COMM 100: Semester Overview

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COMM 100Semester Overview

• John A. Cagle, Ph.D.
• Communication
• California State University, Fresno

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COMM 100

• Theories of Human Communication is a course
  designed to introduce upper division students to
  communication theory from a scientific
  perspective.

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THEORY

• A theory is a scientific account of phenomena.
• At a minimum it is a strategy for handling
  observations in research, providing a conceptual
  system for describing and explaining.

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Darnell's definition of theory

• "A theory is a set of statements, including some
  lawlike generalizations, systematically and
  logically related such that the set implies
  something about reality.
• It is an argument that purports to provide a
  necessary and sufficient explanation for a range
  of phenomena.

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• It must be capable of corrigibility--that is, it
  must be possible to disconfirm or jeopardize it
  by making observations.
• A theory is valuable to the extent that it
  reduces the uncertainty about the outcome of a
  specific set of conditions."

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A theory includes

• an identification of the components or conceptual
  categories by which we classify the elements of a
  system
• a specification of the characteristics of these
  components and
• a specification of a set of laws in conformity
  with which states of the system precede or
  succeed each other.

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Law As centrality increases, rank
increases. Antecedent conditions C1 C2 C3
Cn ___________ Consequent conditions
E
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Theory of Small Group Influence
Conformity
Rank
Influence
Centrality
Observability
Source T.K. Hopkins, The Exercise of Influence
in Small Groups
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Think of True Love what factors produce true
love, maintain it, or destroy it?

• Take out a piece of paper write down four of
  these main factors

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Theory of True Love

• TRUST
• ATTITUDE
• RECIPROCITY
• COMMITMENT
• _lt add your own gt_
• True Love

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Cagles Dirty Joke TheorySome Independent
Variables

• SOURCE attraction, age, sex, status, attitude,
  credibility, skill. . .
• MESSAGE clarity, language, timing, delivery,
  organization, content. . .
• RECEIVER attitude, age, sex, status, attitude,
  perception of source. . .
• CHANNEL live, VHS, print, book, email. . .

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Cagles Dirty Joke TheorySome Dependent
Variables

• LAUGHTER
• DISGUST
• CONFUSION
• PHYSICAL
• LEAVING
• COMPREHENSION
• ATTITUDE CHANGE
• Etc.

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Cagles Dirty Joke TheoryVariables

• JOKE SOURCE MESSAGE RECEIVER CHANNEL
  LAUGHTER SHOCK CONFUSION
• MIXED SEX DIRTY JOKE SHOCK
• SAME SEX DIRTY JOKE HILARITY

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COMMUNICATION

• Communication is a complex, pervasive phenomena.
• Virtually every human endeavor involves
  communication in some way.
• Consequently, there are a great many
  communication theories--each, in its own way,
  appropriate to those aspects of the phenomena
  germane to its purpose.

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Communication Mosaic A Metaphor

• First, the metaphor of a mosaic offers a
  theoretical orientation to illumine the
  inter-connectedness among all communication
  theories.
• Second, it provides an overview of some of the
  more interesting, provocative, and heuristic
  theories within the major types of communication
  theories.
• Meaning is created from bits and pieces which our
  mind puts together into a gestalt.

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Meaning Is Created
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty
uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg The phaonmneal
pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch
at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht
oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny
iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer
be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl
mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed
ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling
was ipmorantt!
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Beckers Mosaic Model of Message
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The main dimensions of the mosaic model

• Context
• Function
• Intention
• Variable
• Level of analysis
• Analytic and synthetic properties
• Audience

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SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

• Two Imperatives of Science
• Verifiability
• Corrigibility
• Philosophical Approaches
• Rules
• Systems
• Laws

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Ideal Process in Science
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Verifiability Corrigibility
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Kaplan links

• Kaplans styles of thinking from The Conduct of
  Inquiry
• Hugh Duncan and Kenneth Burke

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Theories Reflect Kaplan's Levels of Thinking

• Literary
• Academic
• Eristic
• Symbolic
• Postulational
• Formal

• Analytic is the logical character of scientific
  statements
• Synthetic is the empirical character of
  scientific statements

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Kaplans Styles of Thinking
Postulational Empirical loadings
Formal MathNo empirical loadings
Increasing Analytic Rigor
Eristic theories
Academic theories
Literary theories
Increasing Synthetic Rigor
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NOIR Kinds of Observation

• Nominal something is observed and given a name
  (e.g., hostile, leader, task)
• Ordinal things in the nominal category are
  given a relationship to one another (e.g.,
  tall-short, better-worse, etc.)
• Interval numbers to label things with a
  relationship have precise distance between them
  (e.g., 8 is twice as much as 4)
• Ratio there is a zero point in observation
  (e.g., speech preparation, number of words)

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Investigation

• Select a phenomenon and list all its
  characteristics.
• Measure all of these characteristics in a
  variety of situations.
• Analyze the observations to determine if there
  are any patterns worthy of further attention.
• If patterns have been found in the observations,
  state these patterns as theoretical statements.

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Investigational Paradigm
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Experimental Paradigm
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Confirming Research

• Develop a theory.
• Select a statement generated by the theory
  (hypothesis) for comparison with observation
  (empirical research).
• Design a research project to test the chosen
  statements by observation.
• If the statement derived from the theory does not
  correspond with observational results, make
  appropriate changes in the theory or in the
  research design and continue with the research.
• If the statement from the theory corresponds with
  the results of the research, select additional
  statements for testing and/or apply theory in
  world with some confidence.

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Criteria to Evaluate Theories

• Theoretical scope
• Appropriateness
• Heuristic value
• Validity
• Parsimony
• Openness a new one
• What parts of the mosaic comprise the theory?
  What parts are left out?

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Ron Wright, University of Arizona
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CRITERIANecessary Desirable

• Logically consistent
• Consistent with accepted facts
• Testable

• Simple
• Parsimonious
• Consistent with related theories
• Interpretable explain and predict
• Useful
• Pleasing to the mind

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Functions Theories help us to

• Organize and summarize knowledge
• Focus our attention on important variables
  relationships
• Clarify our interpretation of observations
• Know what and how to observe the event
• Explain and predict the event

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Functions Theories help us to

• Think of new directions and questions to research
  (heuristic function)
• Frame our communication with others about the
  phenomena
• Control the phenomena through judging
  effectiveness against a norm

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THEORY, RESEARCH, AND TECHNOLOGY Dynamic
Isomorphism

• There exists a dynamic isomorphism among reality,
  phenomena, theory, research design,
  instrumentation, statistical analysis, and
  computer technology.
• More elements are involved, but these illumine
  the character of science as we move into the 21st
  Century.

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Reality
Knowledge
Language
Statistics
Design
Theory
Perception
Isomophism is the identity in form and substance
between all of these constructions of reality.
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Reality
Knowledge
Design
Language
Theory
Perception
Statistics
Induction
Deduction
Isomophism is the identity in form and substance
between all of these constructions of reality.
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What do you see?
What do
There's a face... and the word liar
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Diversity in Theory Making sense of it all

• Traditions Approaches to Communication
• Communication Contexts
• Application, Function, and Purpose

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TRADITIONS Littlejohn Foss

• The Semiotic Tradition study of how signs come
  to represent objects, ideas, states, situations,
  feelings, and conditions outside of themselves.
• The Phenomenological Tradition study of how
  people actively interpret their experience and
  come to understand the world by personal
  experiences with it.
• The Cybernetic Tradition study of complex
  systems in which many interacting elements
  influence one another.

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TRADITIONS

• The Sociopsychological Tradition study of the
  individual as a social beingbehavior and the
  personal traits and cognitive processes that
  produce behavior.
• The Sociocultural Tradition study of the ways
  our understandings, meanings, roles, norms, and
  rules are worked out interactively in
  communication.
• The Critical Tradition study of questions of
  privilege and powerhow race, nationality,
  religion, sexual orientation, income level, etc.
  identity and social differences.
• The Rhetorical Tradition study of ways humans
  use symbols to affect those around them and
  construct the worlds in which they live.

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ILLUSTRATIVE APPROACHES

• Public Speaking Approaches the
  Rhetorical Tradition
• Trait Approaches
• Persuasion Approaches
• Verbal Behavior Approaches
• Nonverbal Behavior Approaches

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The Rhetorical Tradition

• Plato Aristotle Rhetoric as tool to discover
  and use truth in governing society
• Cicero Quintilian Public speaking and
  leadership as essential skills for citizenship
• Capella Rhetoric as a foundation of all learning
  (the Liberal Arts)

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• St. Augustine Something to do until you get into
  heaven
• Bacon Rhetoric needed for advancement of science
• Adam Smith Rhetoric and the belles lettres
• Cagle Why dont my students take notes?

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In all centuries, rhetoric

• . . . responds to whats going on in the world,
  but enables and effects the world of which it is
  a part
• War gives rise to political exigencies
• Depressions give rise to problem solving
• Prosperity gives rise to self-actualization

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In the 20th Century. . . .

• Rhetorical theory extended to all forms of
  communication, including writing literature and
  small groups problem solving
• Rhetorical principles were applied to new media
  such as radio, television, newspapers, computers,
  etc.

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Trait Approaches

• Traits are consistent communication behaviors
  across contexts
• Personality traits persuasibility, self-esteem,
  dogmatism, introversion
• Communication apprehension and willingness to
  communicate
• Social style and self-disclosure
• Aggression and assertiveness traits

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Persuasion Approaches

• Variable analytic
• message structure,
• message appeals, and
• language variables
• Source credibility
• Cognitive dynamics theories (attitudes)

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Verbal Behavior Approaches

• Metaphor and stylistic devices
• Language intensity
• Lexical diversity
• Evidence
• Fear appeals
• Supportive and defensive messages

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Nonverbal Behavior Approaches

• Affective-cognitive dimensions
• Functions and relationships
• Nonverbal codes
• kinesics,
• vocalics,
• proximics, etc.

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COMMUNICATION CONTEXTS

• Interpersonal Contexts
• Small Group and Organizational Contexts
• Mass Media Contexts
• Intercultural Contexts

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Interpersonal Contexts

• Social exchange
• Stages in relationship development and decline
  strangers to intimacy
• Interpersonal circumplex
• Self-concept and interpersonal attraction

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Small Group and Organizational Contexts

• Encounter groups and growth groups
• Problem solving and decision making
• Conflict management and resolution
• Networks and organizations
• Leadership and management

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Mass Media Contexts

• Two-step flow
• Diffusion of innovations
• Uses and gratifications
• Social role of media stereotypes
• Advertising and propaganda

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Intercultural Contexts

• Cultures are big damn groups
• Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
• Rules and roles
• High and low context
• Standpoint theory
• International communication

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APPLICATIONS

• Political communication and power
• Agitation and control social change
• Religious communication
• Psychology and Counseling
• Business sales, management, marketing

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• Government management
• Health communication
• Education
• Entertainment
• Legal communication civil and criminal

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Lets go back to the beginning and get started. .
. .