Perspectives in Communication
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Introduction to Communication Research
School of Communication Studies
James Madison University
Dr. Michael Smilowitz
Its all a matter of
perspective….
Look till you see the
pretty young woman.
Look for the old hag.
Look till you see the
duck.
Look till you see the
rabbit.
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Its all a matter of
perspective….
What’s the point?
What we choose to
see is what we see!
Look till you see the
pretty young woman.
Look for the old hag.
Look till you see the
duck.
Look till you see the
rabbit.
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Its all a matter of
perspective….
Just as you and I are influenced by our perspectives in our
everyday affairs, so are the people who do research and provide
theory.
Fisher (1977) described the effect of perspective on theorists as
relevance determining.
Relevance determining means that the perspective of a
researcher or theorist leads to greater emphasis given to some
characteristics of the phenomenon under investigation, and less
emphasis to other characteristics.
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Its all a matter of
perspective….
Metaphors are important to theoretical
perspectives.
– Metaphors make certain “connections.”
– Metaphors provide direction to thought and
inquiry.
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Fisher’s Perspectives
B. Aubry Fisher (1978) identified four perspectives to
characterize research and theory building in the study of
communication. These perspectives are useful for:
• Organizing research.
• Understanding the assumptions which guide particular
researchers.
• Providing a basis for evaluating research.
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Fisher’s Perspectives
The four perspectives are defined by:
• Metatheoretical assumptions.
• Components of communication.
• Loci of communication
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Fisher’s Perspectives
The four perspectives are defined by:
• Metatheoretical assumptions.
• Components of communication.
• Loci of communication
Metatheory includes theories that
explain the process of theory building.
Fisher helped to identify the ontological
and epistomological assumptions of
each of the perspectives.
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Fisher’s Perspectives
The four perspectives are defined by:
• Metatheoretical assumptions.
• Components of communication.
• Loci of communication
Each of the perspectives emphasizes
different aspects of communication and
directs more attention to those
components than others.
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Fisher’s Perspectives
The four perspectives are defined by:
• Metatheoretical assumptions.
• Components of communication.
• Loci of communication
Locus refers to to “place.” Each
perspective differs in where it suggests
that “communication” occurs.
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Mechanism
• The mechanistic perspective is the
predominant perspective in the study of
human behavior.
• Conceives of humans and their behavior in
machine like terms.
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Mechanism:
Metatheoretical assumptions
• Determinism
Start with this oversimplification:
“A causes B”
Now, get more complicated:
Determinism assumes a very ordered
world. In an ordered world, it is possible
to predict a future event/condition based on
the presence of a known antecedent
event/condition or combination of
events/conditions.
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Mechanism:
Metatheoretical assumptions
• Determinism
Think about a process occurring within a closed
system (there are no external influences on a
closed system). Shouldn’t we be able to predict
the final outcome of the process if we know all
the relevant information about the start of the
process?
For example, we should be able to predict quite
accurately the destination of an arrow fired from
a bow, provided we know the initial direction, the
arrow’s velocity, its range, and the effect of wind.
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Mechanism:
Metatheoretical assumptions
• Transitivity of functions
(if you thought about why a process in a closed system results in
a known end state, then this concept is a “piece of cake!)
The sub-parts of a mechanical system transfer
their functions in a linear, sequential fashion
(Trenholm, 1991).
Said another way, the functioning of part A leads
directly to the function of B, which leads directly to
the functioning of C, and so on.
A
B
C
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Mechanism:
Metatheoretical assumptions
• Transitivity of functions
To see how simple this
point really is, just
think about riding your
bike. As you push
down on the pedal, it
transfers your energy
to the crank, then the
chain, then the rear
hub, then the rear
wheel, and off you go!
When transitivity of functions is assumed, it follows
(think about the bike) that the functions of each
component are connected and independent.
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Mechanism:
Metatheoretical assumptions
•Material existence of components
The assumption of material existence
emphasizes that the important
characteristics for understanding human
behavior possess physical substance.
–The structures of these components can be
ascertained; that is to say, measured.
–The relationships among components are spatial;
that is, things move from one place to another (updown, here-there, near-far, and so forth).
–Time is conceived in terms of constant duration -moving inexorably forward.
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Mechanism:
Metatheoretical assumptions
•Reductionism
The assumption of reductionism
emphasizes that better knowledge of
phenomenon comes from analyzing the
phenomenon into subsequent smaller units.
– A whole can be reduced to the collection of
parts that comprise the whole. To promote
understanding, research then examines each
part, identifying even smaller units for
investigation.
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Mechanism:
Components of Communication
Research in the mechanistic perspective
regards as important those aspects of
communication that can be physically
observed, measured, and understood for their
relationships as a successive process.
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Mechanism:
Components of Communication
The important components of communication from a
mechanistic perspective include:
1. Messages as material entities.
2. Sources and receivers.
In the mechanistic perspective, it
3. Noise
is the channel that is regarded as
4. Fidelity
the “locus of communication.”
5. Channels
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