Rogers, COMM 5810 Exam 1 Notes Scientist Humanist Objective - truth exists outside humans, and it is Subjective - truth

lies within our own awaiting to be discovered interpretation Assumptions about human It can be objectively evaluated (1) persons are not the sum of components, (2) nature they can only be understood within the unique context of human life, which is not the same as other aspects of the natural environment; (3) humans are self-aware and have a sense of who they are vis--vis other people; (4) humans make choices; (5) human beings aim to achieve personal meaning and value. Methodological Preferences Hypothetico-deductive method or scientific Qualitative analysis, such as conducting a methods content analysis Types of traditions of Cybernetic Rhetorical, theories Semiotic, Nomaethic tradition - seeks universal or general Phenomenological laws Critical Worldview Value-free, judgment-free - is what it is, and it is up to people to decide Must explain the data; replication; testable hypothesis; parsimony - relative simplicity practical utility Social Scientist Objectively interpret - we must "know" truth to interpret unique perceptions of individual truths Can be objectively evaluated

Dodson 1

Would use scientific methods to test the viability of a theory Sociopsychological, Sociocultural, Critical

Tests

Hypothetico-deductive method Will borrow from the scientist and humanist methodologies Scope Appropriateness Heuristic value Validity Parsimony Openness Tying to develop concensus

Goals

Trying to get to objective truth, some sort of definitive law Wanting generalizability

Trying to get a new understanding of human behavior (alternative interpretations); Clarification of values; Creating a community of agreement; Aesthetic appeal; Reform society

Rogers, COMM 5810 Exam 1 Notes Term Hypothetico-deductive method Definition

Dodson 2

Nomathetic theory

Rhetorical tradition

Semiotic tradition

Cybernetic tradition Phenomenological tradition

Critical tradition

Sociopsychological tradition

Sociocultural tradition

Scope Appropriateness Heuristic value Parsimony Openness Reliability Value Correspondence Generalizability

(1) developing questions, (2) forming hypothesis, (3) testing hypotheses, and (4) formulating theory that which seeks universal or general laws. This approach, dominant in the experimental natural sciences, has been the model for much of the research in the social sciences as well. The goal of such theory is to depict accurately how social life works. Theories in the nomethetic tradition do not make judgements or offer advice. Scientists simply paint a picture of how something is and leave it up to others to decide how to use this knowledge the art of constructing arguments and speechmaking. It then evolved to include the process of "adjusting ideas to people and people to ideas". The focus of rhetoric has broadened even more to encomass all of the ways humans use symbols to affect those around them and to construct the worlds in which they live. Focus o signs and symbols; Need for a common language; Subjectivity is a barrier to effectiveness; Multiple meanings of signs; Communication = between private realities o findividuals who use signs and symbols to elicit meanings; When people us a symbol to replace a word, it becomes emblematic They study how people use symbols, why thse symbols are used, the significance of them, and thier meaning Communication is info processing; They are focused on noise, overload, and malfunction; Communication is a series of imputs and outputs Concentrates on personal experience; Communication is a sharing of perosnal experienes; a disclosure of self, a dialogue of human contact, respect, acknowledgement of difference and common ground Communication is a social arrangement of power and oppression; Problems of power, ideology, and dominance; Finding a voice for those who have none; They often ignore that society is shifting away from convention Concentrates on expression, interaction, and influence; Accents interpersonal behavior; People are most often not rational, dont know what they think or want, and their perceptions are not a clear route to the "real"; Focuses in on beliefs, behaviors, etc. Social order needs communication as its "glue"; Focus on social control, conflict, and mediation; Rituals, rules, and culture; Social structure rules individuals. Individual power and responsibility are "myths of the mind" generally speaking, refers to a theory's comprehensiveness or inclusiveness; Theoretical scope relies on the principle of generality or the idea that a theory's explanation must be sufficiently general to extend beyond a single observation; When generalized too narrowly, the explanatio is merely speculation about a single event rather than a theoretical explanation about a range of events

the degree to which the construvt is measured accurately, and it is most often estimated by consistency