
Indicating boundaries in defining something Focus attention on what is important about whatever is being defined One sets the parameters of definition while the other mentions the significance of paying attention to what is important within the definition Textbooks view: Indicating its boundaries
In what three kinds of situations do communicators rely more on nonverbal messages than on verbal messages?
Initial judgments Relational information Emotional expression
What are the basic elements in a social constructionist model?
Language, or symbolic codes Process information, or cultural traditions Sets of roles and rules that guide our actions
What is a perspective? What are the three perspectives discussed in your textbook? How are they different from one another?
Perspective- a coherent set of assumptions about the way a process operates 3 Perspectives: Psychological Social Constructionist perspective Pragmatic perspective Verbal and nonverbal communication, while discussing the style, type, and cultural background of a certain perspective
What are schemata? What kinds of schemas guide perception? Give an example of each.
Pre-existing mental structures that allow us to label and categorize people and events Lead to prototypes (ex. sports clubs in India could be that those are places only meant for wealthy people who have the luxury to have a substantial amount of money to be spent monthly on them) and stereotypes or preconceived notions (ex. "Asians are good at math.")
What is paraphrasing? Why is it a good idea to paraphrase during empathic listening?
Repeat the sender's words in our own words Best way to encourage more than discussion
Why was communication so important in the classical period? What characteristics of Greek society made rhetoric an important skill?
Revered the spoken word (the main form of communication with everyone) A great deal of emphasis on persuasion & argumentation Defend themselves in court, ban on professional lawyers, communication was their only way to argue their cases successfully
What is language? What are its four characteristics? Explain and give an example of each.
Rule-governed symbol system that allows its users to generate meaning, and in the process, to define reality 4 Characteristics: Symbolic (Street sign vs. a piece of paper) Kind of knowledge (Infants learning sounds, words, and sentence structure from their parents) Rule-governed and productive (Make ourselves understood, tell us how to make the sounds of the words) Affect the way we see the world (1930s experiment performed by Leonard Carmichael)
Describe at least four ways personal media are changing the way we experience social interaction.
Space- Occupy virtual and physical space simultaneously Time- We live in an always-on, instantly accessible world Behaviors- Come preoccupied with our devices Thinking- Shallowing effect changes depth of thought
What are the basic elements in a pragmatic model?
System of interlocking interdependent behaviors that become patterned over time Partners in communication Interact (engaged in conversation) Payoffs (benefits of this process) Interdependent (dependent on the partners' actions)
What is the goal of the critical theory/cultural studies perspective?
Systems of Power Cultural artifacts or Texts Cultural Consumers How power relations are maintained through communication
What is a speech act? Why do we need to understand speech acts in order to communicate? Give at least one example of a single word or phrase that might have two or more speech acts associated with it. What kind of information do people use to determine the meaning of a speech act from a specific utterance?
The goal a speaker intends to accomplish through speech (Ex. "Do you have a watch?") People use intentions to determine the meaning of a speech act
What happened to the study of rhetoric during the medieval period? Who was the most famous of the medieval rhetoricians?
The goal was no longer to discover possible truth through debate but to instruct the faithful in certain truths, revealed "will of God" Protagoras (c. 481-420 BC)
What are the basic elements in a psychological model?
The message travels through channel Receiver B decoded message Person B's mental set Sender B encodes message The same process occurs with Person A
How can speakers design messages that receivers will comprehend and accept?
The speaker can direct the attention of the audience to what is important by using changes in rate and volume, body movement, and gestures to emphasize what is important.
Discuss how people control and manage territory. What is territoriality? What kinds of territories do people occupy? How can these territories be encroached?
Time Orientations Territory Spital arrangements Personal Space Touch People control territory through police, or at peoples houses, they will establish walls, gates, and fences Territoriality: the need to create boundaries, to control areas of space and make them ours (public, home, interaction, and body territories)
If you were to give advice to a teacher about how to arrange the furniture in his or her office in order to make students feel comfortable, what would you tell him or her to do and what to avoid?
To not put the furniture so close to her desk, or put it in places where you know you like to talk to others or your students. Mainly, respecting peoples' space.
What is the difference between voluntary and involuntary attention? What are two things a speaker can do to increase voluntary attention? What are two things a speaker can do to increase involuntary attention?
Voluntary attention- attention that is guided by personal plans or goals Non-voluntary attention- attention that lies outside our control Increase: Have a clear purpose in mind on entering a listening situation Acknowledging how easy it is to be diverted by extraneous details
What four types of questions should you ask yourself to determine the rules of any form of discourse?
What is the purpose of this discourse? What do I and my partners hope to achieve? Do we agree about the purpose of this interaction? What rules regulate this discourse? What are the normal style and structures of this discourse? Discourse: a unit of language larger than a single sentence, it consists of connected sentences that form an identifiable structure to fulfill a communicative function
What is online context collapse and what are some strategies to control it?
audiences convene around single communicative acts in new networked publics, causing confusion and anxiety among social media users (effects of social media can have on people) Time limit, delete social media, don't have notifications turned on
What is the difference between hearing and listening?
hearing is the passive intake of sound while listening is the act of intentionally and internally working to comprehend the sounds
What are the five canons of rhetoric?
invention, arrangement, style, memory, delivery
What are the five steps in the listening process?
receiving, attending, understanding, responding, recalling
What is the "shallowing hypothesis"? Describe at least one study that lends support to the hypothesis. Do you agree or disagree with it?
that recent media technologies have led to a dramatic decline in ordinary daily reflective thought Occurred at a Canadian university I would agree totally, it is a drug to keep us distracted or numb us from the reflection of the everyday
What does it mean to make an attribution? Give an example of a dispositional attribution and an example of a situational attribution.
the process of inferring the causes of events or behaviors Dispositional attribution- personality traits, efforts, moods, judgments, abilities, motives, or beliefs Situational attribution- the process of attributing someone's behavior to external factors
