Interpersonal Communication

Channel-rich context

a communication context involving MANY channels at once

Channel-lean context

a communication context involving FEW channels at once

Symbol

a representation of an idea

Content dimension

literal info that is communicated by a message

Relational dimension

signals about the relationship in which a message is being communicated

Meta-communication

communication about communication

Explicit rule

a rule about behavior that has been clearly articulated

Implicit rule

a rule about behavior that has NOT been clearly articulated but is nonetheless understood

Interpersonal communication

communication that occurs between two people

Intrapersonal communication

communication with oneself

Small group communication

communication within 3 or more people

Mass communication

communication from one source to a large audience

Dyad

a pair of people

Communication competence

communication in ways that are effective and appropriate for a given situation

Self monitoring

awareness of one's behavior and how it affects others

Empathy

the ability to feel as others do

Cognitive complexity

the ability to understand a given situation in multiple ways

Ethics

a code of mortality or a set of ideas about what is right

Physical needs

physical and mental well being

Relational needs

social and personal relationships

Identity needs

who we are and who we want to be

Spiritual needs

share beliefs and values with others

Instrumental needs

day to day tasks

Action model

a sender encodes a message and conveys it through a communication channel for a receiver to decode

Interaction model

messages are shaped by the feedback we receive from others and by the context in which we are interacting

Transaction model

both people in conversation are senders and receivers

Stigma

a characteristic that discredits a person making him/her be seen as abnormal or undesirable

Model

a formal description of a process

Culture

the learned shared symbols language values and norms that distinguish one group of people from another

Societies

groups of people who share symbols language values and norms

In-group

groups we identify with

Out-group

groups we see as different from ourselves

Co-cultures

groups of people who share values customs and norms related to a mutual interest or characteristic

Individualistic culture

a culture that emphasizes individuality and responsibility to oneself

Collectivist culture

a culture that places greater emphasis on loyalty to the family workplace or community than on the needs of the individual

Low-context culture

a culture in which verbal communication is expected to be explicit and is often interpreted literally

High-context culture

a culture in which verbal communication is often ambiguous and meaning is drawn from contextual cues

Low-power distance culture

a culture in which power is not highly concentrated in specific groups of people

High-power distance culture

a culture in which much or most of the power is concentrated on a few people such as royalty

Masculine culture

value ambition achievement and material goods

Feminine culture

value nurturance life service to others

Mono-chronic

a concept that treats time as a finite commodity that can be saved earned spent and wasted

Poly-chronic

a culture that treats time as a infinite resource rather than a finite commodity

Uncertainty avoidance

the degree to which people find novel unfamiliar situations problematic

Uncertainty acceptance

open to uncertainty

Communication codes

verbal and nonverbal behaviors

Idioms

a phrase whose meaning is purely figurative and can't be understood by interpreting literally

Jargon

language whose technical meaning is understood by people within that culture

Androgyny

a combination of male and female traits

Enculturation

symbols, values, and norms

culture

symbols, language, values, and norms

Values

Standards to judge how good, desirable, or beautiful something is

Norms

rules or expectations that guide people's behavior in a culture

Functions of gender

gender roles, sex, and sexual orientation

Advantages of masculinity

protective, solve problems, take good risks

Disadvantages of masculinity

keep from asking for help, more likely to be victims and committing crimes, illness, injury and premature death

Advantages of femininity

survival of families, build strong relationships

Disadvantages of femininity

no education or career, depression, eating disorders, and abusive relationships

androgyny

the person identifies strongly with aspects of both femininity and masculinity

Self-concept

a set of perceptions a person has about who he or she is

Johari Window

a visual representation of components of the self that are known or unknown to the self and to others

Open area

characteristics that are known both to the self and to others ex. name, sex, hobbies, and academic major

Hidden area

characteristics that you know about yourself but choose not to reveal to others ex. emotional insecurities, traumas

Blind area

the dimension of the self concept that we are not aware of ex. impatience violent

Unknown area

aspects of the self concept that are not known to you or others ex. what kind of parent you will be, sudden wealth or loss

Subjective

based on impressions we have of ourselves rather than objective facts

Reflected appraisal

the process whereby people's self-concept is influenced by their beliefs concerning what other people think of them

Social comparison

the process of comparing oneself with others

Self-fulfilling prophecy

an expectation that gives rise to behaviors that cause the expectation to come true

Self-disclosure

the act of giving others information about oneself that one believes they do not already have

Social penetration theory

predicts that as relationships develop, communication increases in breadth and depth

Breadth

the range of topics about which one person self discloses to another

Depth

the intimacy of the topics about which one person self-discloses to another