Behavioral Scientist
scholar who applies the scientific method to describe, predict, explain recurring forms of human behavior (experiments)
Rhetorician
scholar who studies ways in which symbolic forms can be used to identify with people or persuade them towards a certain point of view
Why theory?
Kurt Lewin "there is nothing so practical as a good theory"; humans have many informal theories about many things (naive scientists)
Ways of knowing
1. Experience
2. Authority
3. Science (systematic observation)
Objective vs. Interpretive theories
-Objective = scientific
-Objective assumes reality is "out there", interpretive assumes reality is "in here" (how we think/what we believe about things)
-Objective emphasizes objectivity, interpretive emphasizes emancipation
-Objective stresses forces aff
Determinism
assumption that behavior is caused by heredity an environment
Goals of Science
1. Prediction (foretelling the future)
2. Explanation (why something occurs the way it does)
3.Understanding (knowing sequence of causal events)
4. Control (accurate prediction, explanation, understanding = greater control)
Desirable Characteristics of Scientific Knowledge
1. Abstractness (independence of time and space)
2. Intersubjectivity (agreement about meaning among scientists)
3. Empirical relevance (ability to compare to observed reality)
What is a Scientific Theory?
A set of abstract statements that conform to 1 of 3 forms of theory statements; generates experiments, testing, data analysis; consists of more than 1 statement; statements identify key concepts and how they relate; yields hypotheses testable by observati
Set of Laws form of theory
Each statement refers to something known to be true on the basis of substantial evidence; statements demonstrated independently of one another; problematic in social science b/c requires a lot of research before theory can be formulated
Axiomatic form of theory
Includes axioms and propositions; axioms = things known to be true or research-based & assumed to be true
Propositions = derived from axioms --> if axioms are correct, proposition must be correct
Logical syllogism
Logical argument that draws its conclusion from two or more premises
Causal process form of theory
represents statements as a set of equally-valued statements about relationships among variables; often presented in graph form
Inductive Process
make specific observations, construct abstract generalizations
Deductive process
Logically derive abstract statements, then apply them to specific instances
Types of systematic observation
1. Quantitative-use of special techniques to structure observations; observations converted to numbers; public opinion polls, content analysis
2. Qualitative- less direct and controlled; focus groups, participant observation or ethnography
criteria for evaluating scientific theories
1. explanation of the data (reason becomes as important as fact)
2.prediction of future events
3. Relative simplicity (occam's razor/rule of parsimony)
4.Hypotheses that can be tested (falsifiability)
5. Practical Utility (broad in scope, logically consis
Micro vs. Macro Levels
1. individual (intrapersonal)
2. Dyadic (interpersonal)
3. Small group
4. Organization
5. Social systems and cultures (intercultural)
Communication theory paradigms
...
symbolic interactionism
the ongoing use of language and gestures in anticipation of how the other will react; a conversation
Blumer's premises
1. Meaning (perception is reality)
2. Language (meaning arises out of social interaction)
3. Thought (an individuals interpretation of symbols is modified by his/her own thought processes)
the looking glass self
the image of ourselves that we believe is seen by others
the "I
spontaneous, novel, unpredictable
the "me
image of the self that is reflected back from others through communication (i.e. looking glass)
the "self
combination of the "i" and the "me
the generalized other
generalization of all looking glass selves from various others; effectively the perception of social norms
self-fulfilling prophecy
individuals see themselves as others seem to see them; individuals become/act as they perceive others perceive them to be
Expectancy violations theory
certain violations of social norms may produce more DESIREABLE outcomes than conformity
expectancies/expectancy violations
based on social norms and known idiosyncracies of the other
arousal
increased by expectancy violations; increase produces more thinking
behavior interpretation and evaluation
when ambiguous, interpreted based on communicator reward valence
communicator reward valence
the sum of the positive and negative attributes brought to the encounter plus the potential to reward/punish in the future
violation valence
the perceived or negative value assigned to a breach of expectations regardless of who the violator is
Putting it all together
Expectancy occurs -->violation occurs --> arousal occurs
Interpersonal deception theory
most people bad at identifying deception ---> avg. rate of deception = 50%
2 core assumptions of IDT
1. interpersonal comm. is interactive
2. deception takes mental effort
why deceive?
to accomplish a task, to establish/maintain a relationship; to save face
truth bias
our persistant expectations that people will tell the truth
deceptive message components
#NAME?
Reliable indicators of deception
-increased adaptors
-increased blinking
3. frequent speech errors
4. increased hesitations/pauses
5. higher voice pitch
6. increased discrepancies btwn verbal/nonverbal channels
Unreliable indicators of deception
1. eye contact
2. smiling
3. hurried speech
4. other facial expressions
suspicion
state of doubt/distrust w/out sufficient evidence or truth
four factor model of deception
tells us why people behave differently when lying vs. telling the truth:
1. attempting control
2. arousal
3. felt emotions
4. cognitive effort
propositions of IDT
expectations for honesty are positively linked with interactivity and relational warmth; deceivers make more strategic moves and leak more nonverbal cues than truth tellers; motivation affects strategic activity/leakage; real or imagined suspicion increas
Social Penetration theory
relationships develop over time thru increase intimacy, produced by self disclosure
assumptions of SPT
relationships progress from non-intimate to intimate; self-disclosure is at the core of relationship development
self-disclosure
process of revealing info about oneself: breadth, depth
Onion analogy
depiction of the multi-layered structure of personality; inner core made up of values, self concept, unresolved conflicts, deeply felt emotions
observations about social penetration process
peripheral info is exchanged more frequently and sooner than private info; self disclosure is reciprocal, especially in early stages; penetration is rapid at first but slows quickly due to thickness of layers
reciprocity
paced and orderly process in which openness in one person leads to openness in the other
Social exchange theory
general idea is that people evaluate relationships on a cost/benefit basis
Comparison Level (CL)
threshold above which an outcome seems attractive; standard for relational satisfaction
CLalt (comparison level of alternatives)
threshold above which relationships remain stable; standard for relational stability
communication privacy management theory
rasies