Introduction to Communication

• Some argue communication can't be researched due to its complexity, dynamism, subjectivity, future-orientation, context-dependence, and unpredictable human behavior.
• Communication studies content, effects, and relationships, while communications studies distribution methods.
• Human communication uniquely features potential for misunderstanding, moves beyond roles, and includes symbolism and meaning-making.

Components of Communication

• Dynamic: Communication is always changing and evolving.
• Communication is symbolic, using signs and symbols.
• Transactional: Communication involves mutual influence.
• Multifunctional: Communication serves multiple purposes.
• Multimodal: Communication uses different channels and forms.

Axioms of Communication

• One cannot not communicate.
• Every message has content and relational dimensions.
• Communication is punctuated based on interpretation.
• Digital communication differs from analog communication.
• Communication can be symmetrical or complementary.
• Kenneth Burke defined humans as symbol-using animals, distinguishing between physical motion and symbolic action.
• Using the negative, humans define concepts by what they are not.

Arts & Sciences in Communication

• Ways of Knowing: Tenacity, Philosophy, Authority, Tradition, Human Reasoning, Science.

Research Paradigms

• Positivist/Social Science Paradigm: This involves objective, empirical observation.
• Interpretive/Humanist Paradigm: Focuses on subjective meaning-making.
• Regulative rules differ from constitutive rules.
• Critical Paradigm: Challenges dominant ideologies.
• Hegemony: This is control through accepted norms.

Scientific Method

• State problem, develop hypotheses, test, revise, repeat.
• Goals include describing, explaining, and predicting.
• A hypothesis predicts relationships between variables, while a research question explores possible relationships.
• Independent variables differ from dependent variables.
• Critical Theory: It focuses on power structures and social justice, influenced by the Frankfurt School.

History of the Communication Discipline

• Classical Rhetoric involved ethics and persuasion., with Plato & Aristotle being contributors.
• Quintilian stated "Rhetoric is a good man speaking well".
• Elocutionists focused on speech delivery, whereas communication studies expanded into broader analysis.
• Communication studies developed in universities.
• Everett Hunt emphasized humanistic study, while Charles Woolbert advocated for scientific methods.
• Public speaking was linked to civic engagement.
• WWII impacted communication studies with propaganda studies, the emergence of new Rhetoric, and a focus on mass media and persuasion.
• Social changes of the 1950s-60s like civil rights, feminism, and anti-war movements shifted towards studying interpersonal communication.

Models and Traditions of Communication

• Communication can be described as transactional, continuous, inevitable, irreversible, unrepeatable, and symbolic.

Models of Communication

• Linear Models:
  • Aristotle’s Model
  • Berlo’s SMCR Model
  • Magic Bullet Model
• Interactional Models:
  • Lasswell’s Model
  • Two-Step Flow Model
  • Shannon-Weaver Model
  • Schramm Model
• Transactional Models:
  • Composite Model

Noise in Communication

• Communication barriers can be physical, psychological, and semantic barriers.

Grice’s Maxims of Communication

• Grice's maxims include quantity, quality, relation, and manner.

Traditions of Communication

• Rhetorical: Focus on discourse.
• Semiotic: Studies signs and symbols.
• Phenomenological: Experience-based meaning.
• Cybernetic: Systems and feedback.
• Sociopsychological: Psychological influences.
• Sociocultural: Social and cultural context.
• Critical: Power and the critique of ideology.

Self & Identity in Communication

• Primary Identities: Fixed (e.g., race, gender).
• Secondary Identities: Fluid (e.g., career, interests).

Theories of Self & Identity

• Looking Glass Self: Self shaped by others’ perceptions.
• Pre-Modern View: Rational, spiritual, and desire-driven self.
• Modern View: Self-concept formed through social comparison using upward, downward, and lateral comparison.
• Self-fulfilling prophecy becomes relevant.
• Post-Modern View: It is decentered as a performed subject using constitutive rhetoric.
• Intersectionality is important.
• Constitutive Rhetoric constructs group identity through narratives.

Self-Discrepancy Theory

• Ideal Self: Aspirations.
• Actual Self: Current state.
• Ought Self: Social expectations.

Goffman’s Identity as Performance

• Front Stage: Public self.
• Back Stage: Private self.

Johari Window

• Open: Known to self and others.
• Hidden: Known to self, not others.
• Blind Spot: Known to others, not self.
• Unknown: Unknown to both self and others.

Communication Theory of Identity

• Four Frames: Personal, Enacted, Relational, Communal.
• Identity Gaps: Conflicts between identity perceptions.

Perception in Communication

• Selective Exposure: Seek information that aligns with beliefs.
• Selective Attention: Focus on certain stimuli.
• Selective Retention: Remember information that reinforces existing views.

Attribution in Communication

• Internal vs. External Attribution is important.
• The Fundamental Attribution Error involves overemphasizing personality over context.

Explore the complexities of communication research, distinguishing it from communications studies. Understand key components like dynamism, symbolism, and transactional nature. Discover the fundamental axioms that govern human interaction and message exchange.