Studying, Defining, and Theorizing Communication (D&Z Ch1)

• What is "communication" (class and textbook definitions)?
• What are the distinguishing characteristics of the different contexts (interpersonal, organizational, etc.) of communication study? (also covered in definitions of  individual D&Z chapters)
• Is all communication intentional?  Distinguish between the different orientations (receiver, sender, message perspectives) on intentionality discussed in class--how do they affect our understanding of communication interactions?
• What is implied by the concept of "process" in communication, and how do we study it?;  How does F.E.X. Dance describe the process of communication?
• What are the different types of contexts that influence communication and its interpretation? (psychological, physical, etc.)
• What is the definition of "ethics"--is it the same for everyone, regardless of where and who they are?  When do ethical issues become important in the study of communication?
• What are the types of everyday subjective epistemologies? (intuition, custom, etc.)
• How do subjective epistemologies differ from objective epistemologies?
• What are the goals of theory? (explain, predict, etc.)
• What is empirical research?  How are reliability and validity related to this type of research, and to each other?
• How do quantitative and qualitative methods differ, and what are some examples of each?
• What is a metatheory?
• How do laws and rules (meta-)theories differ from one another?

• How do linear, interactive, and transactional communication models differ from one another?
• What are the elements of each model (above), and how do the models build on and/or change each other?
• What are the criteria for model/theory evaluation (some are also discussed as research goals in Sumser Ch1)? (parsimony, consistency, etc.)

• What kind of information is contained in each of the four basic parts of a research article? (method, results, etc.)
• What is the difference between  independent and dependent variables?
• Be able to identify the independent and dependent variables in a hypothesis
• What is sampling? A sample? What is the relationship between a sample (and sampling), generalizability, and representativeness?
• What is the difference between a conceptual definition and an operational definition?
• What is a variable?  What is the difference between ordered and nominal variables? independent and dependent variables?
• What does a confounding variable do?
• What does it mean to say that variable attributes need to be mutually exclusive and exhaustive?
• How do you operationalize a variable?  What is the point of operationalization?
• Does "manipulation" happen to the independent or dependent variable?
• Can the same variable be both a cause (influence) and an effect?
• Given some examples of hypotheses, you should be able to pick out which one is the "best" (i.e., worded most appropriately for a hypothesis)

• Time as an element of research (cross-sectional v. longitudinal design)
• Experimental research: treatment, comparison, and control groups (experimental conditions), experimental stimulus and outcome measures, pretesting/posttesting
• Survey research: interviews v. questionnaires, factual & opinion questions, closed & open-ended questions
• Content analysis: universe, sample, units of analysis, categories, manifest and latent content
• Observational and ethnographic research: establishing an identity (complete participant to complete observer, participant-observer v. observer-participant), structured v. unstructured interviews
• (Sum, Ch6) what is "replication"?

• Research ethics: benefit the ppl being studied, protect right to privacy, provide free choice; treat ppl w/ respect
• Using research findings: don't make up data, data fishing, public nature of scholarship, use of results of unethical research

• How do you cite journal articles in the text and reference pages of your papers using APA style?  what if you are using a direct quote?
• Recognize correct/incorrect scholarly writing (in examples on the test) by applying the "sidebar tips" in Chapter 5

Intrapersonal communication theories (D&Z Ch2)

• Attribution Theories (dispositional vs. situational factors in making attributions; internal vs. external locus of control)
• Uncertainty Reduction Theory (antecedent conditions for reducing uncertainty; how is uncertainty and/or uncertainty reduction presumed to be related to verbal communication, NV expressiveness, information-seeking behavior, intimacy, level, similarities, liking?; passive, active, and interactive information-seeking strategies for reducing uncertainty)
• Message Design Logics (constructivism, cognitive complexity and construct differentiation; types of MDLs: expressives, conventionals, rhetorical)
• Expectancy Violations Theory (relation of violation of expectancies/expectations to changes in arousal; communicator reward value/valence)

• Systems theory/perspective - qualities of a system
• The Palo Alto Group's 5 axioms of systems approach to relational communication
• Politeness Theory (what is face?; difference between positive and negative face; five superstrategies of FTAs and their levels of politeness)
• Social Exchange Theory (costs, rewards, outcome (profit), CL, CLalt; what is likely to happen to the relationship if it is evaluated as positive/negative?)
• Relational Dialectics Theory (what are relational dialectics?; autonomy/connection, openness/closedess, novelty/predictability; responses to dialectics (selection, separation, neutralization, reframing -- some of these are different from the book; use lecture notes)

• Distinguish between intracultural, international, cross-cultural, and intercultural communication
• Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions (individualism-collectivism, power distance, etc.)
• Standpoint Theory (group membership and limited perspectives)
• Muted Group Theory (who is the primary dominant group?; how does (the process of) muting occur?)
• Communication Accommodation Theory (role of in-groups; what is it, reasons for it, positive or negative effects of it; convergence, divergence, overaccommodation)
• Face-Negotiation Theory (face concerns (self/other), basic differences between individualistic and collectivistic cultures and concerns for face; conflict styles are prefered by individualistic cultures?  collectivistic cultures?)

• Task and social goals of communication in groups
• Symbolic Convergence Theory (dramatizing messages, fantasy themes, fantasy chains, rhetorical vision)
• Groupthink (antecedent conditions of groupthink; symptoms of groupthink; how can groupthink be prevented/reduced?)

• Relationship, organizing, and change functions of organizations
• Structuration Theory (role of communication in the organization; structures, production, reproduction; how does human agency (free will) play a part in this theory?)
• Organizational Information Theory [AKA Organizing Theory] (role of communication in the organization; information environment, equivocality)
• Organizational Culture Theories (relationship between culture and communication; who creates and maintains an organization's culture in Schein's thoeiry?; content and observability of Schein's levels of culture)

• Compare characteristics of "powerful effects," "limited effects," and "cumulative effects" mass comm. research
• Who are opinion leaders? gatekeepers?
• Uses and Gratification Theory (how does this theory view media consumers differently than other mass comm theories?; what are some different reasons that people choose to use different forms of media?)
• Cultivation analysis (mainstreaming and resonance; differences between heavy and light viewers (users) of TV (media) in how they see the world; mean world index; proportional representation of diversity index))

• Definition/charactistics of persuasion
• Cognitive Dissonance Theory (consonance, dissonance; Heider's balance theory; ways of coping with dissonance - perceived importance, dissonance ratio, rationalize)
• Elaboration Likelihood Theory (central and peripheral routes of information processing; importance of motivation and ability; effectiveness of weak/strong/neutral arguments)
• Social Judgment Theory (anchors, latitudes of acceptance, rejection, and non-commitment, role of ego-involvement; assimilation and contrast effects)