COMM 2713 – Final Review – Page 1 of 4
COMM 2713 – Spring 2011 – Final Review Sheet (Final: Wed., May 11th at 8 a.m.)
MC Items / 150 Points
Social Judgment Theory – Sherif – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 14
- Objective
- Examines how we weigh new ideas by comparing them to our present point of view.
- Latitudes of Acceptance,
 the number of messages about a new idea a person finds acceptable (in terms of being
consistent with existing attitudes and beliefs).
-Latitudes of Rejection
 the number of messages about a new idea a person finds unacceptable (or
objectionable).
-Latitudes of Noncommitment
 the number of messages about a new idea in which a person is undecided or has no
opinion.
- Ego-Involvement
 how important a particular idea or issue is to our identity.
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) – Petty & Cacioppo – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 15
- Objective
- Theory examines attitude formation and change; used extensively in social influence research.
- Motivation & Ability to Process a Message
- 2 Routes for Processing: 1) Central & 2) Peripheral
Cognitive Dissonance Theory – Festinger – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 16
- Objective
- Cognitive Dissonance—a feeling of imbalance between attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors; an
uncomfortable state that typically motivates people to take steps reduce dissonance.
- Types of Selective Perceptions Used to Avoid Dissonance (Selective Exposure, Selective
Attention, Selective Interpretation, Selective Retention)
- Minimal Justification
Small Group Communication – Ppt. Slides
- Number of interactants increases the number of potential relationships and complexity of
communication.
- Group Roles & Norms / Group Cohesion
Groupthink – Janis – Ppt. Slides (Concept covered in Ch. 17, but we didn’t cover Ch. 17)
- What is groupthink? / - Antecedent Conditions of Groupthink
Structuration Theory – Giddens – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 18 (Adaptive Structuration - Poole)
- Interpretive
- Rules & Resources (Allocative & Authoritative) / - Duality of Structure
- System & Structural Levels / - Agents & Agency
Cultural Approach to Organizations – Geertz, Pacanowsky, Trujillo – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 19
COMM 2713 – Final Review – Page 2 of 4
- Interpretive
- Physical, Behavioral, & Verbal Manifestations of ORG Culture
- Rituals (Personal, Task, Social, Organizational)
Critical Theory of Communication in Organizations – Deetz – 1Ppt. Slide on D2L & Ch. 20
- Model (page 264 in 7th ed.):
Top half, Managerial Control, bad: voices of those affected by management are excluded;
Bottom half, Codetermination, good: open dialogue with all parties
Schema Theory – Ppt. Slides
- What are Schema? - Memory Organization Packets (MOPs)
- Social Schemata Types (Person, Self, Role, Event)
Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) – Witte – Ppt. Slides
- Use of Emotional Appeals in Persuasion
- Perceptions of Risk/Susceptibility (Susceptibility, Severity, Self-Efficacy, Response Efficacy)
- 2 parallel types of processing / - Moderate fear appeals seem to work best.
Rhetorical Theory (Classical Rhetoric) – Aristotle – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 21
- Rhetoric—the study of practical discourse. / - 5th Century Greece
- Types of Rhetoric (Forensic, Deliberative, Epideictic)
- Types of Proofs (Ethos, Pathos, Logos)
- Canons of Rhetoric: Invention, Arrangement, Style, Delivery, Memory
Inoculation Theory/Psychological Reactance – McGuire – Ppt. Slides
- What is inoculation? / - Inoculation leads to increased resistance to persuasion.
- When does reactance occurs? How can reactance be controlled?
Dramatism – Burke – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 22
- Assumptions of Dramatism
- Concepts: Substance, Identification, Division, Consubstantiation, Guilt, Victimage
(Mortification, Scapegoating), Redemption
- Pentad: Act, Scene, Agent, Agency, Purpose
Narrative Paradigm – Fisher – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 23
- Interpretive
- Humans are essentially storytellers. / - “Good Reasons”
- Narrative Rationality (Coherence & Fidelity) / - Examples of Narratives (Health & Campaign)
Semiotics – Barthes – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 25 (Ppt. Slides with Cultural Studies Material)
- Semiotics deals with the study of signs/symbolic communication with the mass media.
- Signs/symbols are cultural and meanings for signs/symbols are socially constructed.
Cultural Studies – Hall – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 26
- Stems from Critical Theory
- People are part of a hierarchical structure of power / - Hegemony & Resistance
COMM 2713 – Final Review – Page 3 of 4
- Popular Culture and Texts / - Types of High & Low Culture in the Media
- Cultural Artifacts & Stages: Representation, Identity, Production-Consumption, & Regulation
Cultivation Theory – Gerbner - Ppt. Slides & Ch. 27
- “Magic bullet” or direct influence of media / - Two-step flow model of media influence.
- What does Cultivation Theory predict & explain?
- Cultivation Differential / - Mainstreaming / - Resonance / - First & Second-Order Effects
Agenda-Setting Theory – Process, McCombs & Shaw – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 28
- Objective
- Media gatekeepers and other individuals set the news agenda /- Public Vs. Media Agenda
- Framing Theory: Examines media bias in the presentation of information and news
(Sensationalism, Message Source Characteristics)
Uses & Gratifications Theory – Katz, Blumler, & Gurevitch – Ppt. Slides
- Examines the motives individuals have for using various types of mass media.
- Theory assumes people play an active role in using the mass media.
- Types of Gratifications Sought and Obtained from the Media (Information Seeking, Personal
Identity, Integration and Social Interaction, Entertainment)
Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) – Giles – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 30
- Objective
- Roots in Social Identity Theory / - In-Groups & Out-Groups
- Central Concepts: Convergence, Divergence, Maintenance, Over/Underaccommodation
Face-Negotiation Theory – Ting-Toomey – Ppt. Slides & Ch. 31
- Objective
- Draws upon Politeness Theory (Brown & Levinson) and Goffman’s Work
- Concept of Face (Goffman): Positive & Negative
- Face-Threatening Acts, Face-Saving Behaviors, Face Restoration
- Face Management Strategies: Avoidance, Obliging, Comprising/Integrating, Dominating
Intercultural Communication Theory – Ppt. Slides
- Culture / - Speech Codes
- Individualism vs. Collectivism / - High-Context Culture vs. Low-Context Culture
Argumentation – Toulmin’s Model – Ppt. Slides
- Toulmin’s model is a helpful framework for constructing arguments.
- Fallacies associated with Grounds: Unsupported Assertions, Distorted Evidence, Isolated
Examples, Misused Statistics
- Fallacies associated with Claims: Red Herring, Arguing in a Circle
- Fallacies associated with Warrants & Backing: Halo Effect, Ad Hominem, Hasty
Generalization, Stereotyping, False Dilemma, False Analogy, Post Hoc, Slippery Slope
- Fallacies associated with Qualifiers: Hyperbole, Loaded Language
- Fallacies associated with Rebuttals: Ignoring the Issues, Non Sequitur
COMM 2713 – Final Review – Page 4 of 4
*Know definitions of key terms and concepts.
*Be able to apply theories & concepts to examples.