Chp 1
What is communication?
The process by which people interact and create meaning
Dance’s definitions of communication
Contexts of communication
Communication competence
What is theory?
Three types of theory
Commonsense theory (theories-in-use)
Working theory (generalizations made in particular professions about the best
techniques for doing something)
Scholarly theory (provides an accurate explanation for communication)
Evaluating theory
Accuracy – supports the research what it does that it says
Practicality – have real-world applications been found for the theory
Simplicity – is the theory as simple as possible
Consistency – internal (theories should be logical) external (does it match with other
theories)
Acuity – to what extent does the theory make clear an otherwise complex
experience?
Chp 2
The theory-research link
Inductive theory development (research comes before theory; also known as
grounded theory)
Deductive theory development (theory comes before research)
What is research?
The gathering of data and reporting that data in results
Types of research -> primary and secondary
Research methods in communication
Experiments
associated with causation and control
Laboratory experiment – in a controlled setting by the researcher
Field experiments – takes place in a natural surrounding
Survey research
Interviews
Questionnaires
Sampling
Random samples
Non random samples
Textual analysis
Used to research the content, nature, evaluate and structure of messages
Rhetorical criticism – using logic to evaluate a message (historical and genre criticism)
Content analysis – identify, classify and analyze a message
Interaction analysis – analyze a message based on communication
Ethnography
Research method used by scholars of communication.
Social science and the humanities
Subjectivity – one’s own interpretation ois of interest
Interpretation
Objectivity – a central feature of social science
Generalizations
Nature of human beings
Deterministic
Pragmatists
Goal
Understand and predict
How theories change and grow