CMST 250 Exam 1
theory - correct answer ✔✔a set of systematic, informed hunches about the way things work
-educated guesses
-integrated system of concepts
-lays out multiple ideas
-specifies relationships among ideas
theories as nets - correct answer ✔✔"theories are nets cast to catch what we call 'the world'...We
endeavor to make the mesh ever finer and finer."
theories as lenses - correct answer ✔✔highlights the idea that theories shape our perception by
focusing attention on some features of communication while ignoring other features, or at least pushing
them into the background
theories as maps - correct answer ✔✔communication theories are maps of the way communication
works
-truth is largely subjective, multiple meanings are accessible
-human behavior is ultimately voluntary
-expand the range of free choice; knowledge is never neutral
-interpret individual texts; strive for meaning
, epistemology - correct answer ✔✔the study of the origin, nature, method, and limits of knowledge
make an objective theory "good" - correct answer ✔✔1. explanation of the data - draws order of our
chaos
2. prediction of future events
3. relative simplicity - rule of parsimony: all things being equal, we accept the simpler explanation over
the more complex
4. hypotheses can be tested - theory can be proven false
5. practical utility - provides increased control
6. quantitative research - quantifiable experiments and surveys and cause & effect relationships
make an interpretive theory "good" - correct answer ✔✔1. new understanding of people - subjective
understanding, clarify complex communication, self-referential imperative: include yourself as a
constituent of your own construction
2. clarification of values - researchers acknowledge their own values and unmask ideology behind
messages
3. aesthetic appeal - a theory's form can be as captivating as its content
4. community of agreement - widespread scrutiny and usage
5. reform of society - challenges cultural assumptions and generates alternatives for social action
socio-psychological tradition (1) - correct answer ✔✔-views communication as interpersonal interaction
and influence
-more scientific
-predict cause & effect relationships
-examples: persuasion, audience analysis
cybernetic tradition (2) - correct answer ✔✔-view communication as a system of information processing
-how does the system work? what could change it? how can we get the bugs out?
-examples: models of communication, information flow
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