COMM 100: Semester Overview

1. COMM 100:Semester Overview John A. Cagle, Ph.D. Communication California State University, Fresno

3. COMM 100 • Theories of Human Communication is a course designed to introduce upper division students to communication theory from a scientific perspective.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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."

7. 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.

8. Law: As centrality increases, rank increases. Antecedent conditions: C1 C2 C3 … Cn ___________ Consequent conditions E

9. Theory of Small Group Influence Conformity Rank Influence Centrality Observability Source: T.K. Hopkins, The Exercise of Influence in Small Groups

10. 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

11. Theory of True Love TRUST + ATTITUDE + RECIPROCITY + COMMITMENT +_< add your own >_ = True Love

12. Cagle’s Dirty Joke Theory:Some 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. . .

13. Cagle’s Dirty Joke Theory:Some Dependent Variables LAUGHTER DISGUST CONFUSION PHYSICAL LEAVING COMPREHENSION ATTITUDE CHANGE Etc.

14. Cagle’s Dirty Joke Theory:Variables JOKE + SOURCE + MESSAGE + RECEIVER + CHANNEL= LAUGHTER + SHOCK + CONFUSION MIXED SEX + DIRTY JOKE = SHOCK SAME SEX + DIRTY JOKE = HILARITY

15. 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.

16. 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.

20. 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!

21. Becker’s Mosaic Model of Message

22. The main dimensions of the mosaic model: • Context • Function • Intention • Variable • Level of analysis • Analytic and synthetic properties • Audience

23. SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY • Two Imperatives of Science • Verifiability • Corrigibility • Philosophical Approaches • Rules • Systems • Laws

24. Ideal Process in Science

25. Verifiability & Corrigibility

26. Kaplan links • Kaplan’s “styles of thinking” from The Conduct of Inquiry • Hugh Duncan and Kenneth Burke

27. Literary Academic Eristic Symbolic Postulational Formal Analytic is the logical character of scientific statements Synthetic is the empirical character of scientific statements Theories Reflect Kaplan's Levels of Thinking

28. Kaplan’s Styles of Thinking Formal Math—No empirical loadings Postulational Empirical loadings Increasing Analytic Rigor Eristic theories Academic theories Literary theories Increasing Synthetic Rigor

29. 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)

30. 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.

31. Investigational Paradigm

32. Experimental Paradigm

33. 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 statement’s 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.

34. 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?

35. Ron Wright, University of Arizona

36. Logically consistent Consistent with accepted facts Testable Simple Parsimonious Consistent with related theories Interpretable: explain and predict Useful Pleasing to the mind CRITERIANecessary Desirable

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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.

40. Reality Knowledge Language Statistics Perception Theory Design Isomophism is the identity in form and substance between all of these “constructions of reality.”

41. Reality Knowledge Language Design Perception Theory Statistics Induction Deduction Isomophism is the identity in form and substance between all of these “constructions of reality.”

42. What do you see? What do There's a face... and the word liar

43. Diversity in Theory: Making sense of it all • Traditions & Approaches to Communication • Communication Contexts • Application, Function, and Purpose

44. 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.

45. TRADITIONS • The Sociopsychological Tradition:study of the individual as a social being—behavior 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 power—how 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.

46. ILLUSTRATIVE APPROACHES • Public Speaking Approaches: the Rhetorical Tradition • Trait Approaches • Persuasion Approaches • Verbal Behavior Approaches • Nonverbal Behavior Approaches

47. 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)

48. 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 don’t my students take notes?

49. In all centuries, rhetoric • . . . responds to what’s 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

50. 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.