Deck 2: Thinking About the Field: Traditions and Contexts

Question 1

The ___________ context of communication pertains to speaking and persuasion.

A) mass/media
B) public/rhetorical
C) cultural
D) interpersonal

Answer 1

public/rhetorical

Question 2

Which statement most accurately encapsulates the view held by the semiotic tradition?

A) Meaning is achieved when we share a common language.
B) Meanings are passed down from previous generations and do not change.
C) Meaning resides in the words we use to express our ideas.
D) All of these

Answer 2

Meaning is achieved when we share a common language.

Question 3

The environment in which communication takes place is called the

A) perspective
B) tradition
C) context
D) situation

Answer 3

context

Question 4

The belief that behavior is influenced by one or more variables and can therefore be studied using experiments to uncover patterns is espoused by which tradition in the field of communication?

A) socio-physiological
B) socio-cultural
C) socio-phenomenological
D) socio-psychological

Question 5

Small group communication research focuses on

A) task groups
B) successful groups
C) social groups
D) all of these

Question 6

The _________ experiments indicated that environmental conditions and interpersonal relationships influence employee output.

A) Denning
B) Stockman
C) Oppenheim
D) Hawthorne

Question 7

Most organizations have a clearly defined

A) whistle-blower
B) agenda
C) life space
D) hierarchy

Question 8

A group of individuals who are part of the same larger culture, but who can be classified around various identities, is called a

A) monarchy
B) co-culture
C) small group
D) communication context

Question 9

Communication apprehension

A) is also known as the fear of public speaking before an audience
B) research has been examined across communication contexts
C) can be reduced
D) all of these

Question 10

______ is defined as a speaker's available means of persuading his/her audience.

A) Propaganda
B) Rhetoric
C) Communication metamorphosis
D) Co-cultural communication

Question 11

The exchange of multiple perspectives in a small group is known as _______, and explains why small groups may be more effective at achieving goals than an individual would be.

A) multitasking communication
B) agenda setting
C) group think
D) synergy

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT given as an example of research related to the intrapersonal context?

A) suspicion
B) father-daughter relationships
C) motivation of business executives
D) relationship dissolution

Question 13

Which tradition in the field of communication relates to the influence of pre-existing shared cultural patterns and social structures on interactions?

A) enviro-cultural
B) psycho-social
C) socio-cultural
D) inter-social

Question 14

Investigating the origins of relationships, the maintenance of relationships, and the dissolution of relationships characterizes the ____________ communication context.

A) intrapersonal
B) interpersonal
C) small group
D) power relationship

Question 15

"Who speaks to whom and in what order" is associated with

A) the work of Aristotle
B) role playing
C) communication networks
D) none of these

Question 16

Communication with one's self is the definition of which context of communication?

A) inner personal
B) interpersonal
C) intrapersonal
D) retrospective

Question 17

The small group context is defined as

A) 5 to 7 people
B) 7 to 10 people
C) 5 to 15 people
D) There is no universally accepted definition.

Question 18

The growth of scholarship and research in the intercultural context can be attributed to

A) globalization
B) technological change
C) population shifts
D) all of these

Question 19

Research on romantic relationships in the workplace would be simultaneously considering which two contexts?

A) intrapersonal and intercultural
B) small group and mass communication
C) organizational and interpersonal
D) public/rhetorical and organizational

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT given as an example of research related to the mass communication context?

A) online dating sites
B) email flaming
C) sex on prime-time TV
D) use of humor in conversation

Question 21

Mass communication is characterized by delayed feedback.

Question 22

Intercultural communication is concerned only with the communication between individuals from different countries.

Question 23

Most researchers agree that a minimum of three people must be present for a small group to exist.

Question 24

If I say to myself, "He looks tired today,"I am engaging in intrapersonal communication.

Question 25

Critiquing the social order is at the heart of the critical tradition.

Question 26

New media includes the Internet, cell phone use, and digital television.

Question 27

Some communication scholarship can trace its roots back as far as early Roman and Greek times.

Question 28

Communication apprehension is the fear that communication research is not a legitimate scholarly discipline.

Question 29

While there are seven traditions that are recognized as playing a role in the development of the field of communication, the socio-psychological tradition influences most of the communication research done today.

Question 30

Select one of the seven traditions in the field of communication to define and discuss. Provide examples of the kind of research that is done in that tradition, making sure it is clear how and why those examples illustrate the main focus and concerns of that tradition.

Question 31

Define the term context, and discuss how it is related to the study of communication.

Question 32

Identify and define the two most important components of small group behavior.

Question 33

Argue for or against the following proposition: The communication discipline should establish one core communication theory.

Question 34

Provide three examples of communication phenomena that may be studied in more than one context. Specify to which contexts they might be relevant, and how researchers would differ in their approaches across those contexts.

Question 35

Do you feel that each of the seven contexts of communication is a "legitimate"
area of research? If yes, briefly explain why you feel each is legitimate. If no, explain which contexts you feel are not legitimate areas and why.

Question 36

Which of the seven contexts do you feel is most important and relevant to everyday life? In your answer be sure to explain why you feel this way using specific examples to support your thesis.

Question 37

Identify and discuss an example from your life where you feel a better understanding of the research associated with one of the seven contexts of communication could have helped you better deal with a particular problem or situation.

Question 38

Do you think communication should really be considered its own discipline, or do you feel it is just a loose collection of concepts from other fields? In your response be sure to support your thesis with specific examples.