Deck 37: Common Threads in Comm Theories

Question 1

Which of the following was NOT addressed as a motivation that drives us to act or think in a particular way?

A) need for affiliation
B) need for achievement
C) need to be controlled
D) need to reduce uncertainty

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Randy Hirokawa and Dennis Gouran's functional perspective on group decision making assumes that people in problem-solving groups want to attain a high-quality solution. This illustrates the strong pull that is exerted by the ________.

A) need to reduce anxiety
B) need to reduce uncertainty
C) need for control
D) need for achievement

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What was Griffin's "cause for pause" regarding credibility?

A) Communication theory should deal with the "how" and not the "who."
B) Credibility is transitory and subject to interpretation.
C) It doesn't really address the process of communication, only the evaluation of its source.
D) By focusing on the source of a message, we may lose sight of the intrinsic value of what's being said.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following theories warns that when co-owners of private information do not effectively negotiate and follow mutually held privacy rules, boundary turbulence is the likely result?

A) coordinated management of meaning
B) cultivation theory
C) media ecology
D) communication privacy management

Question 5

Which of the following theories addresses audience adaptation as a principle facet?

A) cultural studies
B) elaboration likelihood model
C) media ecology
D) speech codes theory

Question 6

Carolyn Sherif's social judgment theory predicts that those who want to influence others should try to figure out their latitudes of acceptance, rejection, and non-commitment on a particular issue. Which of the following threads is most likely illustrated by the theory?

A) credibility
B) motivation
C) audience adaptation
D) social construction

Question 7

Robert McPhee's communicative constitution of organizations clearly indicates that an organization is what it is because communication has brought it into existence. This theory illustrates the thread of ________.

A) social construction
B) expectation
C) conflict
D) audience adaptation

Question 8

Which of the following statements is a succinct summary of Fisher's narrative paradigm?

A) All of life is drama, and most acts of public communication are efforts to expunge guilt.
B) For groups to come together, they must shift their viewpoints to see the world in similar ways.
C) People are essentially storytellers who respond favorably to stories that ring true and with which they can identify.
D) Television is a dominant force because it tells stories.

Question 9

Ting-Toomey points out that a free and open discussion of conflict:

A) is a pancultural desire.
B) needs and interests within a collectivistic society is counterproductive.
C) relies on minimal power restraints.
D) stands in sharp contrast to an ethic of peacekeeping.

Question 10

Which of the following theories illustrates the common thread of "dialogue"?

A) standpoint theory
B) uncertainty reduction theory
C) muted group theory
D) symbolic convergence theory

Question 11

Carolyn Haythornthwaite's media multiplexity theory illustrates the need to reduce uncertainty.

Question 12

Ting-Toomey's face-negotiation theory suggests that people born into collectivistic cultures usually have an I-identity and are mainly concerned with saving face.

Question 13

Gerbner suggests that a steady diet of symbolic violence on television creates an exaggerated fear that the viewer will be physically threatened, mugged, raped, or killed.

Question 14

Deetz' critical theory of communication in organizations describes managerial efforts to suppress conflict by addressing legitimate disagreements through open discussion rather than through discursive closure.

Question 15

Face-negotiation theory addresses self-image concerns.

Question 16

Aristotle defined ethos as a combination of the speaker's perceived intelligence or competence, character or trustworthiness, and goodwill toward the audience.

Question 17

Elaboration likelihood model (ELM) is optimistic that credibility facilitates long-term persuasive effects.

Question 18

According to Berger, the expectation of future interaction decreases our motivation to reduce uncertainty.

Question 19

According to Joseph Walther's hyperpersonal perspective extension of social information processing theory (SIP), anticipation of future interaction coupled with an exaggerated sense of similarity results in a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Question 20

Hall's cultural studies is based on a broad Marxist interpretation of history that claims money is power.

Question 21

According to Griffin, ________ is defined as the needs and desires that drive or draw people to think, feel, and act as they do.

Question 22

________ is defined as a mental picture of who people see themselves to be, which is greatly influenced by the way others respond to them.

Question 23

________ is defined as transparent conversation that often creates unanticipated relational outcomes due to parties' profound respect for disparate voices.

Question 24

Which thread or principle do you find more compelling or interesting?

Question 25

Are there particular placements of theories along the threads that you believe are inaccurate?

Question 26

Which is most important or salient to an understanding of the communication discipline? Which is the least useful or least informative?

Question 27

Based on your reading of this chapter, how would you respond to a chemistry student who asks you about the current state of communication theory? Would your answer change if the student who asks you the same question were an English major?

Question 28

In Chapter 37, Griffin assembles 10 threads that run through communication theories. What according to you is likely to be the eleventh thread?

Question 29

Choose two theories from the text and discuss how well they meet the criteria for effective theory established in Chapter 3.

Question 30

Of all the theories presented in this text, which is your favorite, or the most important to you? Which is your least favorite or least relevant to your life?

Question 31

Compare the theories presented in A First Look that feature a critical or social agenda. How are they alike? What significant differences are likely to surface? What are the potential consequences of combining theory and social advocacy?

Question 32

Are any of the theories presented in this book truly value free? Why or why not?

Question 33

One of the persistent themes in the theories examined in A First Look is that people communicate more effectively when they become highly aware of the specific communicative processes they are involved in. Many of the theoretical perspectives in this book seek to replace natural and habitual modes of speaking and listening with rational, more analytical approaches that can make us better able to negotiate the challenges of communication. What theories do you believe should be included on such a list? As a group, what seem to be their principal characteristics, as well as their strengths and weaknesses?