8/26 CHAPTER ONE

What is interpersonal communication?o Communication that occurs between two individuals, usually in a face to face

setting

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Lay theory – informal explanation of a particular phenomenon or interaction, situationo Explains the why o Someone’s opinion o Ex: guy is dating a new girlfriend, meets her parents for the first time, every time

he uses profanity their demeanor changes – not amused Lay theory – parents could be offended (they don’t like it, weren’t

expecting it, disrespectful, aversion to the type), could be worried he is not intelligent, they don’t like swearing

Motivation – history, emotion, expectancy violation Leads to increase performance

Pygmalion effect – the bigger the expectation, the greater the performanceo Linear relationship between students and teachers o Teachers give a warmer climate to studentso Input factor – teach more to the students who are more favoredo Response opportunity o Feedback

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Scientific theory o Explains human behaviors through certain outcomes and events o Predict

If you can find a relationship between something and explain it, you can predict the outcome

There is always trends and there is always erroro Control

We can eventually control the outcomes, hypothetically speaking In the real world, we can only try to fully control it

CHAPTER TWO

Intrapersonal communication – communication with one’s selfo Imagined interactions – imagined conversations you have with other people

when they aren’t actually there Where the language can get tricky – there is still feedback

Small group

Public o Feedback – audience

May be physical or vocal feedback Organizational communication

o Deals with culture o Ex: Google – people work for them

Mass mediated communication – social media o Aka CMC

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Interactional perspective – pg 33o studied how people’s communication affected one anothero used metaphor – of a mobile

5 axioms o 1. One cannot not communicate

Can be interpreted by people in our environment Every behavior implies communication, and has meaning; therefore

having the potential to be communicative You only know if someone is lying, it’s only because you know the truth Behavior is not always communication – a wink could mean something,

but it could also be a twitch o 2. Every communication has a content and a relationship aspect such that the

latter classifies the former and is therefore a metacommunication Communication about communication What you say (content) and how you say it (relational) affect

communication. The relational component of the message reflects the content

Do you think that one will do? Emphasizing more than one, or how the way you say it affects

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Interpersonal communication is consequential Why study interpersonal communication studies?

o Ubiquitous o Consequential o More conscious consumer

Women come from Venus, Men come from marso Differences between men and women are differences of degree, not of kind o Need to focus on more theoretical explanations for gender differences

Ex: hormone

LOOK AT AXIOMS!

9/16

Identity formation pg. 52o Self – our self is a function or a product of the people around us; this is done in

terms of how we think we are o Self-complexity – the roles that we assume in our lives

Everybody has a different amount of roles they assume Research shows that the higher the level of SC you have, the better

you’re able to cope with negative life events; linear relationship The coping depends on self-complexities

If you have too high of self-complexity roles that you’re committed to, there is a lot more that could go wrong

People will watch the shows (i.e. The OC) and perceive that reality should be the way fiction is – it’s an expectation

o Difference between public and inner selves Public self is your actual self (means that what you actually are as what

people see) Inner self is your true self (how you truly are as what you see yourself)

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Self-esteem (SE)o People high in SE seem happier, more attractive, make better first impressions –

positive feedbacko But better SE, doesn’t mean you’ll do better in schoolo Having high academic performance boosts SE though

Spurious relationship – one thing causing something else, but there is a confounding factor holding it together

o Ex: relationship between ice cream sales and drownings are correlated very highly – when ice cream sales are highest, drowning rates are highest

If you eat more ice cream, you will drown o IN REALITY – one thing really doesn’t cause another, the only reason they

correlate is bc of a third party (i.e. it’s summer – people eat more ice cream and more people are swimming; therefore both will be higher)

o Just bc two things are correlated, doesn’t mean they cause each other o Therefore, high SE doesn’t lead to academic performance

Research has found that occupational success can boost SE, but high SE doesn’t boost occupational success

o In general, researchers found that attempts to boost SE have not shown any benefits

Task force on SE and personal and social responsibility – fails to show benefits o High SE will protect you from negative life events – anxiety and stress o Ex: drug abuse – increasing SE will decrease drug abuse

The SE scales ask people to rate themselves and respond to questions about their lives Social desirability scales asks if you prefer to be seen as appropriate

o If you have over scaled wanting for social desirability, you may overinflate your self esteem

o Longitudinal data – measures SE Our SE fluctuates; it doesn’t always stay the same

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Looking glass selfo /To what kinds of people do we give credence such that we behave as a function

of what they say?o Interrelated concept – different where people act to conform to the

expectations of others People have certain expectations for you and you act accordingly It can also be applied internally – we can meet the expectations of

ourselves o Reflected appraisalo Self-fulfilling prophecy

*these all deal with communication with self Attachment theory – deals with the way your self develops but mainly with the family

role o Ex: baby interaction video o Argues that these are styles of communication that primary care givers have with

their children Secure – consistent feelings of intimacy, emotional security, physical

safety Anxious-avoidant – involves mothers to be distant and rejecting from

their kids; tend to report more trauma and neglect later in life Anxious-ambivalent – inconsistent and irregular; tends to result in

children who have developmental delays o The way that your primary caregivers attach to you have the effect on the way

you attach with people, and even your children, later in life o There is a real, physical, social, psychological need for touch

9/23 .

Identity scripts – sayings you grew up with When family members get involved in a situation, they unintentionally take sides

o Can change the nature of the relationship you have o Ex: marital conflict – private, intimate; and when other people learn about that

conflict it’s no longer privateo As human’s we are information managers

You’re going to deal with difficult people all the time – that’s lifeo Sometimes having to deal with telling someone to change their behavioro When you ask someone this, it can be offensive to that person

We feel attacked when someone confronts us about that, bc we feel like we’re wrong and embarrassed; therefore we defend ourselves

Who we are is who we are, but when asked to change we get offended bc we have been molded into the way we are and used to that behavior

o if you ask for a change in behavior (4 step process) – 1. What is the problem?

Before you approach this person, you have to be able to define the problem

2. What is the objective? Identify the objective – means “what do you want the status quo

to become?” 3. Possible solutions?

One solutions is to separate the person from the problem; might change the mindset how you see that person

Second solution is to maybe avoid the person all together Third solution is to adapt

o You can’t force the person to change, but you do have control over your own reactions to that person’s behavior

Fourth solution is asking for a change in behavior – most difficult o Describe behavioro Describe effects of behavior

“When you do this, it affects me this way…etc.” o Describe your concern of the person

“This might happen bc of this…etc.”o Request desired behavior

^^works best in theory 4. Best solutions?

Pro-con analysis

9/25 Trait vs. State Approaches to Research

State approach to communication – deals with communication patterns or styles in a particular situation or context

o Craft elicit communication (ex: public speaking anxiety) Communication apprehension – anxiety that is anticipated with future

communication Trait approach – deals with communication styles and patterns that are consistent

through time o Ex: personality trait – funny, nice, caring, etc. o Trait is something that is stable and consistent o However, there are situations that elicit certain communication behaviors

You may be a decent listener, but when certain features of a convo are present (trauma, private), you may become more engaged or active

o Introversion, extroversion Another way to understand the difference of trait and state –

o Nature vs. Nurture o Communibiology

What happens if we say if a communication trait is genetic? o People with high communication apprehension have:

Communication competence Less stress More disclosive

WTC—willingness to communicateo The degree to which people are willing to communicate with others o Sometimes you don’t want to talk to people, but you are willing to do so anyway o People who are low in WTC are perceived to have:

Low competence Low intelligence No business savvy

Systematic desensitizationo Dealing with the degree you can eliminate a high level of anxiety o How anxiety when dealing with communication can be unlearned

Cognitive modificationo Similar to SD – interrelated o Dealing with how people learn to think negatively about themselves

Skills training o Taking classes to enhance skills

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MEANING

What happens when people don’t get our meaning?o Miscommunication o Ex: I asked for extra spicy green beans in my Bloody Mary.

Meaning in words or people (speaker)?o Meaning in words

Bucket theory – means that in a convo each person has a “bucket” Person A uses their words from their bucket and send it to person

B thinking that that person will understand the meaning Ex: “I’m going to eat now”; “I have to study tonight” Problems? – “I need a drink”

o What about context? – could think that she just needs a drink of water, or could mean that she needs alcohol

o Words with 2 definitions o Meaning in people (speaker)

Words have meanings, but people can use them in different ways. The meaning is in the speaker, not the words

I.A. Richards Ex: Being There movie

Amelia Bedillia books Listener What can influence how people understand words?

Emphasis on certain words Culture/background Speaker may have a clear meaning, sometimes the listener may

not get it o Problem with both of these models is that they focus on the speaker and not

how the listener makes sense of the message The meaning is in the word and the person

o Integrated Message Model Communication is a dialogue

When the meaning is in the words, this is what you mean. If the meaning is in the speaker, the words come within

This model takes a look at the listener too Context helps to interpret Audible acts of meaning + visible acts of meaning = real meaning (not one

or the other)

Visible acts: girl crying and saying nothing is wrong Real meaning comes from both of these together

Ex: Please sit in the corner

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SIGNS

Meaning o Integrated message model – audible acts + visible acts of meaning o Two types: (pg 89)

Natural Ex: you know when it’s cold outside when it’s snowing Nothing you have to learn, you just see it and you know

Non-natural Ex: if you hear a bell ringing, you may think its dinner, children

come in from recess, doorbell, etc. Not a natural kind of meaning, something you have to learn Depends on context, culture Two types:

o Speaker’s meaning – what they’re trying to say Speakers intention

o Signal meaning Signals demonstrate, indicate, and describe Intentional Purposive – shows goals of speaker Interpreted by whom the speaker is talking to Bound by context Ex: showing someone how short you want your

hair cut o Peirce’s theory of signs

3 possible ways signs and objects are related: Icon

o Resemble object o Convey ideas through imitation o Ex: no smoking symbol o Ex: picture of someone’s face – imitates you o Ferris Bueller’s Day off – Cameron’s interaction with the

painting in the museum If you’re looking deeply into something, you might

forget the feelings that something really isn’t there o Icon as communication?

Demonstrating/showing something Ex: the les miles clap

What could be a benefit of this? Explaining it can be too difficult

Index o Connected to the object, but not directly the same thingo Points to your brain to the objecto Sensory componento Cause and effect

Ex: see dark clouds, you know it’s going to rain o Index as communication?

Indicating/pointing to something Pointing your brain to do something

Ex: do you like this shirt? Symbol

o Only connected by the mind/idea/something you’ve learned

o Abstract Ex: holding a $1 bill, but it’s just paper/linen

We know it means you have money and you can buy something with it

o All words are symbols Abstract things that humans made up and we

learned o Symbols as communication?

Describing as… Every time you use words to describe something, it

is symbolic Every time you talk

Symbol (words)+ index (referencing objects or ideas)

Allows us to be specific I love books I love the book…

10/7

Multiple choice and t/f question

150 points total

For the following chapters, SKIP THESE:

Chapter 1o Interpretive theoryo Critical theory

Chapter 2o The developmental approach to defining IPCo Axioms 3, 4, 5

Chapter 3 o Humor Orientationo Affective Orientation

Chapter 4 o Putting all together: an integrated message model

You will not be tested on any material that is found only in the tables

You should only study/review any notes you took in class from lectures/discussions/activities

10/9

The nature of messageso Lexical meaning – dictionary meaning of a word

Shared meaning, consensus of a word More than one definition Ex: meaning of the word car

o Syntax Ex: “Get to work to I drove a car” Structure of sentence Easier to point out syntax errors

o Semantic The structure of the units of meaning in a language Dealing with meaning and language with a focus on words Specifically the pattern of the words in a sentence

o Pragmatics The way people use language and social context

Focused on discourse

Styleo The way people use language and the style they use language in a pattern of

ways (pg 96)o Howie Giles

Speech accommodation theory Conversational/ Management

^^Noticed that people would have very strong, thick accents Sometimes in an interaction, people will make adjustments to

their communication styles/patterns – will accommodate others Some people will converge (dealing with accommodation – will

make it more similar to the other person’s communication style) or diverge

Convergence happens for social approval – makes communication efficient

Diverge – when two styles come together, one person may keep their own style

Verbal immediacy o The degree to which a source associates themselves with a message

The way the sender of the message associates with the message Aka: the way you say something Ex: “I’m really sorry”

At the end of the date if someone asks if they can call you

10/14

Linguistic determinism o Sapir-wolf hypothesis

Deals with the idea we can’t deal with something that doesn’t have a word

Ex: speech therapists found that there is not a word for stuttering, therefore people do not stutter – if there is not a word for it, we are unlikely to take up that action

Goal generationo We’re frequently having goals we want to accomplish in interactionso Primary goals

Motivate message production Ex: give your friend advice

o Secondary goals pg 115 Follow for decision to pursue a primary goal

Ex: to help your friend boost his/her self esteem o Planning

Represent goals into structures Think of it as blue prints

Movie example: BIGo Plan how to get Josh back to normal