COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 1
COMM 495: Communication Capstone
PROFESSOR
OFFICE
OFFICE HRS
E-MAIL
Dr. Brian H. Spitzberg
COMM Bldg 201
TTh 10-11:30, Th 1-2, & by Appt.
spitz@mail.sdsu.edu
SEMESTER
CLASS TIME
CLASSROOM
MAILBOX IN:
FALL 2015
Tue/Thu 12:30-1:45
GMCS 214
COMM BLDG. 236/237
Students are expected to be familiar with relevant contents, policies, and
FURTHER
INFORMATION announcements on the School website: http://communication.sdsu.edu/
TEXTS
1. The main text for this course is the Communication Inquiry & Theory Experience
(CITE) document. This document is still in the process of being written and
compiled. Most of the reading materials for this course will be made available for
no cost to students. Whenever possible, additional readings will be selected on
the basis of their availability through standard no-cost search processes.
2. i>clicker or i>REEF polling and current semester registration (http://support.reefeducation.com/ or http://support.iclicker.com/ or https://www1.iclicker.com/)
PREREQUISITES
Prerequisites for this course will be strictly enforced. Students must have completed
Communication 300 and 350, been admitted to the major or minor in the School of
Communication, and must have completed at least 21 units of upper division
communication coursework.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 2
COMM 495: Communication Capstone
COURSE
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
OVERVIEW:
This course seeks to both refresh and assess knowledge competencies in regard to the
field of communication, especially as represented in the SDSU School of Communication.
Think of it as “The 150 things every student should know about communication,”
covering the following:
I.
TOPIC-SPECIFIC COMMUNICATION COMPETENCIES:
 DISCIPLINE: Demonstrate knowledge of key persons and events in the history of
the discipline of communication;
 COMMUNICATION: Specify and differentiate key principles regarding the
definition and nature of communication, language, nonverbal communication,
and several of their most prominent contexts of application;
 THEORIES: Specify and differentiate the nature of theories, their criteria for
evaluation, and paradigms;
 METHODS: Specify and differentiate key assumptions and practices of the major
methodological paradigms in the field of communication;
 RELATIONSHIPS: Specify and differentiate key principles of core societal
relationships formed through communication;
 SOCIETY: Specify and differentiate key principles of societal uses of communication
(e.g., persuasion, political communication, rhetorical movements, intercultural
communication).
II. CORE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES: Demonstrate the following competencies.
 ABILITY TO WRITE: Demonstrates proficiency in grammar, syntax, semantics,
academic voice, application of APA style guidelines.
 ABILITY TO FORMULATE CLAIMS: Demonstrates ability to articulate researchable
claims specifying the interrelationship among variables.
 ABILITY TO ARGUE COMPETENTLY: Demonstrates ability to articulate
comprehensive arguments that include relevant and appropriate claims, warrants,
and evidence, and argue ethically (i.e., originality/avoiding plagiarism).
 ABILITY TO CONDUCT SCHOLARLY RESEARCH: Demonstrates ability to locate and
appropriately cite and list recent, relevant, and reasonable scholarly research,
consisting mostly of peer-reviewed journal sources.
 ABILITY TO SELECT RESEARCH TOPICS RELEVANT TO THE COURSE: Content
demonstrates relevance to the assignment and to the communication-based
focus expected of the assignment.
SCOPE
The scope of this class is to survey the primary learning objectives from most of the
curricula representing the general communication major.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 3
COMM 495: CAPSTONE SCHEDULE*
Week
Date
F:15
FALL 2015
Unit/Readings
Assign-ments
08-25
08-27
Course Overview; Historical overview
ESSENTIALS
Preface/axioms
09-01
09-03
09-08
09-10
ESSENTIALS
ESSENTIALS, cont.
Human Communication as Discipline and Process
Knowing What We Already Know
1: Eadie§ (CITE); Powers (FIND);
2: Spitzberg (CITE)
09-15
09-17
09-22
09-24
09-29
10-01
Cont.
Rhetorical Ways of Knowing
Conversation Analytic Ways of Knowing
Performative/Ethnographic Ways of Knowing
3: Spitzberg
3(a): Renegar (HTTP)
3(b); Beach (CITE)
3(c) & (d): Scarduzio (HTTP)
Experimental/Probabilistic Ways of Knowing
3(e): Levine (HTTP)
7
10-06
10-08
Theories, Models and Paradigms
Cont.
4: Spitzberg (CITE)
8
10-13
10-15
Nonverbal Communication
Cont.
5: Guerrero & Farinelli (HTTP)
9
10-20
10-22
Discussion of prop paper assignment
Interpersonal/Relational Communication
10
10-27
10-29
Interpersonal/Relational Communication, cont.
Cont.
11
Influence, Argument, Persuasion
12
11-03
11-05
11-10
10-12
Group/Organizational Communication
9: Snavely (CITE); Barge (HTTP)
13
10-17
10-19
10-24
10-26
Cultural & Intercultural
Cont.
10: Winslow (CITE); Jandt (HTTP)
Tu: PAPER
14
12-01
12-03
Health Communication
Cont.
11: Geist-Martin et al. (CITE)
Tu: IMPACCT
15
12-08
12-10
Public Address
Communication & Careers
15: Winslow (CITE)
12-17
FINAL EXAM: 10:30-12:30, Thursday Dec. 17
1
2
3
4
5
6
16
17
*
**
***
Tu: Quiz
6: Pauley (CITE)
7: Gass & Seiter (HTTP); Rybacki &
Rybacki (HTTP)
Conflict & Mediation
Final Exam***
This Schedule may be revised as the semester ensues. Fair notice will be announced in class and Blackboard, and
students are responsible for abiding by the most recent version of the schedule.
Paper submission is due (through Blackboard Turnitin, by the beginning of class)
NOTE: This is the final exam date! Inform family, friends, and the people who are getting married that travel during
this time on this date is not possible because it is scheduled as of the first day of class!
From the URL: http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 4
COMM 495: Assignments & Assessment
READINGS
Preface: Orienting to Capstone Competence & Axioms of the
Communication Discipline (Spitzberg)
Chapter in uploaded “Capstone Text”; Chapter must be looked up
On Knowing Where We’ve Been
1. A Synoptic History of Human Communication as Discipline and
Process (Eadie)
Read also:
Eadie, W. R. (2009). Communication as a field and as a discipline. In
W. F. Eadie (Ed.), 21st century communication: A reference
handbook (pp. 12-21). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
2.
Knowing What We Already Know—The Process of Research (the
library, search engines, APA style, plagiarism, professional voice,
etc.) (Spitzberg)
On Knowing How We Know What We (Claim to) Know
3. On Coming to Know What We Don’t Know Yet—Major
Methodological Paradigms: (Overview: Spitzberg)
a. Rhetorical Ways of Knowing (Goehring et al.): Read instead:
Renegar, V. R., & Malkowski, J. A. (2009). Rhetorical and textual
approaches to communication. In W. F. Eadie (Ed.), 21st
century communication: A reference handbook (pp. 49-56).
Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
b. Conversation Analysis (Beach)
c. Interpretive-Ethnographic (Geist-Martin). Read instead:
Scarduzio, J. A., Giannini, G. A., & Geist-Martin, P. (2011). Crafting
an architectural blueprint: Principles of design for
ethnographic research. Symbolic Interaction, 34, 447-470.
doi:10.1525/si.2011.34.4.447
http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
d. Performative Ways of Knowing (Lindemann). Read instead:
http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
e. Experimental and Probabilistic Ways of Knowing (Martinez et al.).
Read instead:
Levine, T. R. (2009). Quantitative approaches to communication
research. In W. F. Eadie (Ed.), 21st century communication: A
reference handbook (pp. 47-64)). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
4.
On Understanding What We Know—The Nature of Theories, Models
and Paradigms (Spitzberg)
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 5
COMM 495: Assignments & Assessment
READINGS
On Knowing Who Communicates What Where, and How
5. Nonverbal Communication (Andersen). Read instead:
Guerrero, L. K., & Farinelli, L. (2009). The interplay of verbal and
nonverbal codes. In W. F. Eadie (Ed.), 21st century
communication: A reference handbook (pp. 239-248). Los
Angeles, CA: Sage.
http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
6. Interpersonal/Relational Communication (Pauly)
7. Influence—Argument, Persuasion (XXXX, et al.). Read instead:
Gass & Seiter. (2009). Persuasion and compliance gaining. In W. F.
Eadie (Ed.), 21st century communication: A reference
handbook (pp. 156-164). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
Rybacki, K. C., & Rybacki, D. J. (2009). Rhetorical exigency, strategy,
and argumentation. In W. F. Eadie (Ed.), 21st century
communication: A reference handbook (pp. 275-282). Los
Angeles, CA: Sage.
http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
8. Conflict Management (Spitzberg).
9. Group & Organizational Communication—Decision-making and
Leadership (Snavely). Read also:
Barge, K. (2009). Social groups, workgroups, and teams. In W. F.
Eadie (Ed.), 21st century communication: A reference
handbook (pp. 340-348). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
10. Cultural and Intercultural (Winslow)
11. Health Communication (Geist-Martin, Record, Pauley, Beach,
Martinez, Moran).
12. Political Communication—Social Movements and Campaign
Communication (Winslow). Read also:
Jandt, F. (2009). Culture. In W. F. Eadie (Ed.), 21st century
communication: A reference handbook (pp. 396-404). Los Angeles, CA:
Sage. http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
13. Public Address and Public Speaking (Winslow)
On Knowing Why We Shouldn’t Know Everything
14. Ethics and Communication
Makau, J. M. (2009). Ethical and unethical communication. In W. F.
Eadie (Ed.), 21st century communication: A reference
handbook (pp. 435-443). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
http://danielciurel.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/21stcenturycommunication2.pdf
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 6
COMM 495: Assignments & Assessment
ASSIGNMENT
OVERVIEW
This is a ‘total point’ grade system—a point, is a point, is a point. You are
competing for overall points in the course. The points are accumulated from the
following assignments:
 Engagement & Concept Comprehension: Each class period will involve
lecture that emphasizes, elaborates upon, illustrates, exemplifies, applies,
and otherwise explains concepts in the assigned readings for that week.
o Embedded throughout each lecture will be 3 or more multiple-choice
clicker test items over the concepts just lectured upon and/or from the
reading(s) assigned for that week.
o Each of these items is worth 2 points (i.e., up to 6 points per lecture day).
o There are 30 class lectures, up to 25 of which are eligible for scoring (i.e.,
25 x 6 = 150). Thus, up to 150 points is possible through clicker test items.
o There will be other clicker items that will not count for points, and these
will be designated by a different background.
o As you will not know when in the lecture that key concepts may be tested,
therefore, it is important that students engage the concepts as they are
discussed in class, through attentiveness, questions, and discussion.
o Once a clicker item appears, further discussion is ended until it has
completed polling answers.
o Given 30 class sessions during the semester, students can technically miss
several classes, and still make the 150 points. All class clicker test items
count, but a student cannot earn more than 150 points from them, and
any points that show up in excess of this 150 during the semester will not
count toward the student’s total points.
o The instructor is not responsible for students who forget their clicker, their
phone, or for their batteries dying, their inability to maintain their proper
clicker registration, or for arriving late.
o The instructor will not accept any other medium of response.
o Further, answering for another student (by having any clicker not explicitly
registered to a student responding) is a form of academic dishonesty, and
the student doing the responding and the student to whom the points are
attributed will both receive a failing grade for the course, and they will be
reported to Student Rights and Responsibility.
o See: http://support.reef-education.com/ or http://support.iclicker.com/ or
https://www1.iclicker.com/ (150 points)
 APA/Plagiarism Quiz: A 10-to-25 item objective exam on the APA style of
references format, and the indicators of plagiarism. APA Tests:
 http://www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/tutorials/apatutorial/tutorialindex.html
 https://awc.ashford.edu/apa-practice-quiz.html
 http://www.niu.edu/writingtutorial/style/quizzes/APA.htm (50 points).
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 7
COMM 495: Assignments & Assessment
ASSIGNMENT
OVERVIEW
GRADE SCALE

Brief Proposition Paper: A 2-page (not including references page) version
of the final proposition paper, with 2-3 hypotheses, and 5 relevant scholarly
journal citations. Submitted online to course Blackboard Turnitin
assignment site. Detailed instructions provided (100 points).
 Final Exam: cumulative, objective, multiple-choice, covering lecture/text.
These items will bear considerable resemblance to, but will not be exactly
the same, as the clicker test items throughout the semester. (100 points).
 Extra credit: Because the School of Communication seeks not only to
distribute knowledge through teaching, but also generate it through original
research, and because participation in such research provides important
insights into this process of knowledge generation, students in this class will
be allowed up to 10 extra credit points during the semester, out of the total
number of points available, based on participation in research projects
explicitly authorized and originating from the School of Communication. Extra
credit cannot be guaranteed as it is dependent on the NEED of research
participants in departmental research. If extra credit opportunities are made
available, students can receive 2 points for each half-hour of research
participation. Research opportunities are presented on the SONA Research
Recruitment System which can be accessed through the School of
Communication Research Participation website (< 10 points).
Site: https://sites.google.com/site/commsdsuresearch (max. 10 points)
Grades are based on a total point system, in which ‘a point is a point, is a point’.
Letter grades are assigned based on .60, .70, .80, .90 main cuts, with .x3, and .x7
mid-grade cuts. There is no normative curving.
372-400 = A
348-359= B+
308-319= C+
268-279= D+
360-371= A-
LATE WORK
INCOMPLETES
332-347= B
292-307= C
252-267= D
320-331= B-
280-291= C-
240-251= D-
000-239= F
Any paper turned in late will be reduced 10 points per weekday that passes beyond
the scheduled due date, excepted only for university or professor recognized
excuses. The credibility of excuse will depend in part on diligence in apprising the
instructor of the situation. In all instances in which an assignment is late, an email
should be sent to the instructor as soon as possible, with a Word version of the
assignment attached. I reserve the right to deduct a half-letter grade for any student
who does not download the graded feedback version of their paper within a week of
its posting.
An “I” grade is assigned when a faculty member concludes that a student cannot
meet a clearly identifiable portion of course requirements within the academic term
for unforeseen reasons. An incomplete is not provided because a course or schedule
is too difficult or because time was not managed sufficiently.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 8
COMM 495: Assignments & Assessment
WRITING STYLE
GUIDE
ATTENDANCE &
PARTICIPATION
REEVALUATIONS
This course, like the entire School of Communication, requires all written
assignments to use the APA (6th ed.) style guide for references, headings, and other
format considerations not otherwise specified by the course assignment (see:
http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm). Students are recommended
to possess an APA style guide. GRADING WILL TAKE USE OF APA STYLE INTO
ACCOUNT.
Attendance is counted as participation and assessment in clicker activities. Excuses
are recognized for personal illness serious enough to see a physician (thus,
warranting an appointment slip), family crisis, or participation in school-related
activities (thus, warranting an official notification from the activity coordinator). The
latter requires that prior arrangements be made. The former two are more credible
with calls on the day of absence, and personal conference as soon as possible
thereafter. Exams will not be given early for any reason. Record the dates of your
final exam NOW, and plan travel schedules accordingly. In particular, the final exam
date is set. DO NOT SCHEDULE ANYTHING AGAINST THIS DATE! Please be on time for
class and stay for the entire period. If you should need to excuse yourself early from
a class session, please let me know ahead of time. People walking in and out of the
room are very distracting. Should you need to miss class for any reason, it is your
responsibility to find out what you missed. You should get the notes from a
classmate – the instructors will not “share” their notes with a student for any reason.
Afterward, you can come to an instructor’s office hours to discuss the material
covered in class.
Assignments will be re-evaluated upon request of student, if reasonable rationale is
offered. However, reevaluation opens the entire process of assessment—grades can
increase or decrease as a result.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 9
COMM 495: Assignments & Assessment
CLASSROOM
COMPORTMENT
COMPORTMENT
WITH PROFESSOR
The School of Communication, as a representative of SDSU and higher education,
expects students to engage in behaviors enhancing classroom learning
environments. The Instructor is responsible for optimizing learning not only for
individual students, but for all students comprising a class. Behaviors disruptive to
the classroom instruction are thus not tolerated. Among the actions that are
considered disruptive to the learning environment are:
 The use of cell phones, and/or computers/laptops/tablets, not directly related
to the course and its instructional objectives, materials, or contents.
 Conversations with other students, during class lectures and related activities,
that are distracting to shared attention and collaborative learning.
 Reading, sleeping, harassing, bullying, or related activities exhibiting disrespect
to the instructor or fellow students.
 Consistently entering late, leaving early, or leaving often from class.
 Activities that are grossly inappropriate, threatening or dangerous, including the
use of language that is racist, sexist, homophobic, or contains other forms of
personal insults.
 When students’ actions distract from learning objectives, instructors may be
required to intervene to minimize disruptive conduct.
Certain other activities may be acceptable, but only with permission or by direction
of the Instructor, who retains the authority to specify relevant restrictions. Such
activities include:
 Filming, taping, or otherwise recording the class (without instructor
permission);
 Accessing the Internet during class;
The Instructor reserves the right to establish additional reasonable expectations
deemed necessary to maintain optimal learning conduct in the classroom. Each
faculty member is the primary arbiter of classroom comportment. The faculty
member has the authority to enforce this policy in a manner deemed suitable to the
particular class in question. Should repeat offenses occur, with fair warning, each
faculty member will determine fair and appropriate consequences for these
behaviors. Should an emergency occur or require monitoring, or if students observe
violations of this policy, they are encouraged to inform the instructor as soon as
possible.
Communication Etiquette. Should you need to contact me at any point during the
semester, the best alternative is to see me in person. I have regularly scheduled
office hours and am frequently available on campus outside of these scheduled
times (it is best to make an appointment to see me in this case). The next best
alternative is to send an email. I check email very often during weekdays and
periodically on weekends. To be respectful of the instructor’s time, it is expected
that students will be fully prepared when meeting the professor in the office, with
an agenda of specific issues to address, and relevant materials ready for the
instructor to examine.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 10
COMM 495: Assignments & Assessment
SENSITIVE
SUBJECTS &
POTENTIAL
STRESSORS
STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES:
COURSE DESIGN:
Throughout the course of this semester, we will be touching on a number of
very sensitive issues including violence, sexuality, family, and loss. Our goal
this semester is to create an open dialogue where we can discuss how the
theories and concepts analyzed in research become real through lived
experience; therefore, I ask that you keep the information shared in class
privileged. Please be respectful of your classmates by treating their stories
with care and sensitivity.
Issues of personal violence and loss can be particularly difficult to manage. If
you find yourself in need of extra care, counseling, or support this semester,
please feel free to take advantage of one or more of the services listed
below:
 At SDSU: Students who require immediate psychological help are
seen on an emergency basis by calling C&PS at (619) 594-5220
during business hours.
 After hours, students can call the San Diego Access and Crisis 24hour Hotline at (800) 479-3339. Other emergency services include:
Student Health Services Nurse Advisory Line at (888) 594-5281; or
University Police at (619) 594-1991.
 Other Therapist referral lines:
Counseling Referrals:
619.232.9622
Psychiatrist Referrals:
sandiegopsychiatricsociety.org
Psychologist Referrals:
619.291.3451
Psychotherapists Referral:
619.296.9011
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need
accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student
Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of
your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as
soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and
that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you
have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student
Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
This is a traditional realspace didactic classroom course. The primary mode
of instruction is lecture, combined with questions and answers in class.
Learning outcomes are assessed predominantly by objective examinations
and by a written research paper assignment.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 11
COMM 495: Assignments & Assessment
CLICKERS:
i>clicker required for this course!
This semester in this class, you have the option of using either the
i>clicker2 handheld remote or REEF mobile. REEF enables you to vote via a webenabled device such as a laptop or app on your iOS smartphone. (Android currently
not available). i>clicker2 is a handheld remote which you must purchase and bring
to class every day. The SDSU Bookstore offers discounts for both REEF and
i>clicker2.
If you already have an i>clicker2 remote, you can use it in this class. Active
i>clickerGO accounts have transitioned to REEF. i>clicker will be used every day in
class, starting with the first day of class, and you are responsible for registering and
bringing your device every day.
Note: Not all faculty are allowing mobile use. Don’t buy REEF until you are
sure you can use it. Get the two week FREE trial to make sure this works for you
before buying an activation code.
To receive participation credit in the course:
 i>clicker2 remote: register your remote on any of your SDSU courses by
going to Tools =>i>clicker Registration => Enter your remoteID which is on
the back of the remote => Submit. MAKE SURE YOU SEE A REGISTRATION
DATE or your clicker might not be registered.
Once registered, your i>clicker2 remote can be used in all classes that
require i>clicker and should not need to be re-registered.
 REEF: Use the FREE two-week trial before purchasing to make sure REEF
works in your classroom. You can purchase activation codes from the SDSU
Bookstore.
Go to https://www1.iclicker.com/ or download the iOS app from your app
store. Create an account. Your REDID is your StudentID. Register your
activation code on the Blackboard site the once you purchase it (Tools
=>i>clicker Registration => Enter your activation ID.)
If you have more questions about i>clicker or REEF, check http://support.reefeducation.com/ or http://support.iclicker.com/ first. If you do not find an answer
there, contact the Student Computing Center at 619.594.3189 or
scc@rohan.sdsu.edu
IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITIES & POLICIES:
o DO NOT CHANGE FROM ONE SYSTEM TO ANOTHER DURING THE
SEMESTER.
o MONITOR YOUR PARTICIPATION POINTS REGULARLY. No clicker points will
be negotiable after 3 weeks of their class date.
o DON’T CHEAT. If you are caught clicking in for an absent student, that is a
form of academic dishonesty; you will be failed, and reported to the Office
of Student Rights & Responsibility.
 If you have more questions about i>clicker, visit http://clicker.sdsu.edu or
http://support.iclicker.com.
Come prepared to use your clicker on the first day of class.\
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 12
COMM 495: Assignments & Assessment
CLICKERS:
i> REEF Mobile Student i>clicker Registration (iOS only)
If you already have a paid, long-term i>clickerGO account, it was moved to REEF
automatically. If your professor has approved the use of the mobile “i>clicker” app,
we highly recommend using the free REEF trial before paying for the activation.
Just in case something goes wrong, you’ll know before you pay
The clicker app, called REEF, is currently only available for iOS devices. However,
you can use the REEF website on any web connected tablet, laptop, or other device
to access your clicker polling session. The REEF website URL is https://app.reefeducation.com/#/login
Steps for getting an account set up in REEF:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Go to https://www1.iclicker.com
Use the links to go to the iOS store or set up a web account
Use your REDID as your Student ID!
After you purchase your activation code, go to any Blackboard course
and register your clickerID using “Tools => Register your i>clicker =>
Submit”
You should see a registration date if properly registered.
Steps for using REEF in class:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Use the app or login online (https://app.reef-education.com/#/login)
Create a new account or login
Select San Diego State University, your professor, and your course
When the instructor starts a polling question, the corresponding input
controls automatically appear on the students' screens.
See http://bit.ly/reef-help for more info on student use of REEF
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 13
COMM 495: Assignments & Assessment
EXTRA CREDIT
Rationale: Because the School of Communication seeks not only to distribute
knowledge through teaching, but also generate it through original research, and
because participation in such research provides important insights into this
process of knowledge generation, students in this class will be allowed up to a
total (not to exceed) 10 extra credit points during the semester, out of the total
number of points available for the course, based on participation in School of
Communication authorized research projects. Points will be provided upon
evidence of completed participation, with 2 points for each half-hour of research
participation. So, 0.5 credits = 2 points, 1 credit = 4 points, 1.5 credits = 6 points, 2
credits = 8 points, and 2.5 credits (i.e., 5 hours of participation) = 10 extra credit
points, added to the total number of points for the semester.
1. Extra Credit: Students may obtain extra credit from participation in
approved departmental research IF research opportunities are made
available. Extra credit cannot be guaranteed as it is dependent on the NEED
of research participants in departmental research. If extra credit
opportunities are made available, students can receive 2 points for each
half-hour of research participation (max. 10 points). Research opportunities
are presented on the SONA Research Recruitment System which can be
accessed through the School of Communication Research Participation
website:
https://sites.google.com/site/commsdsuresearch
2. Eligibility: Only research projects approved and listed on the site listed
above are eligible.
3. Announcement of Opportunities: It is the students' responsibility to avail
themselves of such opportunities--ongoing announcements and solicitations
on the part of the instructor may or may not be made during the semester as
opportunities arise.
4. Availability of Opportunities: Research in a program ebbs and flows.
Participation is only available during the active windows of time specified by
each study. Opportunities for participation may or may not be available in
any particular semester, or at any particular time of the semester.
5. Record of Participation: It is the responsibility of each individual researcher
to generate a valid list of student participation to return to the instructor of
record. It should be apparent in each research project how the student's
participation is to be recorded and evidenced.
6. Grade: No more credit is available than is indicated above—there are no
"additional" projects or sources for achieving extra credit in the course.
7. Ethics: Any attempt to falsify participation in research for the sake of
receiving unearned credit, or to surreptitiously claim credit for more than
one course, are forms of academic dishonesty, and will be a basis for failure
of a course and initiation of proceedings with the office of Student Rights &
Responsibilities.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 14
COMM 495: Exams
EXAM GRADING
EXAM RETENTION
EXAMS
TIPS FOR
STUDYING FOR
EXAMS
Items that are overly difficult, not discriminating or unreliable are adjusted based on
statistical analyses (overall item discrimination, item reliability, item difficulty, response
options with greater reliability than the keyed option). There will be no curving of grades
after these adjustments are made. Grades are uploaded to Blackboard only after these
adjustments are made.
Please note that exams in this class will not be returned. However, you are welcome to
make an appointment to see and review your exam. All exams and answer sheets will be
destroyed at the end of the following semester.
Exams are objective format (multiple-choice, true/false), covering lecture, and any materials
distributed to the class. The final exam may be cumulative and comparative across topics of
the semester. Detailed review sheets will be made available prior to each exam. Optical
scanning answer sheets (ParSCORE “small red”) and No. 2 pencils are the student’s
responsibility on exam days. No electronic devices (i.e., cellphones, earphones, MP3 devices,
cameras, tape recorders, calculators, e-books, e-tablets, laptop computers, or electronic
dictionaries) are permitted during exams. Any evidence of any such device in sight of a
student will result in that student’s failure on that exam, and if there is evidence of any
attempt at recording or copying exam materials, or making use of other stolen materials, the
student may be failed for the course and reported to Student Rights & Responsibilities.
First, study comparatively. A multiple-choice good item has to present a condition (i.e., root)
that one and only one answer (i.e., stem) correctly fulfills. However, the remaining stems
(i.e., foils) must seem correct to the unstudied mind. For foils to seem correct, they often use
words and concepts that are legitimate content for the course, but that do not uniquely fit
the condition identified in the item root. A student who merely skims or memorizes
materials will see several stems that “look” correct, when only one stem actually legitimately
fulfills the item root. In order to know which stem is correct requires not only that the stems
are recognized, but also what makes the concepts distinct and different from one another,
and how they relate to the condition specified in the root. This means studying
comparatively, which in turn suggests several study techniques.
 Memorization is important, but only a small part of the picture. Memorization helps
with definitions, lists, model components, and stages or sequences. However, it does
not help much with comparison, contrast, analysis and synthesis.
 When studying a concept, ask how it relates to other similar but different concepts. It is
important to analyze the differences between concepts, rather than just understanding
the concept by itself.
 Successive integrative outlining may help. This means to outline the class notes into a
more concise set of notes, and then outline text chapters into a concise set of notes,
and then combining student outlines. This activity leads to compare and contrast
“where things belong in relation to each other.” The resulting integrative outline can
then serve as a final study document. This practice is time-consuming, but can also be
very beneficial.
Also, study your own past exams before taking the next one. The professor permits students
to look over their own exams. Finally, use study groups to assess preparation, but not to
study. This is clearly only an opinion, but study groups can be very inefficient, and are not
likely to do much good unless the members have studied hard prior to studying as a group.
The value of the group is to provide different ways of seeing the material, to test knowledge
with questions any given student would not ordinarily derive, and to occasionally correct
errors in thinking.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 15
THE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY OF
THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
Overview
SDSU
Definitions
In any case in which an instructor identifies evidence for charging a student with violation
of academic conduct standards or plagiarism, the presumption will be with that
instructor’s determination. The instructor(s) will confer with the School Director to confirm
the evidence. Once confirmed, the student will be informed and presented with the
evidence. Some conditions and terms below clarify the School policy and procedure.
“Dishonesty”: Catalog:
(1) “Dishonesty, including:
A. Cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty that are intended
to gain unfair academic advantage.
B. Furnishing false information to a university official, faculty member, or campus
office.
C. Forgery, alteration, or misuse of a university document, key, or identification
instrument.
D. Misrepresenting one’s self to be an authorized agent of the university or one of
its auxiliaries.”
“Cheating: Cheating is defined as the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for
academic work by the use of dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means. Examples of
cheating include, but are not limited to
 copying, in part or in whole, from another's test or other examination; discussing
answers or ideas relating to the answers on a test or other examination without the
permission of the instructor;
 obtaining copies of a test, an examination, or other course material without the
permission of the instructor;
 using notes, cheat sheets, or other devices considered inappropriate under the
prescribed testing condition;
 collaborating with another or others in work to be presented without the permission
of the instructor;
 falsifying records, laboratory work, or other course data;
 submitting work previously presented in another course, if contrary to the rules of the
course;
 altering or interfering with the grading procedures;
 plagiarizing, as defined; and
 knowingly and intentionally assisting another student in any of the above.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is defined as the act of incorporating ideas, words, or specific substance of
another, whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained, and submitting same to
the university as one's own work to fulfill academic requirements without giving credit to
the appropriate source. Plagiarism shall include but not be limited to:
 submitting work, either in part or in whole, completed by another;
 omitting footnotes for ideas, statements, facts, or conclusions that belong to another;
 omitting quotation marks when quoting directly from another, whether it be a
paragraph, sentence, or part thereof;
 close and lengthy paraphrasing of the writings of another;
 submitting another person's artistic works, such as musical compositions,
photographs, paintings, drawings, or sculptures; and
 submitting as one's own work papers purchased from research companies.” (source:
http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/cheating-plagiarism.html)
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 16
THE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY OF
THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
Lying
Evidence or determination of deliberate deception of the instructor for the purposes of self-gain or
gain of fellow student(s) will be considered prejudicial in evaluating a student’s assignments,
participation, and/or standing in the course.
Intellectual contents include all forms of ‘text’ produced by another person or
persons. It includes: writings, course syllabi, course lectures and recordings of
lectures, visual information such as models, videos, lyrics, software, etc.
The syllabus, lectures and lecture outlines are personally-copyrighted intellectual
Intellectual
property of the instructor, which means that any organized recording for anything
Property
other than personal use, duplication, distribution, or profit is a violation of copyright
and fair use laws.
Proper source Proper attribution occurs by specifying the source of content or ideas. This is done
by (a) providing quotation marks around text, when directly quoted, and (b) clearly
attribution
designating the source of the text or information relied upon in an assignment.
Students often practice some form of ‘double-dipping,’ in which they write on a
Selfgiven topic across more than one course assignment. In general, there is nothing
plagiarism
wrong with double-dipping topics or sources, but there is a problem with doubledipping exact and redundant text. It is common for scholars to write on the same
topic across many publication outlets; this is part of developing expertise and the
reputation of being a scholar on a topic. Scholars, however, are not permitted to
repeat exact text across papers or publications except when noted and attributed,
as this wastes precious intellectual space with repetition and does a disservice to
the particular source of original presentation by ‘diluting’ the value of the original
presentation. Any time a writer simply ‘cuts-and-pastes’ exact text from former
papers into a new paper, it is a form of self-plagiarism. Consequently, a given paper
should never be turned in to multiple classes. Entire paragraphs, or even sentences,
should not be repeated word-for-word across course assignments. Each new writing
assignment is precisely that, a new writing assignment, requiring new composition
on the student’s part.
Solicitation for Any student who solicits any third party to write any portion of an assignment for
this class (whether for pay or not) violates the standards of academic honesty. The
ghost writing
penalty for solicitation (regardless of whether it can be demonstrated the individual
solicited wrote any sections of the assignment) is F in the course and reporting to
Student Rights and Responsibilities.
A good place to learn about plagiarism is the tutorial on academic integrity at
Useful Aides
http://plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/overview/; and at
http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/caseintro.html
A good place to learn about APA writing and citation style is:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
A good place to learn about making better arguments is:
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/persuasion_map/
Intellectual
contents
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 17
THE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY OF
THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
Secondary
citations
TurnItIn.com
Secondary citation is not strictly a form of plagiarism, but in blatant forms, it can
present similar ethical challenges. A secondary citation is citing source A, which in
turn cites source B, but it is source B’s ideas or content that provide the unique basis
for the claims the student intends to make in the assignment. For example, assume
there is an article by Jones (2006) in the student’s hands, in which there is a
discussion or quotation of an article by Smith (1998). Assume further that what
Smith seems to be saying is very important to the student’s analysis. In such a
situation, the student should always try to locate the original Smith source. In
general, if an idea is important enough to discuss in an assignment, it is important
enough to locate and cite the original source for that idea. There are several reasons
for these policies: (a) Authors sometimes commit citation errors, which might be
replicated without knowing it; (b) Authors sometimes make interpretation errors,
which might be ignorantly reinforced (c) Therefore, reliability of scholarly activity is
made more difficult to assure and enforce; (d) By relying on only a few sources of
review, the learning process is short-circuited, and the student’s own research
competencies are diminished, which are integral to any liberal education; (e) By
masking the actual sources of ideas, readers must second guess which sources come
from which citations, making the readers’ own research more difficult; (f) By
masking the origin of the information, the actual source of ideas is misrepresented.
Some suggestions that assist with this principle:
 When the ideas Jones discusses are clearly attributed to, or unique to, Smith,
then find the Smith source and citation.
 When the ideas Jones is discussing are historically associated more with Smith
than with Jones, then find the Smith source and citation.
 In contrast, Jones is sometimes merely using Smith to back up what Jones is
saying and believes, and is independently qualified to claim, whether or not
Smith would have also said it; in such a case, citing Jones is sufficient.
 Never simply copy a series of citations at the end of a statement by Jones, and
reproduce the reference list without actually going to look up what those
references report—the only guarantee that claims are valid is for a student to
read the original sources of those claims.
The papers in this course will be submitted electronically in Word (preferably .docx)
on the due dates assigned, and will require verification of submission to
Turnitin.com.
“Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to
submission for textual similarity review to TurnItIn.com for the detection of
plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the
TurnItIn.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of
such papers. You may submit your papers in such a way that no identifying
information about you is included. Another option is that you may request, in
writing, that your papers not be submitted to TurnItIn.com. However, if you choose
this option you will be required to provide documentation to substantiate that the
papers are your original work and do not include any plagiarized material” (source:
language suggested by the CSU General Counsel and approved by the Center for
Student’s Rights and Responsibilities at SDSU).
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 18
THE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY OF
THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
Consequences
of Plagiarism
or Cheating
 Course failure: Soliciting or reproducing a whole paper, paragraph, or large portions of
unattributed materials without proper attribution, whether represented by: (a) multiple
sentences, images, or portions of images; or (b) by percentage of assignment length, will
result in assignment of an “F” in the course in which the infraction occurred, and a
report to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities (CSRR 2).
 Assignment failure: Reproducing a sentence or sentence fragment with no quotation
marks, but with source citation, or subsets of images without source attribution, will
minimally result in an “F” on the assignment, and may result in greater penalty, including
a report to the CSRR, depending factors noted below. In this instance, an “F” may mean
anything between a zero (0) and 50%, depending on the extent of infraction.
 Exacerbating conditions—Amount: Evidence of infraction, even if fragmentary, is
increased with a greater: (a) number of infractions; (b) distribution of infractions across
an assignment; or (c) proportion of the assignment consisting of infractions.
 Exacerbating conditions—Intent: Evidence of foreknowledge and intent to deceive
magnifies the seriousness of the offense and the grounds for official response.
Plagiarism, whether ‘by accident’ or ‘by ignorance,’ still qualifies as plagiarism—it is all
students’ responsibility to make sure their assignments are not committing the offense.
 Assistance: Evidence that the student was not the original author of the work, due to
soliciting the assistance or composition of another person or persons.
 Exceptions: Any exceptions to these policies will be considered on a case-by-case basis,
and only under exceptional circumstances.
THE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY OF
THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
THIS IS
SERIOUS!
THERE ARE NO EXCUSES ALLOWED BASED ON IGNORANCE OF WHAT CONSTITUTES
PLAGIARISM, OR OF WHAT THIS POLICY IS.
PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME OF CONDUCT, NOT OF INTENT.
THIS COURSE WILL HAVE ZERO-TOLERANCE FOR PLAGIARISM!
WHY? BECAUSE:
1. A PLAGIARISM POLICY IS PUBLISHED IN THE UNIVERSITY CATALOG;
2. THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION PLAGIARISM POLICY, COMPLETE WITH
ELABORATED EXAMPLES, DEFINITIONS, AND CONSEQUENCES FOR TYPES OF
PLAGIARISM, IS:
a. ON THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION BLACKBOARD SITE,
b. ON THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION WEBSITE, AND
c. IN THE COURSE SYLLABUS;
3. A POWERPOINT LECTURE PRESENTED IN THIS COURSE ON “THE ESSENTIALS”
FURTHER SPECIFIES THE NATURE OF PLAGIARISM;
4. YOU CAN TURN IN YOUR PAPER BEFORE IT IS DUE, SEE ITS ORIGINALITY RATING,
FIX IT, AND TURN IT IN AGAIN BY SUBMISSION DEADLINE;
5. FINALLY, YOU SHOULD SIMPLY KNOW THAT IT IS UNETHICAL AND A ‘HIGH
CRIME’ IN ACADEME TO MISREPRESENT ANYONE’S WORDS OR IDEAS, THROUGH
IMPLICATION, WHETHER INTENDED OR NOT,
a. THAT THEY ARE YOUR OWN, OR
b. THEY ARE SOMEONE ELSE’S WHEN THEY ARE NOT.
THEREFORE, THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR PLAGIARISM,
AND NO EXCUSE WILL BE ACCEPTED.
YOU ARE FOREWARNED.
IF YOU PLAGIARIZE, YOU WILL FAIL THIS COURSE.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 19
Source: http://plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/overview
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 20
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE “PROP” PAPER
A Propositional Parable
D:
F:
D:
F:
D:
F:
D:
F:
D:
F:
D:
F:
D:
F:
D:
F:
D:
F:
D:
F:
Daddy, what is an instinct?
An instinct, my dear, is an explanatory principle.
But what does it explain?
Anything – almost anything at all. Anything you want it to explain.
Don't be silly. It doesn't explain gravity.
No. But that is because nobody wants "instinct" to explain gravity. If they did, it would
explain it. We could simply say that the moon has an instinct whose strength varies
inversely as the square of the distance . . .
But that's nonsense, Daddy.
Yes, surely. But it was you who mentioned "instinct," not I.
All right – but then what does explain gravity?
Nothing my dear, because gravity is an explanatory principle.
Oh. Do you mean that you cannot use one explanatory principle to explain another?
Hmm . . . hardly ever. That is what Newton meant when he said, "hypotheses non
fingo."
And what does that mean? Please.
Well, you know what "hypotheses" are. Any statement linking together two
descriptive statements is an hypothesis. If you say that there was a full moon on
February 1st and another on March 1st; and then you link these two observations
together in any way, the statement that links them is an hypothesis.
Yes – and I know what 'non' means. But what's 'fingo.'
Well, 'fingo' is a late Latin word for 'make.' It forms a verbal noun 'fictio' from which
we get the word 'fiction.'
Daddy, do you mean that Sir Isaac Newton thought that all hypotheses were just
made up like stories?
Yes – precisely that.
But didn't he discover gravity? With the apple?
No, dear. He invented it.
D: Oh.
Adapted from: Heinz Von Foerster (1981).
Rigor and imagination: Essays from the legacy of Gregory Bateson.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 21
DON'T PANIC
“Hypotheses are the scaffolds which are erected in front of a building
and removed when the building is completed. They are indispensable to the worker;
but he must not mistake the scaffolding for the building.
J. W. von Goethe, Maxims and reflections, 1893 (in Kaplan: Science says)
“For every fact there is an infinity of hypotheses. The more you look, the more you see.
R. M. Pirsig, Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, 1974.
“Hypothesis, where successful, is a two-way street, extending back to explain the past and forward to
predict the future. What we try to do in framing hypotheses is to explain some otherwise unexplained
happenings by inventing a plausible story,
a plausible description or history of relevant portions of the world”
(Quine & Ullian, 1980, “Hypothesis,” p. 197)
“The purpose of models is not to fit the data but to sharpen the questions”
S. Karlin, 11th R. A. Fisher Memorial Lecture, Royal Society, April 20, 1983
(in Kaplan: Science says)
“Being able to examine our models, critically evaluate them, and even discard them is far more
scientifically literate than being able to regurgitate facts for a standardized test. … Ultimately, our
models and descriptions of reality must be subject to two overriding criteria. How useful is this
model, and how much does this model resemble our observations? Scientific literacy requires an
understanding that science is only a model. We have to be able to jettison our models when our
critical thinking leads us to that conclusion.
Saus, S. (2007). Camelot is only a model: Scientific literacy in the 21st century.
Seed, (Sept/Oct), 77-78.
“Without a sense, or without the thought,
a proposition would be an utterly dead and trivial thing.”
Wittgenstein, Blue and Brown Books, 1958, p. 4
“The meaning of exactness best founded in intellectual history
is the possibility of constructing a theoretical system of idealized models
containing abstract constructs of variables and of relations between variables,
from which most or all propositions concerning particular connections can be deduced.”
Machlup, 2004, Readings in the philosophy of social science p. 11
“All possible knowledge is only an approximation and does not reach ultimate reality. It only
reflects certain aspects of reality in more or less appropriate models.”
von Bertalanffy, 1975 Perspectives on general system theory, p. 114
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 22
Overview
The purpose of a proposition (i.e., hypothesis) paper is to develop a number of theoretical
propositions, a significant proportion of which concern communication in relationship to the
course topic (e.g., conflict, relationships, dark side of communication, communication theory,
etc.). The paper in some ways is a review of literature; it is different from typical literature
reviews in a few important ways. Most reviews just summarize research to provide a sense of
‘what is known’ in an area. In contrast, the proposition paper attempts to develop explanatory
arguments in support of a number of hypotheses.
Papers are primarily graded on four areas: (1) Writing: Good writing, composition, style,
voice, and format (APA); (2) Proposition wording: Conceptual soundness of the propositions and
their wording; (3) Scholarly research: Quality of the scholarly journal research brought to bear;
and (4) Explanatory argument: The quality of the explanatory arguments developed for each
proposition. For graduate student papers only, a fifth grading component is (5) Model value: The
quality of the visual model in summarizing or generating the hypotheses. It is very important to
emphasize that “evidence” and “argument” are separate elements of the assessment—evidence
backs an argument, but the argument itself has to explain the proposition, independent of the
evidence. Of course, papers must also be topical; that is, they must be relevant to the course
content.
Hypothesizing
A hypothesis is a verbal or symbolic statement of relationship between two or more
variables (e.g., Trust is positively related to the likelihood of using cooperative strategies during
conflicts). A variable is any construct or concept that can be observed to take on different values
(e.g., trust, anxiety, self-disclosure, assertiveness, strategy use, etc.). It takes the form of X = fY
(i.e., “The value of ‘X’ is a function of ‘Y’). A definition (e.g., self-esteem is the degree to which self
is perceived positively), in contrast, characterizes the nature of a variable, but not its relationship
to other variables. It takes the form X = Y.
All of this is just a fancy way of saying that the proposition paper attempts to develop,
through review of scholarly research and personally formulated argument, a series of hypotheses
on a given topic. Many of these hypotheses may be already in the existing research literature,
they may be derived from conceptual models, or the products of creativity and imagination.
There are two keys to this assignment: (1) Developing well-conceived and well-worded
hypotheses, and (2) developing reasonable arguments for each hypothesis. Like any argument, it
is made credible through the use of causal analysis, strong reasons, evidence, citations, and
example. The most important thing is that every hypothesis should be carefully worded (read all
these instructions to understand this warning) and arguments should answer two “why”
questions: (1) Why are the variables related this way? (2) Why is the hypothesis likely to be true?
The word “because” should figure prominently in every explanation.
To explain a hypothesis means to make sensible how and why things are related the way
they are. Hypotheses themselves explain nothing—they simply describe a relationship between
two or more things—not why the relationship exists. Theories are basically sets of interrelated
hypotheses that collectively provide an explanation for a phenomenon or process. For example, a
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 23
person may want to explain the hypothesis: “As jealousy increases, the likelihood of relational
violence increases.” Guided by an understanding of argument (e.g., see recommendations for
writing that follow later in these instructions), this hypothesis could be argued thusly: Jealousy is
a complex blend of emotions based on the perception that a person’s valued relationship is
threatened by a third party or rival. [Backing]: Retzinger (1991) has reviewed evidence
[Grounds]: that violence is likely to result from a combination of anger and shame, but neither
alone [Backing]. Because [Warrant]: anger creates an inner sense of expressive frustration and
arousal, and shame provides a target for this expression (i.e., the partner and/or the rival), the
jealous person is much more likely to engage in violence than non-jealous persons. [Claim]: This
hypothesis may not apply to contexts in which strong moral, religious, or public restraints are in
place (e.g., even jealous persons tend not to be overtly violent in public places). [Rebuttal]: The
rebuttal is not necessary, but sometimes illustrates relative objectivity and openness of the
author.
In this explanation, other concepts (i.e., the theory of rage as proposed by Retzinger, with
its components of anger and rage) are used to make the link between jealousy and violence
sensible. More explanation could be provided for these concepts, more evidence reviewed in
favor of Retzinger’s hypothesis, and so forth, but the basic elements of explanation and argument
are there. The point is that explanation is neither mere restatement nor mere review of research
or expert opinion. Please note, there is no need for quotations. CITE OFTEN, QUOTE SPARINGLY,
AND PREFERABLY, NOT AT ALL.
Form, Organization and Style
One or more model paper(s) will be uploaded on Blackboard, and student papers should follow
the model(s) as ideal analogues to their own papers. In general, the following procedures adhere:
(1) Margins: Use normal 1-inch margins;
(2) Font: Use 11-point Arial or Calibri or 12-point Times Roman font;
(3) Spacing: With double spacing throughout;
(4) Page length: With no more than 2 pages text (not including reference page);
(5) Title information: With the top 3 lines of the first page of the paper with five pieces of
information (name, course, email address, date, and paper title);
(6) Running head: With headers programmed into the paper, indicating a brief title and
pagination;
(7) Propositions: With 2 to 3 propositions—if 3 are developed, they must be in the form
of a valid syllogism; otherwise, just develop 2 propositions;
(8) References: With a minimum of 5 relevant scholarly, peer-reviewed journal publication
references, all of which must be cited in text, and properly listed on the third page
“References” list, all in proper APA style. There may be additional references to
scholarly books or chapters in scholarly books, or other sources deemed vital to the
paper.
(9) Appendix: A screen-print of the primary search engine summary (see example)
(10) Submission: The assignment will be submitted to Turnitin—no hardcopy is needed. It
is recommended you submit your paper at least 3 days early to receive a Turnitin
originality report so it is possible to correct and re-submit if there are any problems.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 24
Use A.P.A. throughout (6th ed.), except for format specifications above. Do not leave big
blank spaces between sections or hypotheses. The text should run continuously. Save your work
often during writing—there are no excuses for late work. Use the insert running head procedure
in Word—do not just type the header at the top of the page for each page. Learn to use internally
formatted hanging indents for the references and hypotheses (as opposed to hitting ‘enter’ at the
end of a line and tabbing in from the next line), and page and section breaks for new pages (as
opposed to just hitting ‘enter’ a bunch of times). There is no excuse for ignorance about Word—
learn to use its formatting resources and tools!
There is no “Title Page;” instead, at the top of the first page insert the following:
Last name, First name
Email address
Course #: Brief course title
Date:
Title of Paper
Next, some form of introduction is presented. An introduction may briefly examine the
history and importance of the concepts, discuss the relevance of these concepts to the course
subject, introduce relevant theories, and/or explain any basic terms, assumptions, or limitations
that may be important. Assume this class as the audience, which means that the writing should
be clear enough for them to comprehend fully the content, and intent, of the paper.
Next, the body of the paper consists of the propositions and the arguments for each
proposition. This section of the paper proceeds by presenting a proposition and then developing
a paragraph (or two) of explanatory argument (warrants; explanations) and support (evidence).
The propositions should be numbered and set off from the text (e.g., bolded and/or italicized).
Propositions are never prima facie; that is, they never stand on their own. Propositions always
require some degree of explanation.
Next, the conclusion section develops any of several points, such as a brief summary, a
consideration of the limitations of the analysis, a critical conjecture about the status of the theory
and/or research associated with the concepts examined, future implications of the analysis, or
the importance of the analysis.
Finally, the References section will provide the complete citations in A.P.A. style.
Please save the paper with the following nomenclature: “C495-PROP-semester-yearLastname-BriefTopicTitle. For example, if it is the Fall 2014 semester, and the paper is on sexual
coercion, and your last name is Johnson, then the file would be saved as: “C495-PROP-SP13Johnson-Sexual Coercion”
Submission
The final version of the paper will be turned in electronically, in Word 2007, through
Turnitin in Blackboard. If difficulties are experienced turning it in online, it is essential to send an
email to the professor with the paper attached, by the time the assignment is due. No hard-copy
is required. Papers may be turned in 2-3 days early to check originality and resubmit if needed.
Types of Hypotheses
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 25
Below is a series of hypotheses to illustrate how they can differ. These hypotheses may seem
sophisticated right now. However, research of a topic has begun, hypothetical relations will begin
to emerge either stated directly (i.e., in the form of hypotheses being tested) or indirectly (i.e.,
implied by the explanation and discussion of the concepts).
The simplest, and weakest, form of hypothesis is a "non-directional" statement of relationship.
For example:
H1:
Self-esteem is related to communication competence.
While this is a hypothesis, it provides minimal information regarding the precise nature of the
relationship. Avoid such statements in the paper. A more precise form is:
H2: Self-esteem is positively related to interpersonal communication competence. (Note: This
can be reworded as: “Persons high in self-esteem are significantly higher in communication
competence than persons low in self-esteem”).
Hypotheses can also vary by the form (or shape) of the relationship:
H3: Motivation, knowledge and skills are curvilinear to perceived communication competence.
(That is, they are positively related up to a moderately high range of competence, after which
higher values lead to lower perceived competence).
Finally, deductive construction allows the development of stronger, and more tightly controlled,
theoretical arguments. For example,
H4:
As [TV exposure] increases, [verbal skills] decrease.
[A]
[B]
H5:
As [verbal skills] decrease, use of [physical violence] in conflict increases.
[B]
[C]
H6:
As [TV exposure] increases, use of [physical violence] in conflict increases.
[A]
[C]
On the Art of Explanation
“We cannot infer the events of the future from those of the present.
Belief in the causal nexus is superstition” (Wittgenstein, Tractatus, 5.1361)
Explanation implies the identification of some “bridge” (i.e., warrant, “because...,” etc.)
that serves as an account of why one concept is related to another concept. It is an “animating
mechanism,” that gives life to a concept. For example, one popular concept is that exposure to
violence in the media causes violence in society. The natural question is why. Answering the
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 26
“why” question gets at the concept of explanation. Even though seeing or hearing the equation:
“media violence causes societal violence” seems like an explanation, it is not. It is missing the
bridge, or animating mechanism.
To illustrate, consider a few “non-explanations.” It is not an explanation to say media
violence causes societal violence because: (1) media depictions of violence are increasing; (2)
societal violence is increasing; (3) some people have engaged in crimes they saw on TV (“copy
cat crimes”); (4) people believe what they see on TV; (5) research shows media violence
increases societal violence. Each of these merely suggests correlation (rather than causation),
repeats the original assertion, or simply provides backing for an explanation that is itself
missing.
To illustrate legitimate explanations, consider the following:
Cultivation: Social learning theory claims that people learn both by direct experience
(e.g., touching a hot stove) or observation of others (e.g., observing one’s sister touch a hot
stove). Since we cannot or do not always directly experience things (e.g., robbing a bank), we
look to real and imaginative role models (e.g., media figures and narratives). Thus, the crime
and violence in the media provide models, and rewarding ones at that, for us we otherwise
would not have had.
Cognitive Availability: Our brain can be viewed as a library. If 90% of this library is filled
with science fiction, and we are asked to respond to someone’s question for information, we
are most likely to give them a fanciful piece of information, because that is what is most
represented in our mind’s library. If, in watching media, most of the acts or ways of dealing with
conflict we observe are violent in nature, it simply supplies more acts of violence to store in our
mental repertoires, and thus, when we find ourselves in a conflict, violent acts are the most
“available” to draw upon.
Disinhibition: Growing up in a culture is largely about learning what one cannot or is not
supposed to do. The very nature of culture is conformity and normative action within a given
body of beliefs and behaviors. Exposure to violence in the media may make violence appear
more normative than it is, and thus, make engaging in violence seem less deviant. In essence, it
is not making violence seem more rewarding (cultivation) or available, but merely makes the
violence within a person more acceptable.
Fantasy Fulfillment: Freud and others might argue that daily life, as well as the normal
tortures of growing up, fill us with tensions that are constantly repressed. These tensions
struggle to “get out,” managing to manifest themselves mainly in the form of fantasy. Media
violence may give form to these fantasies, making them more vivid and “real,” thereby
stimulating the enactment of fantasies in life (e.g., who has not “fantasized” about hitting
someone in the face—seeing it done may both “suggest” it, but stimulate the enactment of it).
Desensitization: One of the reasons people avoid violence is that it hurts others.
However, when violence is everywhere in the media, it can numb one’s sensibilities, and lower
one’s ability to empathize. Further, the more cartoonish the violence, the more it seems it does
not really hurt anyone. Such exposure to violence may take the “brakes” off using by making
violence seem less hurtful, and thus, less costly to use.
Excitation: Violence is a thrill. Through 5 million years of evolution, we have come to
find violence a potential threat, a potential path to victory, and therefore, arousing. Thus,
seeing violence in the media is itself, arousing, and this arousal stimulates our own arousal. Our
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 27
arousal (adrenaline, muscular tension, etc.) needs to find an outlet, and is expressed in
violence.
Peer Group Mediation: Research on sexual violence indicates that people who engage
in sexual violence are much more likely to have friends who approve of, and have engaged in,
sexual violence. The suggestion is that peer groups mediate the transfer of violence. That is, if a
peer group watches violence in the media, this peer group may then become self-reinforcing
through its interaction, thereby serving as the proximal stimulus to its members’ violence.
Spillover: Violence in the media provides models of behavior in certain contexts that are
then available for generalization to contexts experienced in everyday life, both directly
comparable to those observed in the media, as well as contexts largely unrelated. Thus, for
example, a person may “copycat” behaviors witnessed in the media, but may also extend the
function of the behaviors observed in one context (e.g., a drop kick in a professional wrestling
program) to another context (e.g., a dispute with one’s brother).
Cultural Chaos: Violence in the media may reflect the very breakdown of society, norms,
and culture. If everyone is violent to everyone in the media, then this communicates a sense of
despair, hopelessness, alienation and angst to the viewing public. This has the effects of both
(1) inciting some to exploit the lawlessness (e.g., looting during natural disasters), (2) join the
crowd (e.g., mob violence during the L.A. riots), (3) bystander apathy providing a permissive
environment for violence.
Each of these explanations offers slightly and sometimes substantively distinct sources
of causation. For example, fantasy fulfillment, excitation and disinhibition tend to assume that
we are by nature violent, and all that is needed is something in the media to take the restraints
of society away. Cultivation and availability argue media instills violence in us. Peer-group
mediation and cultural chaos tend to view media as having an effect on society at large, which
only then affects our individual behavior.
In all these examples concepts are elaborated to make sensible the link between
violence in the media and in society. Co-occurrence makes no sense without an explanation,
and it matters which explanation is offered. Do all of the explanations above seem equally
believable? Were a politician to make a speech on fantasy fulfillment would it seem as
reasonable as the cultivation explanation? Why? The “theory” cannot be evaluated until its
explanatory rationale has been specified, and the brief examples above illustrate how
significant, and distinct, such explanations can be.
Finally, use theories, use concepts discussed in class, use concepts, rather than personal
experience, anecdotes, examples, or intuitive explanations. The concepts and theories
discussed in class represent an attempt to provide explanatory frameworks specifically to
explain hypotheses. So use theories when possible to help explain the hypotheses.
As Another Example
Some explanations seem, on the surface, to make complete sense. For example, the
following argument was offered by a student:
First-born children often reach a vocabulary of 50 words at a faster rate than later
born children, with a range variation of 14 to 21 months (Pine, 1995). First-born
children develop a greater range an understanding of respective words at a
younger age, while later born children tend to develop “frozen phrases.” “Frozen
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 28
phrases” are utterances that contain two or more words that have not previously
occurred alone in the child’s vocabulary, or that contain one such word, provided
it has not occurred in the same position in a previous multi-word utterance (Pine,
1995). Since first-born children achieve a greater vocabulary earlier, they tend to
take on a mentor role with younger siblings, thus mentally stimulating themselves
(Travis & Kohli, 1995). (Source: Anonymous.)
Here the student did a good job of evidencing that first-born children develop a higher
vocabulary level, but the student offered no explanation for why they do so. In this case, the
student could have provided explanatory arguments such as the following: Given an
assumption of a relatively fixed amount of time available to the parents, first-born children
receive more parental attention and interaction, which later born children may be relatively
deprived of, as larger numbers of children shrink the available time for any one child. Further, it
is reasonable to assume that parental vocabulary resources are more valuable than sibling
resources, due to the relatively advanced nature of parental grammar, and given the “mistakes”
that might be built into a sibling’s vocabulary. Further, an older sibling will play some role in
mentoring the younger sibling’s linguistic development, and the process of reflection and ruleconformity involved in teaching another person is likely to reinforce self-learning. Finally, the
competition brought about by potential older sibling resentment of younger siblings may
interfere with the learning of the younger sibling, as conflict and emotional disturbance
distracts attention away from the more fundamental aspects of vocabulary building. These
explanations build a conceptual substrate or foundation that bridges, or warrants, the claim
that first-born children develop higher levels of vocabulary, and prevent such a claim from
being purely tautological (i.e., tautology: first born children develop higher levels of vocabulary
earlier than later born children because first born children mature faster than later born
children). So explanations are the conceptual ladder that bridges evidence and claim so as to
make their relationship sensible. They answer the question why.
Yet Another Example
A student argued in a paper: “Berger and Calabrese (1975) also believe that uncertainty
plays a significant role in the preservation and dissolution of close relationships.” My question
to the student was: WHY do they say uncertainty is important? Because uncertainty means not
being able to predict things. Not being able to predict things means not knowing what effects
behaviors have in the world. Not knowing what effects behaviors or actions have means not
knowing how to control the world, or make the world work better through self-initiated
actions. This results in the potential for bad things to happen, which creates anxiety. So, Berger
and Calabrese say that uncertainty creates anxiety, and therefore we are motivated to reduce
this uncomfortable state of anxiety by reducing our uncertainty. This is what is meant by an
explanatory argument. It answers why people seek to reduce uncertainty, and it does this
through a chain of causal predicates, each of which is linked thematically, coherently to the
next, until a logical framework exists in which the proposition—the relationship between
concepts, is sensible and satisfies the question: “but why?”
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 29
SELECTED EXAMPLES OF PUBLISHED HYPOTHESIS PAPERS
Berelson, B., & Steiner, G. A. (1973). Human behavior: An inventory of scientific findings. New
York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
Berger, C. R., & Calabrese, R. J. (1975). Some explorations in initial interaction and beyond:
Toward a developmental theory of interpersonal communication. Human Communication
Research, 1, 99-112.
Burgoon, J. K., & Jones, S. B. (1976). Toward a theory of personal space expectations and their
violations. Human Communication Research, 2, 131-146.
Burr, W.R., Leigh, G. K., Day, R. D., & Constantine, J. (1979). Symbolic interaction and the family. In
W. R. Burr, R. Hill, F. I. Nye, & I. L. Reiss (Eds.), Contemporary theories about the family (pp.
42-111). New York: Free Press.
Deutsch, M. (1949). A theory of co-operation and competition. Human Relations, 2, 129-152.
Devers, C. E., Dewett, T., Mishina, Y., & Belsito, C. A. (2009). A general theory of organizational
stigma. Organization Science, 20, 154-171. doi: 10.1287/orsc.1080.0367
Fincham, F. D. (1992). The account episode in close relationships. In M. L. McLaughlin, M. J. Cody,
& S.J. Read (Eds.), Explaining one’s self to others: Reason-giving in social context (pp. 225244). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Fisher, R. J. (1990). Chapter 5: An eclectic model of intergroup conflict. The social psychology of
intergroup and international conflict resolution (pp. 87-115). New York: Springer-Verlag.
Greene, J. (1984). A cognitive approach to human communication: An action assembly theory.
Communication Monographs, 51, 289-306.
Kaplowitz, S. A. (1978). Towards a systematic theory of power attribution. Social Psychology, 41,
131-148.
Keyton, J., Ford, D. J.,& Smith, F. L. (2008). A mesolevel communicative model of collaboration.
Communication Theory, 18, 376-406.
Kuo, C-C. (2004). Research on Impacts of Team Leadership on Team Effectiveness. Journal of
American Academy of Business, 5(1/2), 266-277.
Levine, T. R. (2014). Truth-default theory (TDT): A theory of human deception and deception
detection. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 33, 378-392.
Liden, R. C., & Mitchell, T. R. (1988). Ingratiatory behaviors in organizational settings. Academy of
Management Review, 13, 572-587.
Mack, R. W., & Snyder, R. C. (1957). The analysis of social conflict--Toward an overview and
synthesis. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 1, 221-248.
Millar, F. E., & Rogers, L. E. (1988). Power dynamics in marital relationships. In P. Noller & M. A.
Fitzpatrick (Eds.), Perspectives on marital interaction (pp. 98-120). Philadelphia: Multilingual
Matters Ltd.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 30
Nahapiet, J., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational
advantage. Academy Of Management Review, 23(2), 242-266. doi:10.5465/AMR.1998.533225
Phillips, A. P., & Dipboye, R. L. (1989). Correlational tests of predictions from a process model of
the interview. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 41-52.
Rodgers, R. H. (1987). Postmarital reorganization of family relationships: A propositional theory.
In D. Perlman & S. Duck (Eds.), Intimate relationships: Development, dynamics, and
deterioration (pp. 239-268). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Schlenker, B. R., & Leary, M. R. (1982). Social anxiety and self-presentation: A conceptualization
and model. Psychological Review, 92, 641-669.
Seibold, D. R., & Spitzberg, B. H. (1982). Attribution theory and research: Formalization, critique,
and implications for communication. In B. Dervin & M. J. Voight (Eds.), Progress in
communication sciences (Vol. 3, pp. 85-125). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Spitzberg, B. H. (1994). Intercultural effectiveness. In L. A. Samovar, & R. E. Porter (Eds.),
Intercultural communication: A reader (7th ed., pp. 347-359). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Stech, E. L. (1979). A grammar of conversation with a quantitative empirical test. Human
Communication Research, 5, 158-170.
Treadway, D. C., Adams, G. L., Ranft, A. L., & Ferris, G. R. (2009). A meso-level conceptualization of
CEO celebrity effectiveness. Leadership Quarterly, 20, 554-570. Doi:
10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.04.008
Wyer, R. S., Jr. (1980). The acquisition and use of social knowledge: Basic postulates and
representative research. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 6, 558-573.
Wyer, R. S., Jr., & Srull, T. K. (1986). Human cognition in its social context. Psychological Review,
93, 322-359.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 31
ANYONE CAN FORMULATE THEORETICAL AXIOMS AND PROPOSITIONS
Laws of Biological Inconvenience:
1. Law of Mechanical Repair: The greasier your hands, the more your nose itches and/or the
greater your need to pee.
2. Law of Bio-Mechanics: The severity of an itch is inversely proportional to one’s reach.
3. Law of the Bath: The more fully immersed in water, the more likely a phone will ring.
4. Law of Gravity: Dropping any tool, nut, bolt, screw, when dropped, increases the likelihood it
will roll to the least accessible place in the universe.
Laws of Social Activity and Impressions
5. Law of Probability: The probability of being seen by others is directly proportional to the
stupidity of your act.
6. Law of Close Encounters: The more you don’t want to be seen with someone is directly
proportional to the likelihood of being seen with that person.
7. Law of Random Numbers: Dialing a wrong number increases the likelihood that (a) it won’t
return a busy signal, and (b) someone will answer.
Laws of (Bad) Luck & Self-Selection:
8. Law of Physical Surfaces: The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a
floor are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet or rug.
9. Line Variation Law: Changing traffic lanes or lines increases the likelihood that it will move
more slowly than the one you left.
10. Seat Selection Corollary: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle,
always arrive last. They are the ones who will leave their seats several times to go for food,
beer, or the toilet and who leave early before the end of the performance or the game is
over. The folks in the aisle seats come early, never move once, have long gangly legs or big
bellies and stay to the bitter end of the performance. The aisle people also are very surly folk.
11. Murphy's Law of Lockers: If there are only 2 people in a locker room, they will have adjacent
lockers.
12. Wilson's Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy: As soon as you find a product that you
really like, they will stop making it.
Law of (Dis)Proof:
13. Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.
14. Doctors' Corollary: If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the
time you get there you'll feel better. But don't make an appointment, and you'll stay sick.
15. Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible IF you don't know what you are talking about.
Source: indeterminate—adapted from an extensively forwarded email.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 32
SELECTIONS FROM SPITZBERG'S "CHAMBER OF HORRORS"
Try to avoid the following pitfalls: (1) avoid statements of non-relationship (e.g., 'X is not related
to Y'); (2) avoid including explanations in the hypothesis itself (e.g., "X is positively related to Y
because of theory Z's rationale that..."); (3) avoid using prescriptive (e.g., "S's should do X when Y
occurs") or purely descriptive non-probabilistic (e.g., "X may/can be related to Y") wording; (4)
avoid introducing terms into the hypothesis that have not been adequately explained or defined
yet; and (5) avoid introducing categorical variables that distort the form of the relationship (e.g.,
"LOW X is positively related to HIGH Y's"); (6) avoid introducing set/subset redundancies in
multiple hypotheses (e.g., P1: Females disclose more than males; P2: Androgynous females
disclose more than androgynous males). Below are some of the "best of the worst" that have
crossed my tired eyes.
H1?: Knowledge also relates to mindlessness in an inverse parabolic function, in that they are
positively related to each other until the mindlessness ceases to be mindless.
H2?: Empathizing with co-workers strengths, weaknesses, and working style relates negatively
towards escalating conflict resulting in an inability to see another's view.
H3?: Equity restoring to a relationship is negatively related to low self-esteem individuals.
H4?: Reactions in adolescents relate back to anxious, neurotogenic, disparging, masochistic, and
manic depressive parents.
H5?: Individual’s interaction with a caregiver as a child affects their relationship bondage with a
potential partner as an adult.
H6?: The purpose of negotiation is to resolve a disagreement between two or more parties.
H7?: In certain negotiation circumstances nonverbal aspects of communication assume a greater
significance than does verbal language.
H8?: Levels of immediate physical and psychological trauma suffered by victims will vary.
H9?: Child abuse is determined by the factors involved.
H10?: The use of threats as an influence tactic does not exacerbate conflicts in general, but is
limited to the occasions on which they are used.
H11?: Conflicts are likely to be influenced by power.
H12?: Sex differences are loosely related to relationship goals.
H13?: Attraction is positively related and influential in choice of sexual partners.
H14?: Males are negatively related to female interviewers of equal status; whereas females are
not affected significantly to status and the sex of the interviewer.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 33
H15?: Mindlessness is negatively related to information processing in interactions.
H16?: Deception is negatively related to the truth.
H17?: Proximity increases physical closeness.
H18?: Viewing the mediatior’s role as folkloric trickster is positively related to their job title.
H19?: Guests of a television talk show depend on the reaction of the audience for support of their
heinous actions, therefore after the show is over whether or not they take the advice of the
audience and change their way, depends on the reaction they received.
H20?: Family hour will need to be changed back to true family hour.
H21?: Hip hop is a response to conditions of property and disempowerment.
H22?: Media coverage of the violent topics in Rap music helps alert people to the possible
problems.
H23?: Families no longer have a need for face-to-face communication.
H24?: Self-esteem of men and women in a romantic relationship.
H25?: The way that conflict is managed in marriages can lead to divorce if not managed in the
right way.
H26?: Preoccupied attached individuals have a negative correlation with self-perception.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 34
WHAT NOT TO DO WITH HYPOTHESES
What follows are examples of flawed hypotheses taken from previous student papers.
Each hypothesis is analyzed to illustrate common mistakes observed in the conceptualization and
verbalization of hypotheses. Students are responsible for studying these examples, and thereby
avoiding the types of mistakes indicated. If there are questions about any of the issues raised,
please raise them at the appropriate time in class or professor office hours.
Recall that a hypothesis is any statement of relationship between or among variables. A
variable is a concept that takes on different values. The entire function of science is to make the
nature of the relationships among things understandable. The more precise the statement of
relationship, the more understandable the hypothesis is. What follows is an effort to assist in
making the hypotheses more precise.
1. MOOD IS POSITIVELY RELATED TO SEXUAL INITIATION.
Overly generic variables: "Mood" may be positive or negative. Since mood is not specified, the
hypothesis, as worded, implies that any increase in mood state will correspond to an increase in
sexual initiation. Thus, as worded, an increase in depression increases sexual initiation, as would
sadness anger, and so forth. The key is to understand that the term "mood" is a concept that can
take on different values or levels (e.g., low to high, negative to neutral to positive, etc.). A
hypothesis is an attempt to specify how their values or levels correspond to the values or levels of
another concept, in this case, the occurrence of sexual initiation. The hypothesis intends to say:
"The experience of positively valenced or labeled states is positively related to the likelihood of
sexual initiation."
2. LOW SELF-ESTEEM IS POSITIVELY RELATED TO INTERPERSONAL HOSTILITY.
Mixing variable labels: This is one of the most common, yet subtle problems in writing
hypotheses. By specifying only "low" self-esteem, this hypothesis ignores "medium" and "high"
self-esteem. When two-thirds of a variable's possible values are removed, its ability to "relate" to
anything is eliminated because there is no real opportunity for the variable to vary beyond a very
narrow range of values. The above statement intends to say simply: "Self-esteem is negatively
related to interpersonal hostility" or "Low self-esteem persons are significantly more
interpersonally hostile than high self-esteem persons." Think about what the terminology means!
If something is categorized as "low" it needs to be compared to something that is "high." As an
additional note, it is unclear if self-esteem relates to the frequency with which all hostile actions
occur, the intensity of hostile actions, the duration of hostile actions, all three, some combination,
or some other aspect of hostility. Hostility is likely to take on many different features. It assists
the hypothesis to make these features clear in the hypothesis. Thus, "Self-esteem is negatively
related to the frequency and breadth of interpersonally hostile behaviors."
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 35
3. SELF-DISCLOSURE IS POSITIVELY RELATED TO INTIMACY.
Overly unidimensional concepts: On the face of it, this is sensible, right? Yet, this hypothesis is
deeply flawed. First, anyone looking into the two concepts involved here, self-disclosure and
intimacy, should soon find that they are multidimensional. This means that a valid use of the term
actually implies many distinct but related concepts. For example, self-disclosure has been found
to vary importantly in terms of breadth (number of topics), depth (intimacy of topics), reciprocity
(degree to which partner discloses in response), honesty, and valence (positive or negative).
Similarly, intimacy can be viewed in terms of domain (e.g., recreation I, sexual, social, emotional,
etc.) or type (e.g., caring, commitment, interdependence, physical, etc.). The point is not that
student papers have to agree with "the" view with which I am familiar, but that any responsible
research effort will uncover the complexity (i.e., multidimensionality) of the concepts. In this case,
the hypothesis implies that all forms of self-disclosure are equally related to all forms of intimacy.
Is this sensible? It seems unlikely that as disclosure of negative information increases that sexual
intimacy increases, yet this is exactly what the hypothesis implies until it is specified. Second, this
is a perfect candidate for a curvilinear relationship. That is, extremely low or extremely high
amounts of disclosure are likely to impede or inhibit intimacy respectively. Yet, this hypothesis
implies that even at extremely high levels of disclosiveness that intimacy will also be extremely
high. Third, would this hypothesis apply reasonably to all contexts? For example, does it apply to
task-oriented groups, or superior-subordinate, or disengaging, relationships? Unlikely.
4. MALES ARE POSITIVELY CORRELATED TO APPRECIATION OF OBSCENE HUMOR.
Concepts not variable: "People" are not variables; their characteristics are. This hypothesis
intends to compare 'maleness" to "femaleness. It makes the mistake of correlating categories.
Categories are nominal level variables, whereas correlation requires ordinal level variables (recall
COMM 350?). Gender, religion, ethnic group, etc. are categorical variables, and as such, should be
framed as "difference" hypotheses rather than correlational hypotheses. Thus: "Males appreciate
obscene humor significantly more than females."
5. FRIENDSHIPS ARE HIGHLY VALUABLE TO OLDER MALES AND FEMALES.
Overly definitional: This is overly definitional in form. First, does it imply the friendships are more
valuable to older persons than younger person? (e.g., "The value of friendships for males and
females increases as age increases"). Second, if a relationship is being identified that holds for all
members of a set (i.e., persons), there is no need to specify all categories of that set (i.e., "males
and females"). Thus, "The value of friendships increases as age increases." Third, to what is
friendship "valuable"? Valuable in psychological health, physical health, social health, etc.? Thus,
for example, "As age increases, the perceived value of friendship in preventing depression and
loneliness increases."
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 36
6. ADULTERY, ALCOHOL ABUSE, AND FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES ARE POSITIVELY RELATED TO
DIVORCE.
‘NS’ hypothesis: This qualifies in the realm of an “NS” hypothesis (“No Shit!”). Technically there
is nothing wrong with this hypothesis. However, it is about as unsurprising, and therefore,
uninformative, as a statement can be. It’s a little like saying “Oxygen is important to human
life.” Science has a healthy respect for demonstrating what is supposed to be true actually is
true. But come on! Put a little imagination into the paper and come up with a statement that
allows parents to think their children are learning something not already known without the
degree.
7. AS MISUNDERSTANDINGS INCREASE, POOR COMMUNICATION INCREASES.
Tautology: It is a little like saying that “X is true because it is X” (i.e., something is taken to be true
because of the way in which it is defined). In this hypothesis, the question arises because for most
commonsense notions, “misunderstanding” would be viewed as a form or subset of “poor
communication.” Thus, if X “includes” Y, then it tends to make little logical sense to say that with
more X, there will be more Y, since this is virtually true by definition of X.
8. A COWORKER WILL USE MORE INDIRECT COMPLIANCE-GAINING STRATEGIES WHEN
ADDRESSING A SUBORDINATE.
Lacking comparative condition: This sounds sensible. However, it is incomplete. Whenever the
words “more” or “less” are used, the question arises “less (or more) than what?” In this case, it is
not entirely clear which of the following phrases should be added to the end of the hypothesis:
“...THAN WHEN ADDRESSING A SUPERIOR,” “...THAN DIRECT STRATEGIES,” or “THAN A
COWORKER.” Complete the comparison implied by “more” or “less.”
9. SCHOLARS BELIEVE THAT ALCOHOLISM IS A DISEASE, WHILE OTHERS BELIEVE IT TO BE A BAD
HABIT.
Descriptive, not relational: This fails in three important senses. First, although it sounds like it is
saying something substantive about the nature of alcoholism, it really is only saying something
about what certain people believe about alcoholism, which was not the point of the paper.
Second, it is not about communication, and therefore is not very topical to the assignment or
major. Third, the hypothesis is definitional in content, not a hypothesis. There is no “relationship
between variables” being described here. This hypothesis is stating something about what
alcoholism is rather than what it is related to and how it is related.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 37
A NOTE ABOUT STRUCTURALLY CORRECT SYLLOGISMS THAT ARE NOT THEORETICALLY SOUND.
A student constructed the following propositions in syllogistic form:
H1: A strong relationship with in-laws is positively related to the quality of a marriage.
H2: The quality of a marriage is positively related to the similarity of the partners’
socioeconomic status.
H3: Therefore, a strong relationship with in-laws is positively related to the socioeconomic
status of the couple.
This is a structurally sound syllogism (i.e., [A]  [B]  [C]), but it makes no conceptual or
explanatory sense as a coherent whole. It makes sense that similarity in socio-economic factors
might lead to a ‘stronger’ (e.g., more satisfying) relationship, but it makes little sense to suggest
that a stronger relationship would lead to a partner who was previously uneducated, poor, or
from male to become educated, rich, and female. SES factors (sex, education, wealth, etc.) are
distal variables—variables that have long duration and tend to precede current relationship
status. So the implicit order of the syllogism could easily be made more sensible:
H1: Similarity in partners’ SES is positively related to partner relationship satisfaction.
H2: Relationship satisfaction is positively related to satisfaction with in-law relationships.
H3: Therefore, similarity in partners’ SES is positively related to satisfaction with in-law
relationships.
Or:
H1: Similarity in partners’ SES is positively related to likelihood of satisfaction with in-law
relationships.
H2: In-law relationship satisfaction is positively related to satisfaction with relational
satisfaction.
H3: Therefore, similarity in partners’ SES is positively related to relational satisfaction.
The point is to consider the validity of a syllogism both at a structural (i.e., formal logic) and
explanatory (i.e., narrative) level.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 38
Name: Mortimer Shnerd
Email: wild&crazy@girlsgonewild.com
Class: COMM 495
Date: today’s date
YOUR PAPER TITLE HERE (e.g., “IT’S ALL ABOUT ME”:
NARCISSISM, ENTITLEMENT, AND SURVEILLANCE)
In mythology, Narcissus was a hunter renowned for his beauty and very self-aware of this
feature. Feeling himself so attractive, those who loved him were viewed as undeserving.
Nemesis, realizing this personal flaw, lured Narcissus to a body of water in which Narcissus was
able to gaze at his own reflection. Falling in love with the reflection, Narcissus perishes, unable
to remove himself from the gaze of self-love. In modern parlance, narcissism is a personality
trait indicating a grandiose sense of self, and it influences a variety of interpersonal behaviors.
H1 :
Narcissism is positively related to relational proprietariness and entitlement.
New media have introduced the potential for anyone to construct an idealized identity in
online environments. In such a context, narcissism is both enabled and reinforced. Narcissism is
a grandiose and exaggerated sense of uniqueness, need for recognition, and entitlement
(Salzman, 1993). This need for love and recognition leads paradoxically to a defensiveness to
criticism or deprivation, resulting in reactionary aggression toward any source perceived as
threatening the face of the narcissist (Twenge & Campbell, 2003). Narcissistic defensiveness is
commonly manifest in strategies such as confrontation and derogation of others, while reactions
to a lack of positive feedback are often characterized by threats and antagonism (Twenge &
Campbell, 2003). Narcissism is likely to lead to a lack of empathy for partners, and a belief that
the partner is obliged to serve the narcissist’s needs. As such, narcissism is expected to produce a
tendency to view a partner as a type of relational object, or property. Therefore:
H2 :
Relational proprietariness and entitlement are positively related to romantic cybersurveillance of relational partner(s).
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 39
Proprietariness refers to a set of beliefs and values that view a partner as a form of
property (Hannawa, Spitzberg, Wiering & Teranishi, 2006). Statements as benign as “you belong
to me,” can co-occur with more chilling statements such as “you’ll never escape from me.”
Closely related are beliefs representing rights or responsibilities that obtain to property, such as
“I have a right to know where you are all the time” and “if I can’t have you, no one can”
(Hannawa et al., 2006). The underlying beliefs and values reflect various forms of entitlement.
Entitlement is a belief that, like property, a person can legitimately control a partner’s behavior,
access and use information and social relationships. One way in which such entitlement could
find expression is cyber-surveillance, a process of frequent or obsessive monitoring of another’s
social network site(s) for the purposes of uncertainty reduction. It is distinct from cyber-stalking,
in which the intent is to evoke fear or communicate threat (Spitzberg & Hoobler, 2002). Instead,
cyber-surveillance is primarily intended to provide the ‘lurker’ information about a potential
partner’s activities, commitment, or relational intentions. Therefore:
H3 :
Narcissism is positively related to romantic cyber-surveillance of partner(s).
Cyber-surveillance is likely to increasingly become a source of conflict in people’s
relationships. Such surveillance not only potentially provides information that permits a partner’s
commitment to a relationship to be questioned, but when a partner’s surveillance is discovered, it
may communicate a lack of trust. The negotiation of self and of relationship will likely continue
to become a contested site for the emergence of relationship problems, as people adjust to the
‘brave new world’ enabled by such media.
COMM 495 (Fall 2015): Capstone—p. 40
References
Hannawa, H. F., Spitzberg, B. H., Wiering, L., & Teranishi, C. (2006). “If I can’t have you, no
one can”: Development of a relational entitlement and proprietariness scale (REPS).
Violence and Victims, 21(5), 539-560. doi:10.1891/vivi.21.5.539
Salzman, L. (1993). Narcissism and obsessionalism: An interpersonal psychoanalytic approach.
In J. Fiscalini & A. L. Grey (Eds.), Narcissism & the interpersonal self (pp. 241-253).
New York: Columbia University.
Spitzberg, B. H., & Hoobler, G. (2002). Cyberstalking and the technologies of interpersonal
terrorism. New Media & Society, 14, 67-88. doi: 10.1177/14614440222226271
Stern, L. A., & Taylor, K. (2007). Social networking on Facebook. Journal of the
Communication, Speech, & Theatre Association of North Dakota, 20, 9-20.
Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2003). “Isn’t it fun to get the respect that we’re going to
deserve?” Narcissism, social rejection, and aggression. Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin, 29(2), 261-272. doi:10.1177/0146167202239051
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 41
Appendix: Search History
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 42
WRITING/APA: FORM:
Demonstrates proficiency in
grammar, syntax, semantics,
academic voice, and application of
APA style guidelines. Form
displays…:
ARGUMENT: CLAIMS:
Demonstrates ability to articulate
researchable claims specifying the
interrelationship among variables.
Form displays…:
ARGUMENT: COMPOSITION:
Demonstrates comprehensive
arguments that include relevant and
appropriate claims, warrants, &
evidence. Form displays…:
ARGUMENT: RESEARCH:
Demonstrates ability to locate and
appropriately cite and list recent,
relevant, and reasonable scholarly
research, consisting mostly of peerreviewed journal sources. Form
displays…:
CONTENT & SKILLS:
Demonstrates knowledge and skills
of a competent ‘citizen’
communicator germane to course in
applying learning objectives to
course-relevant topical or audience
domain. Form displays….
ORIGINALITY (note: By SDSU
policy, all instances of plagiarism
invoke mandatory reporting to the
Office of Student Rights and
Responsibilities.
1: 0-20 (F)
multiple types & instances within
type of writing errors in expository
text, &/or displays inconsistency in
rule application; frequent re-editing
or rephrasing to achieve more
professional voice is suggested.
1: 0-20 (F)
Key claims that are not clearly
articulated or delineated.
Propositions fail by level of scaling,
relationship, or entailment. “Object
lessons” are repeated.
1: 0-20 (F)
Key claims of source(s) not clearly
articulated or delineated. Specific
reference to passages are not
consistently or sufficiently provided,
in detail or accuracy to test the
claims.
1: 0-20 (F)
No more than 1 or 2 directly or
peripherally related external sources
establishing the validity of the
selected source claims, &/or those
sources applied are distantly
relevant to source claims; &/or
sources lack recency, relevance, or
scholarly imprimatur.
1: 0-20 (F)
no representation of lecture, text, or
syllabus-based content or learning
objectives of course in the content of
the paper. Paper lacks topicality or
internalization of principles or claims
established in course.
Course: F
COURSE FAILURE: Reproducing a
whole paper, paragraph, or large
portions of unattributed materials
without proper attribution, whether
represented by (a) multiple
sentences, images, or portions of
images, or (b) by percentage of
assignment length, will result in
assignment of an “F” for the course
in which the infraction occurred.
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT SCALE (PAS)
2: 21-40% (D)
3: 41-60% (C)
moderately low level of professional
Few types & instances within type of
voice, composition, and grammatical writing errors in expository text, &/or
form with moderate number of errors, inconsistency in rule application;
inconsistency of rule application, or
occasional re-editing or rephrasing
required editing (intermediate to
to achieve more professional voice is
scales 1 & 3).
suggested.
2: 21-40% (D)
3: 41-60% (C)
Moderately low level of relationship
Only minor or one or two claims or
specification or implications of
propositions need editing for sake of
claims or propositions, or makes
clarity.
several errors in wording
(intermediate to scales 1 & 3).
2: 21-40% (D)
3: 41-60% (C)
moderate level of incomplete, vague, Some key claims of the source(s)
or poorly evidenced arguments or
articulated or delineated, but there
claims (intermediate to scales 1 & 3). are some inconsistencies in the
detail, gravity, or evidential basis
provided in explicating the claims.
4: 61-80% (B)
Moderately high level of professional
voice, composition, and grammatical
form with moderately few errors,
inconsistency of rule application, or
required editing (intermediate to
scales 3 & 5).
4: 61-80% (B)
Moderately high level of relationship
specification or implications of
claims or propositions, or makes few
errors in wording (intermediate to
scales 3 & 5).
4: 61-80% (B)
Moderately high level of consistent,
coherent, and consistent
development of comprehensively
formulated arguments in support of
primary claims (intermediate to
scales 3 & 5).
4: 61-80% (B)
moderately high level of
development of sound, articulated,
and evidential warrants for claims,
with high status and appropriate
sources (intermediate to scales 3 &
5).
5: 81-100% (A)
Writing displays consistent
use of professional voice,
composition, and grammatical form.
5: 81-100% (A)
Propositions that are both
logically sound, and sophisticated in
their thematic connection &/or
articulation of complex relationships.
5: 81-100% (A)
Consistent, coherent, and
consistent development of
comprehensively formulated
arguments in support of primary
claims.
2: 21-40% (D)
moderately low number and quality
of location, citation, and listing of
recent, relevant, and reasonable
scholarly sources (intermediate to
scales 1 & 3).
3: 41-60% (C)
At least 1 to 2 studies relevant to
each selected proposition,
argument, component, or source
claim, &/or some sources applied
are distantly relevant to source
claims; &/or sources lack recency,
relevance, or scholarly imprimatur.
2: 21-40% (D)
intermediary (to scales 1 & 3)
mastery of course content, claims &
established principles and practices,
and learning objectives.
3: 41-60% (C)
moderate representation of lecture,
text, or syllabus-based content or
learning objectives of course. Paper
demonstrates only moderate
topicality or internalization of
principles or claims established in
course.
4: 61-80% (B)
intermediary (to scales 3 & 5)
mastery of course content, claims &
established principles and practices,
and learning objectives.
5: 81-100% (A)
excellent representation of
lecture, text, or course content or
learning objectives of course in the
content of the paper. Paper
demonstrates direct and central
topicality or internalization of
principles or claims established in
course.
Exacerbating conditions include:
Amount: Evidence of infraction, even
if fragmentary, is increased with a
greater: (a) number of infractions, (b)
distribution of infractions across an
assignment, or (c) proportion of the
assignment consisting of infractions.
Exacerbating conditions include:
Intent: Evidence of foreknowledge
and intent to deceive magnifies the
seriousness of offense and grounds
for official response. Plagiarism,
whether by accident or by ignorance
still constitutes plagiarism—it is all
students’ responsibility to make sure
their assignments are not committing
the offense.
Exceptions: Any exceptions to
these policies will be considered on
a case-by-case basis, and only
under exceptional circumstances.
Assignment: F
ASSIGNMENT FAILURE:
Reproducing a sentence or sentence
fragment with no quotation marks,
but with source citation, or subsets
of visual images without source
attribution, will minimally result in an
“F” on the assignment.
5: 81-100% (A)
Each major claim is
evidenced by sources high in
scholarly credibility (i.e., relevance,
recency, peer review, etc.)
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 43
PAPER GRADING FEEDBACK BOILERPLATE
Argument:
 Needs evidence/citation: This is a very specific empirical claim and needs evidence/backing (i.e.,
a citation).
 Comparative clause: If you have a “more than” or a “less than” formulation, you must specify
the comparison group; otherwise it the question arises: “more than what?” or “less than
what?”.
 Tautological: This is argument by definition—which makes the argument rather tautological—
entity X is more Y because X’s engage in more Y. It’s a little bit like saying “Democracies are
governments that engage in participative representation, so democracies are positively related
to greater participation.” This doesn’t tell us anything other than what a democracy is. We need
to know something about the nature of what factors lead to more democratic societies or
governments for us to understand what democracy is.
 Thin conclusion: A little thin as a conclusion. Future directions? Research limitations?
Theoretical implications?
Grammar/Style:
 Nonparallel pronouns: “They” and “them” and “their” are PLURAL pronouns. If they are used to
refer to “him,” “her,” “individual,” “you,” “me,” “I,” “one,” “person,” or other such singular
pronoun, then it is nonparallel, and grammatically incorrect.
 Personalized “pronouns”: Just me? Gee. Avoid the generic “you” (and other self-referential
pronouns, such as “we” and “our”). Of course it “personalizes” writing style [please note, the
former sentence could have been written “Of course, you may think it personalizes your writing
style.”]. But “you” also implies that whatever is being claimed [whatever you claiming] is specific
just to the reader, and not more generally. Removing the “you” transforms the [your] claims
into more universal and more assertive rhetorical forms. Rhetorically it is tempting to identify
with the reader/audience, but scholars are attempting to establish general principles, and their
writings are intended for not only a universal audience, but for all time. “We,” and “our,” “you,”
“us,” and “I”, etc., refer to particular people reading the text—not anyone else, which seems
exclusionary and temporary.
 Generic pronoun “one”: For the most part, it is best to avoid use or reliance on the generic
pronoun “one” (as in: “One should not use generic pronouns,” or “Pronouns are often misused
by someone”). The term is passive in construction, and creates complications because the word
has multiple potential referents or meanings.
 That/Which: The word “which” is intended for interrogatives (i.e., questions; e.g., “Which of the
following is not a style of conflict management?”) and for unrestricted clauses (e.g., “The word
‘which’ is intended for unrestricted clauses, which are set off by a comma.”). So, if the word
“that” fits the sentence, use it instead.
 Effect/Affect: OK, so I know that each term has two distinct meanings, but they are distinct both
within and between them. It really ought not be too difficult to learn the four meanings, and
when they are appropriate. Effect (verb): rarely used because it is awkward, it means “to cause”
(e.g., “The use of disclosure can effect positive change in relationships”). Effect (noun): an
outcome or result of some cause (e.g., “Disclosure has the effect of producing greater
satisfaction in relationships”). Affect (verb): to influence (not to cause, which is specific, but to
influence, have some unspecified ‘effect’ upon) or change something (e.g., “Disclosure affects
satisfaction in a variety of ways”). Affect (noun): a fairly technical term used in social sciences as
a synonym for “emotion” (e.g., “Jealousy is an affect blend of insecurity and fear”).
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 44

Media/Medium: The term “media” refers to the plural—i.e., multiple means through which
communication occurs. The singular form is “medium.” It is common for laypersons to make this
mistake, but it would be nice if a major in communication might recognize the difference.
 Apostrophe: The apostrophe is your friend! No contractions are permitted in APA, but
possessives require the apostrophe.
 Contractions: APA does not allow contractions, except in quotations or deliberately informal
speech (e.g., in titles).
 Single ‘space’ after punctuation: APA calls for a single space after words and punctuation—not
two spaces.
 Page breaks: Learn to create page breaks rather than slop a bunch of empty spaces into the
formatting!
 Header: Learn to insert legitimately ‘embedded’ headers rather than just typing them at the
tops of page breaks.
 Often times: Given that “often” means something happening many “times,” isn’t this a
redundant phrase?
 It: Try not to begin paragraphs with the indefinite pronoun “It,” as “it” has no immediate
referent for the reader.
Quotation Practices:
 Voice: Part of developing your argumentative competence is promoting your own ‘voice’ in
formulating your writing. One of the ways of doing this is to subordinate authors whenever
reasonable to do so. This means putting them in a parenthetical position at the end of the
sentence, rather than drawing attention to the fact that you are relying on someone else to do
your thinking and writing for you. There are obvious reasons for noting authors explicitly, such
as when citing specific findings of specific studies, but otherwise, they can usually be
subordinated.
 Quotation bracketing: Quotation marks surround the quote—not the authors of the quote. The
authors are not part of the quotation itself.
 Page #!: Direct quotations require page numbers. Otherwise, you are expecting any reader to
have to read an entire article or even book in order to verify your quotation!
 Minimize quotations: Apparently you didn’t see the comment in the instructions: “please note,
there is no quotation, and no need for quotation. Quotations should be used extremely
sparingly—instructors want to see the students’ writing, not someone else’s.”
 Page #: You only use page numbers for direct quotations, but if there is a direct quotation, there
must be a page number (web-based html sources are not allowed as sources, so you should
have .pdf or hardcopy with pages).
 Scholarly sources: The paper instructions state: “Evidence claims with scholarly journal
sources… There must be a minimum of three A.P.A. style (6th ed.) citations* of scholarly journal
references you used to support your explanations of the propositions (there may be additional
citations and the additional sources do not need to be from journals).”
 Textbook cites: Undergraduate textbooks are not considered scholarly because they are written
for a relatively “lay” audience, rather than for scholars.
 URL: For any source available as a .pdf through the library search engines, there is no need to
provide a URL address. A .pdf is a digital scan of the original hard copy of the published work,
and therefore, it is the same as having the original source. The function of a URL is primarily to
assist reader review when the original is not available.
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 45
Citation/Reference Formatting Practices:
 Ruler Tabs!: Learn to use the ruler/tabs or [Ctl-T] to create ‘hanging indents’ for your
references—do NOT use hard returns and tab indents, because if there are any changes to font
or format, it screws up the formatting.
 Page #: Direct quotations require a specified page number.
 Volume #: The Volume # is italicized too in APA; the issue number is not part of APA references
(except when the journal is paginated from page 1 for every issue such as with popular
magazines; something that rarely occurs among scholarly journals).
 et al.: The first time you cite the source, cite all the authors (unless there are 6 or more authors).
 Secondary citations: There should be no secondary citations. If Jones cites Smith, and you only
have Jones informing you about what Smith says, but you want to cite Smith, then go find Smith.
If it is important enough to include as part of your argument, it is important enough to go find so
you can (a) verify its content and claims, and (b) learn more about the claim you are arguing.
 Retrieval: If you can download the .pdf of a document, this is a legitimate version of the
“hardcopy,” and therefore you do not need to include the online retrieval information. Citing
the online retrieval information is only necessary for “html” based documents.
 APA reference format: It is so extremely discouraging to see this. I lecture over it. I provide
elaborate instructions, and elaborate example. I even test over it. And yet, it appears that no
real attention is paid to the APA format requirements, thereby requiring extensive correction on
my part, taking my valuable time and effort away from providing more substantive commentary
on your ideas. Formatting matters!
Why is it important to do “deep” research on topics?
Self-Esteem: You may want to see: Baumeister, R. F., Campbell, J. D., Krueger, J. I., & Vohs, K. D. (2003).
Does high self-esteem cause better performance, interpersonal success, happiness, or healthier
lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4, 1-44.
Why is it important to do “deep” research on topics?
Self-disclosure: Research decades ago by Wheeless and others demonstrated that self-disclosure occurs
along a number of different dimensions, including: (1) depth, (2) breadth, (3) positive valence/content,
(4) negative valence/content, (5) honesty/dishonesty, (6) reciprocity, and (7) frequency. So, when it is
claimed that “self-disclosure” is positively or negatively related to X, the writer is implicitly claiming that
each and every one of these forms of disclosure are similarly related to X. It is highly unlikely, however,
that both disclosure of positive things and disclosure of negative things about self are similarly related to
much of anything, just as an example.
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 46
Why is it important to do “deep” research on topics?
Media & Body Image: You may want to see: Levine, M. P., & Murnen, S. K. (2009). “Everybody knows
that mass media are/are not [pick one] a cause of eating disorders”: A critical review of evidence for a
causal link between media, negative body image, and disordered eating in females. Journal of Social and
Clinical Psychology, 28, 9-42.
It’s about communication: Despite being a communication major, many students continue to commit
the fallacy that relationships do not work because they “lack” communication. It is rarely a matter of
lacking communication, but lacking competent communication. Remember, abusive relationships have
plenty of communication—it’s just bad communication. Avoiding communication is itself sending a
message—“I don’t want to talk to you.” Please, please, please, use the concepts we teach in the way in
which you understand and appreciate the communication process. Related, research and theory have
increasingly been identifying the specific adaptive role that bias and inaccuracy play in the success of
certain relationships (see., e.g., [a] Boyes, A. D., & Fletcher, G. J. O. (2007). Meta-perceptions of bias in
intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 286-306. [b] Spitzberg, B. H.
(1993). The dialectics of (in)competence. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 10, 137-158. [c]
Spitzberg, B. H. (1994a). The dark side of (in)competence. In W. R. Cupach & B. H. Spitzberg (Eds.), The
dark side of interpersonal communication (pp. 25-49). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.).
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 47
DIFFERENTIATING SCHOLARLY JOURNALS FROM POPULAR PERIODICALS
FEATURES
SCHOLARLY JOURNALS
Authorship
Author(s) typically experts or specialists
in field, from recognized academic
institution, with ‘terminal academic
degrees’
Articles usually reviewed and critically
evaluated by a board of experts in the
field (i.e., refereed, or “peer
reviewed”); statement of article
submission procedures provided. The
“gold standard”: blind peer review
A reference list (works cited) and/or
footnotes are always provided to
ground the article in the existing
research literature
Written in the technical or theoretical
jargon of the field for scholarly readers
(e.g., professors, researchers, students,
etc.)
Articles typically more structured, may
include ‘boilerplate’ sections (e.g.,
abstract, literature review, method,
results, conclusion, references or
bibliography)
Longer articles, providing in-depth
analysis
Author typically a staff writer or
journalist; credentials often not
provided
Illustrations that support the text such
as tables of statistics, graphs, maps, or
photographs, labeled numerically as
Table 1, Table 2, etc.
Illustrations with glossy or color
photographs; typically include
advertisements between articles
Editors
Credits/
Citations
Language/
Audience
Format/
Structure
Length
Special
Features
POPULAR PERIODICALS
Articles are not evaluated by experts in
the field, but by the staff editors
A reference list is typically not provided,
although names of reports or
references may be listed for “suggested
reading”
Written in non-technical language for
anyone to understand; written for
broad appeal
Articles often do not follow a specific
format or structure
Shorter articles, providing broader
overviews of topics
Serialization Typically, “Vol.” and “Issue” numbers
are identified, and pagination of the
articles is continuous from one issue to
the next within a volume or year.
Each new issue begins with page 1, and
individual issues most likely referred to
by “month” and/or day/date rather
than volume(issue) numbers
Vs.
Textbook
Scholarly books and scholarly edited
books, are written for other scholars
and tend to be heavily referenced
throughout.
Textbooks, particularly undergraduate
textbooks, are written for students—
not for scholars. They are NOT
acceptable for citation in proposition
paper assignments.
Adapted from SDSU Library handout
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 48
SPITZBERG’S TIPS FOR RESEARCHING YOUR ASSIGNMENT
1.
Use the best search engines: use PsycINFO, Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC),
Web of Science (and selective other search engines, depending on relevance to the topic; e.g., if
researching a topic about communication in organizations, Business Source Premier may be
useful).
2.
Use multiple search engines: Select multiple search engines simultaneously.
3.
Narrow the search parameters: Restrict to “scholarly peer-reviewed” sources.
4.
Keep record of search terms: Formulate a search thesaurus—come up with as many related
search terms as possible, and then try multiple (Boolean) combinations
5.
Optimize search terms: Use ‘wild cards’ (e.g., use an asterisk--*--to allow multiple versions of
search terms to be returned)
6.
Scan search returns: Always scan several pages of returned sources, rather than settling for the
first few sources that pop up.
7.
Never forget the value of ingratiation: See if your professor has conducted research on your
topic—know your audience.
8.
Be responsible for your sources: Remember—do not cite any source in which you have not read
the original (hardcopy or .pdf); you cannot know what the article says by its abstract alone
9.
Download sources in APA style: Do put your sources in folder and save in APA style, but do not
assume they will be downloaded in accurate APA style—you still have to edit to assure correctness
10.
Experience the treasure hunt: There are dozens to thousands of scholarly sources on almost every
imaginable topic. With a little effort, you can find more than an “adequate” source—you can find
“the perfect” sources relevant to your topic.
11.
Select based on arguments that need to be made: In general, in regard to empirical claims, your
arguments can be no better than the relevance, recency, representativeness, and validity of the
research you use to support your argument, so investment in research is almost always worth it.
12.
Think creatively: You cannot know what needs to be argued, and what can be argued, until you
know what has already been done on a topic.
13.
Understand that this is a fundamental competence: Learning research tools is a fundamental
competence that will help your literacy, employability, and writing ability for the rest of your life.
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 49
A SAMPLING OF POSSIBLE CONCEPTUAL ENTRIES
INTO AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMMUNICATION
TOPIC/ENTRY (N > 700)
Acculturation processes & communication
Accuracy
Action Assembly Theory
Activist Media
Addiction and Exposure
Advertising, History of
Aesthetics
Affective Disposition Theories
Affects and Media Exposure
Agenda Building
Agenda Setting Effects
Aging and Cognitive Processing
Aging & Message Production & Processing
Americanization of media
Anxiety-Uncertainty-Management Theory
Apologies, Remedial Episodes
Appraisal Theory
Argumentative Discourse
Aristotle (Murray?)
Arrangement and Rhetoric
Art as Communication
Artifacts
Attending to Mass Media
Attention to Media Content by Life-Span
Attention
Attitude – Behavior Consistency
Attitude Accessibility
Attitudes and Values, Media Effects on
Attitudes
Attribution Processes
Audience Segmentation
Bad News, Communicating
Political Communication
Bi- and multilingualism
Bias in the News
Black Feminist Media Studies
Body Images in the Media
Branding
Bureaucracy and Communication
Business Discourse
DISCIPLINARY CATEGORY
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Media Production and Content
Information Processing and Cognitions
Development Communication
Exposure to Communication Content
Media History
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Exposure to Communication Content
Exposure to Communication Content
Political Communication
Media Effects
Information Processing and Cognitions
Information Processing and Cognitions
International Communication
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Media Effects
Language and Social Interaction
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Visual Communication
Popular Communication
Information Processing and Cognitions
Developmental Communication
Information Processing and Cognitions
Information Processing and Cognitions
Information Processing and Cognitions
Media Effects
Information Processing and Cognitions
Information Processing and Cognitions
Exposure to Communication Content
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Media Production and Content
Feminist and Gender Studies
Reality Perception through the Media
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Organizational Communication
Language and Social Interaction
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 50
Candidate Image
Cartoons
Catharsis Theory
Celebrity Culture
Celebrity Stalking
Censorship
Change Management and Communication
Child Protection, Media Regulations
Classroom Instructional Technology
Classroom Management Techniques
Classroom Power
Classroom Questioning
Classroom Student-Teacher Interaction
Cognition
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Science
Collective Action and Communication
Collective Opinion and the Media
Comforting Communication
Comm Apprehension and Social Anxiety
Comm Apprehension in the Classroom
Comm App., Intervention Techniques
Comm Professions and Academic Research
Communication Satisfaction
Commodification of the Media
Commodity Feminism
Communibiology
Communication Accommodation Theory
Communication Apprehension
Communication as a Field and Discipline
Communication Education, Goals of
Communication Evaluation Research
Communication Inequality
Communication Management
Communication Networks
Communication Research and Politics
Communication Skills Across The Life Span
Comm. Strategies For Empowerment
Comm. Technology and Development
Communication Technology
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Communication, Relationship Rules
Communicative Aggression
Communicator Style
Political Communication
Visual Communication
Media Effects
Popular Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Communication and Media Law and Policy
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Developmental Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Information Processing and Cognitions
Exposure to Communication Content
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Reality Perception through the Media
Interpersonal Communication
Information Processing and Cognitions
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Communication as a Field and Discipline
Interpersonal Communication
Media Economy
Feminist and Gender Studies
Information Processing and Cognitions
Language and Social Interaction
Interpersonal Communication
Communication as a Field and Discipline
Instructional/Educational Communication
Development Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Organizational Communication
Communication as a Field and Discipline
Developmental Communication
Development Communication
Development Communication
Communication and Technology
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 51
Communities of Practice
Community Integration
Community Structure Model
Competence/Performance Distinction
Compliance Gaining
Comprehension
Computers-User Interaction
Conflict and Cooperation Across Life-Span
Conflict as Media Content
Conflict Resolution
Consistency Theories
Construction of Reality through the News
Constructivism in Information Processing
Constructivism
Contingency Model of Conflict
Control and Authority in Organizations
Conversation Analysis
Credibility Effects
Crisis Communication
Critical Rationalism
Cultivation Effects
Cultivation Theory
Cultural Imperialism Theories
Cultural Patterns and Communication
Cultural Studies
Cultural Studies, Feminist Popular Culture
Culture & Comm, Ethnography
Culture and Health Communication
Culture Industries
Culture, Definition and Concepts
Cumulative Media Effects
Cyberfeminism
Cybernetics
Dating Relationships
Death, Dying and Communication
Deception Detection Accuracy
Deception in Discourse
Deceptive Message Production
Decision Making processes in organizations
Deduction vs Induction vs Abduction
Deep Structure
Deliberativeness: Political Communication
Delivery and Rhetoric
Dependency Theories
Language and Social Interaction
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Language and Social Interaction
Information Processing and Cognitions
Information Processing and Cognitions
Exposure to Communication Content
Developmental Communication
Media Production and Content
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Exposure to Communication Content
Media Production and Content
Information Processing and Cognitions
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Strategic Communication
Organizational Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Media Effects
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Reality Perception through the Media
Communication Theory and Philosophy
International Communication
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Feminist and Gender Studies
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Popular Communication
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Media Effects
Feminist and Gender Studies
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Interpersonal Communication
Developmental Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Interpersonal Communication
Organizational Communication
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Language and Social Interaction
Political Communication
Rhetorical Studies
Development Communication
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 52
Desensitization
Design Theory
Development and Gender
Development Communication Campaigns
Development Communication
Development Discourse
Development, Resistance to
Developmental Communication
Dialogic perspectives
Diffusion of Information and Innovation
Digital Divide
Digitization and Media Convergence
Direct and Indirect Effects
Directives and Requests
Disability and Communication
Disasters and Communication
Disclosure and Communication
Disclosure in Interpersonal Communication
Discourse Comprehension
Discourse Markers
Discourse
Discourse, Cognitive Approaches
Discursive Psychology
Dissent in organizations
Distance Education
Diversity in the Workplace
Doctor-Patient Talk
Double-Bind Communication
Drama in Media Content
Dual Coding Theory
E-Democracy
Educational Communication
Educational Media Content
Educational Television: Children
Election Campaign Communication
Electronic Mail
Emic vs Etic Research
Emotion & Communication in organizations
Emotion and Discourse
Emotion
Emotional Arousal Theory
Emotions, Media Effects on
Empathy Theory
English Only Movements
Media Effects
Language and Social Interaction
Development Communication
Development Communication
Development Communication
Development Communication
Development Communication
Developmental Communication
Organizational Communication
Media Effects
Communication and Technology
Communication and Technology
Media Effects
Language and Social Interaction
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Interpersonal Communication
Information Processing and Cognitions
Language and Social Interaction
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Language and Social Interaction
Language and Social Interaction
Organizational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Interpersonal Communication
Popular Communication
Information Processing and Cognitions
Political Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Developmental Communication
Political Communication
Media History
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Organizational Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Information Processing and Cognitions
Media Effects
Media Effects
Exposure to Communication Content
Language and Social Interaction
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 53
Enjoyment/Entertainment Seeking
Exposure to Communication Content
Entertainment Education
Exposure to Communication Content
Entertainment, Effects of
Media Effects
Environment and Social Interaction
Interpersonal Communication
Environmental Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Escapism
Exposure to Communication Content
Ethnic Media and their Influence
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Ethnicity and Exposure to Communication Exposure to Communication Content
Ethnography of Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Ethnolinguistic Vitality and Communication Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Ethnomethodology
Language and Social Interaction
Ethos and Rhetoric
Rhetorical Studies
Evolutionary Theory
Exposure to Communication Content
Excitation & Arousal
Exposure to Communication Content
Excitation Transfer Theory
Media Effects
Exemplification and Exemplars, Effects of Media Effects
Exemplification in Health Communication Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Expectancy Violation
Interpersonal Communication
Expectancy-Value Models
Exposure to Communication Content
Extended Parallel Process Model
Information Processing and Cognitions
Eye Behavior
Interpersonal Communication
Facial Expressions
Interpersonal Communication
Family Communication Patterns
Developmental Communication
Family Decision Making
Developmental Communication
Fandom
Popular Communication
Fantasy-Reality Distinction
Developmental Communication
Fear Induction on Children Through Media Content Developmental Communication
Fear Induction through Media Content
Media Effects
Feedback Processes in Organizations
Organizational Communication
Feminine Mystique
Feminist and Gender Studies
Femininity and Feminine Values
Feminist and Gender Studies
Feminist Communication Ethics
Feminist and Gender Studies
Feminization of Media Content
Feminist and Gender Studies
Fetishiziation
Popular Communication
Freedom of Communication
Media History
Friendship and Communication
Developmental Communication
Friendship and Peer Interaction
Interpersonal Communication
Frustration Aggression Theory
Media Effects
Functional Analysis
Communication Theory and Philosophy
GLBT Media Studies
Feminist and Gender Studies
Gaze in Interaction
Language and Social Interaction
Gender and Discourse
Language and Social Interaction
Gender and Journalism
Journalism
Gender and Media Organizations
Feminist and Gender Studies
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 54
Gender, Representation in the Media
Genre
Gestures and Kinesics
Gestures in Discourse
Girl Culture
Globalization of the Media
Goals & Social Interaction
Goals
Gossip and Small Talk
Groupthink
Habituation
Hacktivism
Hate Speech and Ethnophaulisms
Health Behavior Change
Health Belief Model
Health Campaigns For Development
Health Campaigns, Communication in
Health Communication and Internet
Health Communication
Health Communication, Ethics in
Health Disparities, Communication in
Health Literacy
Hermeneutics
Hostile Media Phenomenon
Human-Computer Interaction
Hybridity Theories
Identification
Identities and Discourse
Identity Development and Communication
Identity Politics
Idiographic vs Nomothetic Science
Image Management
Image Restoration Theory
Imagined Interactions
Immediacy
Impersonal Effects
Implicit Personality Theories
Impression Management
Individual Differences & Info. Processing
Information Technology, Development
Information Technology, Economics Of
Information Literacy
Information Overload
Information Processing
Feminist and Gender Studies
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Interpersonal Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Popular Communication
Media Economy
Interpersonal Communication
Information Processing and Cognitions
Language and Social Interaction
Small Group/Decision-Making
Exposure to Communication Content
Communication and Technology
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Development Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Reality Perception through the Media
Communication and Technology
International Communication
Exposure to Communication Content
Language and Social Interaction
Developmental Communication
Feminist and Gender Studies
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Organizational Communication
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Interpersonal Communication
Nonverbal Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Information Processing and Cognitions
Interpersonal Communication
Information Processing and Cognitions
Communication and Technology
Communication and Technology
Communication and Technology
Communication and Technology
Information Processing and Cognitions
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 55
Information Processing, Self-Concept
Information Processing and Cognitions
Information Processing, Stereotypes
Information Processing and Cognitions
Information Science
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Information Seeking
Exposure to Communication Content
Information Society
Communication and Technology
Information
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Infotainment
Media Production and Content
Ingratiation and Affinity Seeking
Interpersonal Communication
Initial Interaction
Interpersonal Communication
Interaction Adaptation Theory
Interpersonal Communication
Interaction
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Interactional Sociolinguistics
Language and Social Interaction
Interactivity, Concept of
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Intercultural & Intergroup Communication Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Intercultural Communication in Health-Care Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Intercultural Communication Training
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Intercultural Conflict Styles and Facework Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Intercultural Norms
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Interethnic Relationship in Families
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Intergenerational Communication
Developmental Communication
Intergroup Accommodative Processes
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Intergroup Comm. & Discursive Psychology Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Intergroup Contact and Communication
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Intergroup dimensions of organizational life Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Intermediality
Communication Theory and Philosophy
International Comm. Association (ICA)
Communication as a Field and Discipline
International Communication
International Communication
International Political Communication
Political Communication
Internet and Popular Culture
Popular Communication
Internet Use Across Life-Span
Developmental Communication
Internet, Technology of
Communication and Technology
Interorganizational Networks
Organizational Communication
Interpersonal Attraction
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Competence & Social Skills Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Comm., Sex & Gender
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Conflict
Interpersonal Communication
Intimacy, Communication Characteristics of Interpersonal Communication
Intimate Talk with Family and Friends
Language and Social Interaction
Intimate Violence
Interpersonal Communication
Intrinsic Motivation and Volition
Exposure to Communication Content
Invention and Rhetoric
Rhetorical Studies
Issue Management in Politics
Political Communication
Issue Voting
Political Communication
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 56
Jealousy
Job Satisfaction, Communication Predictors
Knowledge Gap Effects
Knowledge Interests
Knowledge Management
Language Acquisition in Childhood
Language and Social Interaction
Language and the Internet
Language Attitudes in Intergroup Contexts
Language Varieties
Latitude of Acceptance
Leadership in Organizations
Learning and Communication
Learning Organizations
Libel and Slander
Limited Capacity Model
Linear and Nonlinear Models
Linguistic Pragmatics
Linguistics
Listening
Logos and Rhetoric
Long-Distance Relationships
Marginality, Stigma and Communication
Marital Communication
Marital Typologies
Masculinity and Media
Meaning
Media and Group Representations
Media and Perceptions of Reality
Media as Political Actors
Media Content and Social Networks
Media Content in Interpersonal Comm.
Media Dependency Theory
Media Events and Pseudo Events
Media Literacy
Media Messages & Family Communication
Media Use Across Life-Span
Media Use and Child Development
Media Use by Children
Media's Role in Society
Mediated Social Interaction
Mediated Terrorism
Mediating Factors
Mediation Discourse
Interpersonal Communication
Organizational Communication
Media Effects
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Organizational Communication
Developmental Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Communication and Technology
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Media Effects
Organizational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Organizational Communication
Communication and Media Law and Policy
Information Processing and Cognitions
Media Effects
Language and Social Interaction
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Information Processing and Cognitions
Rhetorical Studies
Interpersonal Communication
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Feminist and Gender Studies
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Reality Perception through the Media
Political Communication
Reality Perception through the Media
Reality Perception through the Media
Media Effects
Political Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Reality Perception through the Media
Developmental Communication
Developmental Communication
Developmental Communication
Media Systems in the World
Interpersonal Communication
Political Communication
Media Effects
Language and Social Interaction
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 57
Mediatization of Organizations Theory
Mediatization of Politics
Mediatization of Society
Medium Theory
Meeting Technologies
Memory and Rhetoric
Memory, Message Memory
Memory, Person Memory
Mentoring
Message Design Logics
Message Discrimination
Message Effects, Structure of
Message Production
Metaphor
Meta-Pragmatics
Metonymy
Microethnography
Mindlessness and Automaticity
Models of Communication
Modernity
Multitasking
Navigation
Negative Campaigning
Negativity
Negotiation and Bargaining
Network Organizations & Technology
News as discourse
Nonverbal Communication and Culture
Nonverbal Signals, Effects of
Objectivity in Science
Obsessive Relational Intrusion
On-Line Relationships
Opinion Leader
Order of Presentation
Organizational Assimilation
Organizational Change Processes
Organizational Comm., Critical Approaches
Organizational Conflict
Organizational Crises, Communication In
Organizational Culture
Organizational Discourse
Organizational Ethics
Organizational Identification
Organizational Image
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Political Communication
Media Effects
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Organizational Communication
Rhetorical Studies
Information Processing and Cognitions
Information Processing and Cognitions
Instructional/Educational Communication
Information Processing and Cognitions
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Media Effects
Information Processing and Cognitions
Visual Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Visual Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Information Processing and Cognitions
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Development Communication
Exposure to Communication Content
Exposure to Communication Content
Political Communication
Media Production and Content
Interpersonal Communication
Communication and Technology
Political Communication
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Media Effects
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Media Effects
Media Effects
Organizational Communication
Organizational Communication
Organizational Communication
Organizational Communication
Organizational Communication
Organizational Communication
Organizational Communication
Organizational Communication
Organizational Communication
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 58
Organizational Metaphors
Organizational Communication
Organizational Structure
Organizational Communication
Organizational Symbolism
Organizational Communication
Organization-Public Relationships
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Organizations, Cultural Diversity In
Organizational Communication
Paradigm
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Paralanguage
Interpersonal Communication
Para-Social Interactions and Relationships Exposure to Communication Content
Parental Mediation Strategies
Developmental Communication
Participative Processes in Organizations
Organizational Communication
Participatory Action Research
Development Communication
Participatory Communication
Development Communication
Party Political Communication
Political Communication
Pathos and Rhetoric
Rhetorical Studies
Patient-Provider Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Pedagogy, Communication in
Instructional/Educational Communication
Perceived Reality as Comm. Process
Reality Perception through the Media
Perceived Reality as a Social Process
Reality Perception through the Media
Perception
Exposure to Communication Content
Personal Communication by CMC
Communication and Technology
Personality & Exposure to Communication Exposure to Communication Content
Personality Development & Communication Developmental Communication
Personalization of Campaigning
Political Communication
Persuasion and Resistance
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Persuasion
Media Effects
Phatic Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Physical Effects of Media Content
Media Effects
Planned Behavior, Theory of
Information Processing and Cognitions
Planned Social Change & Communication Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Playing
Exposure to Communication Content
Pluralistic Ignorance and Ideological Biases Reality Perception through the Media
Pluralistic Ignorance
Reality Perception through the Media
Politainment
Political Communication
Politeness Theory
Interpersonal Communication
Political Advertising
Political Communication
Political Cognitions
Political Communication
Political Communication Culture
Political Communication
Political Communication Systems
Political Communication
Political Communication
Political Communication
Political Consultant
Political Communication
Political Cynicism
Political Communication
Political Discourse
Political Communication
Political Economy of the Media
Media Economy
Political Efficacy
Political Communication
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 59
Political Knowledge
Political Language
Political Media Content, Quality Criteria
Political Media Use
Political Personality in Media Democracy
Political Persuasion
Political Socialization Through The Media
Political Symbols
Politics in Popular Communication
Popular Communication and Social Class
Popular Communication
Popular Culture and News Media
Popular Culture
Populism and Responsiveness
Pornography, feminist debates on
Positioning Theory
Postcolonial Theory
Postdevelopment
Postfeminism
Postmodernism and Communication
Power and Discourse
Power in Intergroup Settings
Power, Dominance & Social Interaction
Pragmatism
Prejudiced & Discriminatory Comm.
Presence
Press Conference
Prevention and Communication
Priming Theory
Propaganda in World War II
Propaganda
Propaganda, Visual Communication of
Proxemics
Public Opinion, Media Effects on
Public Sphere
Public Sphere, Fragmentation Of
Publics, Situational Theory
Questions and Questioning
Realism
Reality and Media Reality
Reciprocal Effects
Reciprocity & Compensation in Interaction
Reification
Relational Control
Political Communication
Political Communication
Political Communication
Political Communication
Political Communication
Political Communication
Political Communication
Political Communication
Popular Communication
Popular Communication
Popular Communication
Popular Communication
Popular Communication
Political Communication
Feminist and Gender Studies
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Development Communication
Feminist and Gender Studies
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Language and Social Interaction
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Exposure to Communication Content
Journalism
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Media Effects
Media History
Political Communication
Visual Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Media Effects
Political Communication
Political Communication
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Language and Social Interaction
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Media Production and Content
Media Effects
Interpersonal Communication
Popular Communication
Interpersonal Communication
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 60
Relational Dialectics
Relational Maintenance
Relational Schemata
Relational Termination
Relational Uncertainty
Relationship Development
Religion and Popular Communication
Remediation
Rhetoric and Dialectic
Rhetoric and Epistemology
Rhetoric and Ethics
Rhetoric and Ethnography
Rhetoric and Gender
Rhetoric and Language
Rhetoric and Logic
Rhetoric and Media Studies
Rhetoric and Narrativity
Rhetoric and Orality-Literacy Theorems
Rhetoric and Philosophy
Rhetoric and Politics
Rhetoric and Psychology
Rhetoric and Religion
Rhetoric and Semiotics
Rhetoric and Social Protest
Rhetoric and Social Thought
Rhetoric and Technology
Rhetoric and Visuality
Rhetoric of Science
Rhetoric, Argument and Persuasion
Rhetoric, Epideictic
Rhetoric, Nonverbal
Rhetoric, Postmodern
Rhetorical Criticism
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorics, New Rhetorics
Right to Know
Risk Communication
Risk Perceptions
Rituals in Popular Communication
Schema and Media Effects
Schemas
Schemata, Knowledge Structures
Scripts
Secular Social Change
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Popular Communication
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Rhetorical Studies
Communication and Media Law and Policy
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Popular Communication
Media Effects
Information Processing and Cognitions
Interpersonal Communication
Information Processing and Cognitions
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 61
Selective Attention
Information Processing and Cognitions
Selective Exposure
Exposure to Communication Content
Selective Perception & Selective Retention Exposure to Communication Content
Self Presentation
Interpersonal Communication
Semiotics
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Sensation Seeking
Exposure to Communication Content
Sense-making
Organizational Communication
Sex/Pornography as Media Content, Effects Media Effects
Sex and Pornography Online
Communication and Technology
Sex Role Stereotypes in the Media
Feminist and Gender Studies
Sexual Compliance-Gaining & Safe Sex Talk Interpersonal Communication
Sexism in the Media
Feminist and Gender Studies
Sexual Violence in Media
Feminist and Gender Studies
Sexualization in Media
Feminist and Gender Studies
Sibling Interaction
Interpersonal Communication
Sign Systems
Visual Communication
Sign
Visual Communication
Sleeper Effect
Media Effects
Soap Operas
Media Production and Content
Social Behavior, Media Effects on
Media Effects
Social Capital and Communication in Health Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Social Capital, Media Effects on
Media Effects
Social Cognitive Theory
Exposure to Communication Content
Social Comparison Theory
Exposure to Communication Content
Social Conflict and Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Social Exchange
Interpersonal Communication
Social Identity Theory
Exposure to Communication Content
Social Interaction Structure
Interpersonal Communication
Social Judgment Theory
Media Effects
Social Marketing
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Social Mobilization
Development Communication
Social Movements and Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Social Networks
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Social Norms
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Social Perception
Reality Perception through the Media
Social Stereotyping and Communication
Intercultural and Intergroup Communication
Social support in Health Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Social Support & Interpersonal Comm.
Interpersonal Communication
Socialization by Media
Reality Perception through the Media
Sound Bites
Media Production and Content
Spectator Gaze
Visual Communication
Speech Acts
Language and Social Interaction
Speech Anxiety
Instructional/Educational Communication
Speech Codes Theory
Language and Social Interaction
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 62
Speech Fluency and Speech Errors
Spin and Double Speak
Spin Doctor
Spiral of Silence
Spirituality and Development
Sports and the Media, History of
Sports as Popular Communication
Stages of Change Model
Stakeholder Theory
Stereotypes
Stereotyping and the Media
Stimulus-Response Model
Storytelling and Narration
Strategic Communication
Strategic Framing
Structuralism
Structuration Theory
Student Communication Competence
Style and Rhetoric
Supervisor-Subordinate Relationships
Support Talk
Suspension of Disbelief
Sustainable Development
Symbol Systems
Symbolic Annihilation
Symbolic Interaction
Symbolic Politics
Symbolism
Systems Theory
Tabloidization
Taste Culture
Teacher Affinity-Seeking
Teacher Assertiveness
Teacher Clarity
Teacher Comforting and Social Support
Teacher Communication Style
Teacher Confirmation
Teacher Feedback
Teacher Immediacy
Teacher Influence and Persuasion
Teacher Self-Disclosure
Teacher Socio-Communicative Style
Teacher Use of Humor
Technologically-Mediated Discourse
Information Processing and Cognitions
Strategic Communication
Political Communication
Reality Perception through the Media
Development Communication
Media History
Popular Communication
Exposure to Communication Content
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Media Production and Content
Reality Perception through the Media
Media Effects
Language and Social Interaction
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Strategic Communication, PR, Advertisement
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Organizational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Rhetorical Studies
Organizational Communication
Language and Social Interaction
Exposure to Communication Content
Development Communication
Popular Communication
Popular Communication
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Political Communication
Visual Communication
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Media Production and Content
Visual Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Instructional/Educational Communication
Language and Social Interaction
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 63
Technology, Social Construction Of
Communication and Technology
Telephone Talk
Language and Social Interaction
Televised Debates
Political Communication
Television as Popular Culture
Popular Communication
Television for Development
Development Communication
Terrorism and Communication TechnologiesCommunication and Technology
Text and Intertextuality
Communication Theory and Philosophy
Theory of Reasoned Action
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Third Person Effects
Reality Perception through the Media
Transcribing and Transcription
Language and Social Interaction
Two-Step-Flow of Communication
Media Effects
Uncertainty and Communication
Communication and Social/Behavioral Change
Uncertainty Management
Interpersonal Communication
Uncertainty Reduction Theory
Interpersonal Communication
Uses-and-Gratifications
Exposure to Communication Content
Verbal Aggressiveness
Interpersonal Communication
Victimization
Media Effects
Video Games
Popular Communication
Videomalaise
Reality Perception through the Media
Violence as Media Content, Effects of
Media Effects
Virtual Communities
Communication and Technology
Virtual Reality
Media History
Visuals, Cognitive Processing Of
Information Processing and Cognitions
Voice, Prosody, and Laughter
Language and Social Interaction
Voyeurism
Visual Communication
War Propaganda
International Communication
Women in the Media, Images of
Feminist and Gender Studies
Women’s Movement and Media
Media History
Women's Communication and Language
Feminist and Gender Studies
Zapping and Switching
Exposure to Communication Content
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 64
Abortion
Assessment of Couples
Cohabitation
Abuse and Violence in Relationships
Assessment of Families
Cohesiveness in Groups
Abused Women Remaining in
Relationships
Assortative Mating
Collectivism, Effects on Relationships
Attachment Theory
Commercial Channels for Mate Seeking
Attachment Typologies, Childhood
Commitment, Predictors and Outcomes
Attraction, Sexual
Commitment, Theories and Typologies
Attribution Processes in Relationships
Communal Relationships
Aunts and Uncles, Relationships With
Communication Accommodation Theory
Balance Theory
Communication Processes, Verbal
Bank Account Model
Communication Skills
Barrier Forces to Relationship
Dissolution
Communication, Gender Differences in
Accommodation
Accounts
Accuracy in Communication
Acquaintance Process
Adolescence, Romantic Relationships in
Adoption
Adult Attachment, Individual
Differences
Batterers
Communication, Instant Messaging and
other New Media
Advice, Self-Help and Media Advice
about Relationships
Behavioral Couple Therapy
Communication, Nonverbal
Affection
Behavioral Parent Training
Communication, Norms and Rules
Affiliation
Beliefs about Relationships
Community Involvement
Affiliation in Non-human Species
Beliefs, Destiny vs. Growth
Comparison Levels
Affinity Seeking
Belonging, Need for
Compassionate Love
Affirmation
Bereavement
Compatibility
African-American Families
Betrayal
Complementarity
Age at First Marriage
Biological Systems for Courtship,
Mating, Reproduction, and Parenting
Computer-Mediated Communication
Adulthood, Sibling Relationships in
Aggressive Communication
Aging Processes and Relationships
Agreeableness
AIDS, Effects on Relationships
Alcohol and Sexual Assault
Birth Control, Relational Aspects
Blended Families
Body Image, Relationship Implications
Bogus Stranger Paradigm
Conflict Measurement and Assessment
Conflict Patterns
Conflict Prevalence and Sources
Conflict Resolution
Conflict, Family
Alcoholism, Effects on Relationships
Borderline Psychopathology, in
Relationships
Conflict, Marital
Alienation and Anomie
Boredom in Relationships
Connectedness, Tension with Autonomy
Alternative Relationship Life-Styles
Boston Couples Study
Conscientiousness, Effects on
Relationships
Altruistic Love
Bullying
Alzheimers, and Relationships
Capitalization
Ambivalence
Caregiver Role
American Couples Study
Care-giving across the Life Span
Anger in Relationships
Casual Sex
Apologies
Celibacy, in Long-term Relationships
Approach and Avoidance Orientations
Change in Relationships over Time
Arguing
Child Abuse and Neglect
Aristotle and Plato on Relationships
Children's Peer Groups
Arousal and Attraction
Closeness
Arranged Marriages
Cognitive Behavioral Couple Therapy
Courtship and Dating, Cross-Cultural
Differences in
Asian-American Families
Cognitive Processes in Relationships
Courtship, History of
Contextual Influences on Relationships
Cooperation and Competition
Coping, Developmental Influences
Couple Identity
Couple Therapy
Couple Therapy for Substance Abuse
Couples in Later Life
Couples in Middle Age
Coupling Policies
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 65
Courtship, Models and Processes of
Dual-Earner Couples
Extradyadic Sex
Covenant Marriage
Dyadic Data Analysis
Extraversion and Introversion
Criticism in Relationships
Dyssemia
Facework
Culture and Relationships
Early Years of Marriage Project
Facial Expressions
Dark Side of Relationships
Economic Pressures, Effects on
Relationships
Fairness in Relationships
Dating and Courtship in Adolescence
and Young Adulthood
Dating and Courtship in Mid- and Later
Life
Dating Services
Dating, First Date
Deception and Lying
Egalitarian Relationships
Elder Abuse and Neglect
Embarrassment
Emotion in Relationships
Emotion Regulation in Relationships
Decision-Making in Relationships
Emotion Regulation, Developmental
Influences
Dependence
Emotional Communication
Dependency Paradox
Emotional Contagion
Depression and Relationships
Emotional Intelligence
Deteriorating Relationships
Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy
Developing Relationships
Empathic Accuracy and Inaccuracy
Developmental Designs (Longitudinal,
Cross-Sectional, Retrospective)
Empathy
Deviance, Relationship Effects
Dialectical Processes
Employment Effects on Relationships
Empty Nest, Effects on Marriage
End-of-life, Relationship Issues During
Disabilities, Chronic Illness, and
Relationship Functioning
Enemies
Discipline in Families
Engagement, as a Relationship Stage
Discourse Analysis
Envy
Disillusionment, in Long-Term
Relationships
Equity Theory
Display Rules
Ethical Issues in Relationship Research
Dissolution of Relationships, Breakup
Strategies
Evolutionary Perspectives on Women's
Romantic Attraction
Dissolution of Relationships, Causes
Evolutionary Perspectives, Applications
to Relationships
Dissolution of Relationships, Coping and
Aftermath
Equivocation
Falling in Love
Familiarity Principle of Attraction
Families, Coping with Cancer
Families, Definitions and Typologies
Families, Demographic Trends
Families, Intergenerational
Relationships in
Families, Public Policy Issues and
Family Communication
Family Data, Analysis of
Family Functioning
Family Life Cycle
Family Relationships in Adolescence
Family Relationships in Childhood
Family Relationships in Late Adulthood
Family Relationships in Middle
Adulthood
Family Relationships in Young
Adulthood
Family Routines and Rituals
Family Therapy
Family Therapy for ADHD in Children
and Adolescents
Family Therapy for Adult
Psychopathology
Family Therapy for Noncompliance in
Children and Adolescents
Exchange Orientation
Family Therapy for Substance Abuse in
Adolescents
Dissolution of Relationships, Processes
Exchange Processes
Fatal Attractions
Diversity in Relationships
Excitation Transfer Theory
Father-Child Relationships
Division of Labor in Households
Ex-Partner and Ex-Spouse Relationships
Fear of Death, Relational Implications
Divorce and Preventive Interventions
for Children and Parents
Expectation States Theory, Applied to
Relationships
Feminist Perspectives on Relationships
Divorce, Children and
Expectations about Relationships
Fictive Kinship
Divorce, Co-parenting after
Field of Availables and Eligibles
Divorce, Effects on Adults
Experimental Designs for Relationship
Research
Divorce, Prevalence and Trends
Expressed Emotion
Double Standard in Relationships
Extended Families
Fertility and Family Planning
First Impressions
Flirting
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 66
Food and Relationships
Hostility
Iowa Youth and Families Project
Forgiveness
Hurt Feelings
Isolation, Health Effects
Foster Care, Relationships in
Idealization
Jealousy
Friends with Benefits
Ideals about Relationships
Job Stress, Relationship Effects
Friendship Formation and Development
Illness, Effects on Relationships
Justice Norms Applied to Relationships
Friendship, Conflict and Dissolution
Imaginary Companions
Kin Relationships
Friendships in Adolescence
Incest
Kin Selection
Friendships in Childhood
Individuation
Kinkeeping
Friendships in Late Adulthood
Infant-Caregiver Communication
Kissing
Friendships in Middle Adulthood
Infatuation
Language Usage in Relationships
Friendships in Young Adulthood
Information Seeking
Leadership
Friendships, Cross-Sex
Ingratiation
Leisure Activity
Friendships, Sex Differences and
Similarities
Initiation of Relationships
Lesser Interest, Principle of
In-laws, Relationships with
Lies in Close and Casual Relationships
Insight-Oriented Couple Therapy
Life Review, Role of Relationships
Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy
Life-Span Development and
Relationships
Fun in Relationships
Gain-Loss Theory of Attraction
Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Relationships
Gender Roles in Relationships
Gender Stereotypes
Gender-Role Attitudes
Goal Pursuit, Relationship Influences
Interaction Analysis
Interdependence Theory
Intergenerational Family Relations
Intergenerational Transmission of Abuse
Liking
Listening
Loneliness
Loneliness, Children
Goals in Relationships
Intergenerational Transmission of
Divorce
God, Relationships with
Internet and Social Connectedness
Long-Distance Relationships
Gossip
Internet Dating
Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship
Internet, Attraction on
Longitudinal Studies of Marital
Satisfaction and Dissolution
Gratitude
Interpersonal Attraction
Group Dynamics
Interpersonal Dependency
Guilt and Shame
Interpersonal Influence
Happiness and Relationships
Interpersonal Process Model of Intimacy
Hard-to-Get Phenomenon
Interpersonal Psychotherapy
Health and Relationships
Interpersonal Sensitivity
Health Behaviors, Relationships and
Interpersonal Spread of
Interracial and Interethnic Relationships
Interracial Friendships, in Adolescence
Health, Relationships as a Factor in
Treatment
Interruptions, Conversational
Helping Behaviors in Relationships
Intervention Programs, Domestic
Violence
Hispanic/Latino Families
Loneliness, Interventions
Loss
Love, Companionate and Passionate
Love, Prototype Approach
Love, Typologies
Love, Unreciprocated
Lust
Maintenance Behaviors in Relationships
Marital Satisfaction and Quality
Marital Satisfaction, Assessment of
Marital Stability, Prediction of
Marital Typologies
Holidays and Relationships
Intervention Programs, Satisfaction and
Stability
Marketplace Approaches to Courtship,
Love and Sex
Homelessness and Relationships
Intimacy
Marriage and Health
Honeymoons
Intimacy, Individual Differences Related
to
Marriage and Sex
Hooking Up, Hookups
Hormones Related to Relationships
Investment Model
Marriage Markets
Marriage, Benefits of
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 67
Marriage, Expectations about
Obsessive Relational Intrusion
Marriage, Historical and Cross-Cultural
Trends
Opening Lines
PREP (Premarital Relationship
Enhancement Program)
Openness and Honesty
Prevention and Enrichment Programs
for Couples
Optimism, Effects on Relationships
Privacy
Ostracism
Proximity and Attraction
Mate Preferences
PAIR (Process of Adaptation in Intimate
Relationships) Project
Psychodynamic Theories of
Relationships
Mate Selection
Parent-Adolescent Communication
Materialism and Relationships
Parental Investment Theory
Psychopathology, Genetic Transmission
of
Media Depictions of Relationships
Parent-Child Communication about Sex
Media Influences on Relationships
Parent-Child Relationships
Mediation, Marriage Dissolution
Parenthood, Transition to
Memories and Relationships
Parenting
Mental Health and Relationships
Personal Idioms
Mentoring Programs
Personal Relationships Journals
Mentoring Relationships
Personal Relationships, Defining
Characteristics
Reciprocity of Liking
Personal Space
Reciprocity, Norm of
Personality Traits, Effects on
Relationships
Rejection
Minding the Relationship
Misattribution
Perspective-Taking
Relational Aggression
Money and Relationships
Persuasion
Relationship Distress and Depression
Mood and Relationships
Pet-Human Relationships
Relationship Messages
Morality and Relationships
Physical Attractiveness Stereotype
Mother-Child Relationships
Physical Attractiveness, Defining
Characteristics
Relationship Science, Disciplines
Contributing to
Marriage, Transition to
Matching Hypothesis
Mate Guarding and Poaching
Metacommunication
Military and Relationships
Motivation and Relationships
Multi-Generational Households
Mutual Cyclical Growth
Physical Attractiveness, Role in
Relationships
Psychopathology, Influence on Family
Members
Psychotherapists, Relationships with
Public Policy and Relationships
Rape
Rapport
Reassurance-Seeking
Rejection Sensitivity
Relationship Types and Taxonomies
Religion, Spirituality, and Relationships
Remarriage
Narcissism, Effects on Relationships
Physical Environment, Effects on
Relationships
Need Fulfillment in Relationships
Physicians, Relationships With
Resilience
Negative Affect Reciprocity
Play Fighting
Resource Theory
Negative Interactions During Late Life
Polygamy
Respect
Negotiation
Popularity
Responsiveness
Neighbor Relations
Pornography, Effects on Relationships
Retirement, Effects on Relationships
Neuroticism, Effects on Relationships
Positive Affectivity
Revenge
Newlyweds
Post-Divorce Relationships
Rewards and Costs in Relationships
Nonverbal Communication, Status
Differences
Power Distribution in Relationships
Risk, in Relationships
Power, Predictors of
Rochester Interaction Record
Predicting Success or Failure of
Relationships
Role Theory and Relationships
Norms about Relationships
Nostalgia
Pregnancy and Relationships
Obsessive Love
Prejudice
Nonverbal Involvement
Repairing Relationships
Romanticism
Rules of Relationships
Safe Sex
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 68
Satisfaction in Relationships
Social Anxiety
Technology and Relationships
Secret Relationships
Social Capital
Temperament
Secret Tests of Relationship Status
Social Comparison, Effects on
Relationships
Touch
Secrets
Security in Relationships
Self-Concept and Relationships
Self-Disclosure
Self-Esteem, Effects on Relationships
Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model
Self-Expansion Theory
Social Convoy Theory
Social Exchange Theory
Social Identity Theory
Social Inequalities and Relationships
Social Isolation
Social Learning Theory
Transference
Transformation of Motivation
Transgressions
Trust
Turning Points in Relationships
Uncertainty Reduction Theory
Unconditional Positive Regard
Self-Monitoring and Relationships
Social Networks, Changes in
Relationships
Understanding
Self-Presentation
Social Networks, Dyad Effects on
Unmitigated Communion
Self-Regulation in Relationships
Validation in Relationships
Self-Verification
Social Networks, Effects on Developed
Relationships
Sex and Love
Social Neuroscience
Vengeance
Sex Differences in Relationships
Social Penetration Theory
Virginity
Sex in Established Relationships
Social Relations Model
Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation Model
Sex Ratio
Social Skills in Childhood
Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Attraction
Sex-Role Orientation
Social Skills, Adults
Warmth, Interpersonal
Sexual Aggression
Social Support and Health
Weak Ties
Sexual Communication between Adults
Social Support, Intervention Groups
Weddings
Sexual Dysfunctions
Social Support, Nature of
Work-Family Conflict
Sexual Harassment
Socialization
Work-Family Spillover
Sexual Intent, Perceptions of
Socialization, Role of Peers
Workplace Relationships
Sexual Intercourse, First Experience of
Socioeconomic Status
Sexual Motives
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory
Sexual Prejudice
Sociometer Hypothesis
Sexual Standards
Sociosexual Orientation
Sexuality
Speed-Dating
Sexuality and Attachment
Stage Theories of Relationship
Development
Sexuality in Adolescent Relationships
Stalking
Sexually Transmitted Diseases and
Relationships
Story-telling
Shared Activities
Stress and Relationships
Shyness
Substance Use and Abuse in
Relationships
Sibling Relationships
Similarity in Ongoing Relationships
Similarity Principle of Attraction
Singlehood
Single-Parent Families
Social Allergies
Suicide and Relationships
Symbolic Interaction Theories
Systems Theories
Taboo Topics
Teacher-Student Relationships
Values and Relationships
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 69
ILLOGICAL ASTROLOGICAL?
The sun’s annual path (caused by the earth’s orbit) takes it across a band of the sky known as
the zodiac. Along the way, the sun passes in front of a number of constellations. If we could see
the sun and stars at the same time, our “sign” would be the constellation against which the sun
lay at the time we were born. Thus, we have such “signs” as Aries, Taurus, each of which
corresponds to a star grouping in the heavens. What most people don’t realize is that, since
astrology’s origin millennia ago, it has not kept up with our knowledge of the cosmos. Scientists
today know the earth undergoes a 25,800-year wobble that alters the positions of celestial
bodies.
CALENDAR DATES (Your
birthday is in?)
TRADITIONAL HOROSCOPE DATES
(What you THINK you are)
Jun 21—Jul 20
Jul 21—Aug 10
Aug 11—Sep 16
Sep 17—Oct 30
Oct 31—Nov 22
Nov 23—Nov 28
Nov 29—Dec 17
Dec 18—Jan 19
Jan 20—Feb 16
Feb 17—Mar 11
Mar 12—Apr 18
Apr 19—May 13
May 14—Jun 21
Source:
May 21—Jun 21
Jun 22—Jul 22
Jul 23—Aug22
Aug 23—Sep 22
Sep 23—Oct 23
Oct 24—Nov 21
ACTUAL ASTROLOGICAL SIGN
(The sign you were ACTUALLY
born in)
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIUS
OPHIUCHUS
Nov 22—Dec 21
Dec 22—Jan 19
Jan 20—Feb 18
Feb 19—Mar 20
Mar 21—Apr 19
Apr 20—May 20
Reuben H. Fleet Science Museum
SAGITARIUS
CAPRICORNUS
AQUARIUS
PISCES
ARIES
TAURUS
COMM 495: Capstone—p. 70
NO “CORRELATIONAL” EVIDENCE FOR ASTROLOGY
 Investigated folklore concepts of personality in 2600 adults. Specifically, the relationship between MMPI
profiles and astrological sign, the year of birth in the Oriental yearly cycle, and the day of the week of birth was
studied…. [Analyses] showed no effect size larger than 2% on any MMPI scale. No evidence was found in
support of these folklore concepts. [Source: Dahlstrom, W. G., Hopkins, D., Dahlstrom, L., Jackson, E., &
Cumella, E. (1996). MMPI findings on astrological and other folklore concepts of personality. Psychological
Reports, 78, 1059-1070.]
 Examined the astrological doctrine of aspects in 3 studies with 562 university students and 349 astrologers or
astrology students. … In Study 1, Ss were asked to specify how personality varies with specific aspects between
32 pairs of planets; these predictions were tested against scores on 10 personality dimensions. In Study 2, a
comparison of soft and hard aspects was made using multivariate methods. Study 3 ignored the traditional
aspects and investigated whether personality varied as a function of the angular separation between planets at
birth. No evidence for the validity of astrological ideas was found in any of these studies.[Startup, M. (1985).
The astrological doctrine of "aspects": A failure to validate with personality. British Journal of Social Psychology,
24, 307-315.]
NO “EXPERIMENTAL” EVIDENCE FOR ASTROLOGY
 In Exp I, Ss provided information from which their natal charts and interpretations were constructed by
astrologers. Each S then attempted to select his/her own natal chart interpretation from a group consisting of
his/her own and 2 others. In Exp II, the astrologers were separately given the natal chart of a random S and a
California Psychological Inventory (CPI) description of the S's personality traits along with CPI descriptions of 2
other Ss. The astrologers selected the 2 CPIs (1st and 2nd choice) that described personalities closest to the
personality indicated by the natal chart. The astrologers also rated the CPIs for closeness of fit to the natal chart
descriptions. Results indicate that Ss and astrologers scored at a level consistent with chance. The data support
arguments against natal astrology as practiced by astrologers.[Carlson, S. (1985). A double-blind test of
astrology. Nature, 318(6045), 419-425.]
NO “PEER” OR “EXPERT” VALIDITY FOR ASTROLOGY
 [Asked] university students and a [family] member … or a close friend (the nominee) to try to identify which 1
of 5 cast horoscopes was based on the S's birth data. In addition, each S was rated on 5 personality dimensions
by the astrologer who cast the horoscopes, the S herself, and her nominee. Finally, the S completed [a]…
Personality Questionnaire. Neither the Ss nor the nominees were able correctly to identify the S's horoscope.
Regarding the 5 personality dimensions, the astrologer's rating did not correlate with the psychometrically
obtained scores, the Ss' self-rating, or the ratings of the S by the nominee. [Tyson, GA. (1984). An empirical test
of the astrological theory of personality. Personality & Individual Differences, l 5, 247-250.]
 One reason people may “see validity” in their signs is because they already “know” their sign, and this leads
them to “read themselves into” such descriptions students … were divided into a group of examiners and a
group of examinees. Each examiner was given a packet consisting of the 12 astrological sign descriptions, while
each examinee completed a questionnaire, which the examiners used to ascertain their astrological sign.
Examiners then gave their examinees 2 sign descriptions, the correct astrology description and the description
immediately following it. Results show that Ss who knew their astrological sign judged the personality profile
corresponding to their sign to be a more accurate description of their personality than an alternative
astrological sign profile. [Hamilton, M. M. (1995).Incorporation of astrology-based personality information into
long-term self-concept. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality, 10, 707-718.]
BELIEVERS MAY NEED IT AS A COPING RESPONSE TO THEIR OWN LIMITATIONS
 2 astrologers [and] 67 of their clients. The demographic data of these consultees were then compared with
population data obtained from the census, and personality and attitudinal data were compared with those of
136 controls. … The variable that explained the most variance was stress. This was followed by a measure of
political control and then a measure of religiosity. It is concluded that, in many cases, consulting an astrologer is
a response by an individual to the stresses with which he/she is faced and that these stresses are linked mainly
to the individual's social roles and to his/her relationships. It is suggested that these stresses arise partially as a
result of the person's lack of social skills. [Tyson, GA. (1982). People who consult astrologers: A profile.
Personality & Individual Differences, 3, 119-126.]