The Application of Uncertainty Reduction Theory with New Roommates

Colin Burke

The State University of New York at Buffalo

 At the beginning of the semester, I had many questions about my new roommates. The

experiment I conducted to answer these questions utilized Charles Berger’s uncertainty reduction

theory. I acquired personal information about others, so my predictions about future interactions

would be more accurate (Griffin, 2009).

“Berger’s uncertainty reduction theory focuses on how human communication is used to

gain knowledge and create understanding” (Griffin, 2009). Obtaining information through

communication helps us to understand ourselves, and the world we live in (Griffin, 2009).

Berger suggests that our urge for information can be backed by: anticipation of future

interaction, incentive value, and/or deviance (Griffin, 2009). This process requires reducing

uncertainty between the parties involved. Berger developed a set of axioms (self-evident truths)

to help explain the connections between his theory and the eight variables of relationship

development (Griffin, 2009).

In my experiment, the desire to decrease uncertainty between my roommates and myself

was supported by my anticipation of future interactions with my roommates, as well as incentive

value. It was important for me to get to know my roommates because we would be interacting

almost every day. The incentive value supporting my want for decreased uncertainty came from

the knowledge that I may need a favor from one of my roommates in the future, and vice versa.

If I needed a ride from one of my roommates, it would be important to know which one to ask if

one was more willing than another.

My desire for information, due to uncertainty suggests that the experiment involves the

use of Berger’s axiom 3: Information Seeking. This means that the less I know about a person,

the more I want to know about that person. At first, I had many questions for my roommates.

After our discussion, I had very few questions.

 Axiom 4: Self-disclosure is pertinent to my experiment because of the change in level of

intimacy of the information my roommates and I exchanged. As the amount of information

exchanged increased, the amount of uncertainty decreased, which then led to an increase in the

level of intimacy information exchanged. The first few exchanges involved information

exchanges on a low level of intimacy, like where we are from and what our majors are. After

many exchanges, we were comfortable enough to share our views on more personal matters,

such as issues involving differences in our ethnicities.

The experiment involved all of my Villa apartment roommates: Barbara, Chris, and

Genesis. Before the experiment began, I told my roommates exactly what it was that I wanted to

accomplish. They knew that our conversations were being held to get to know each other, and

reduce uncertainty. The experiment was held on Saturday February 5th. We all gathered around in

our common area, and took turns asking each other personal questions. After we were done

conversing, we found ourselves much more comfortable around each other than we were prior to

the experiment. We decided to cook dinner together a few nights a week, and hold a movie night

once a week. Since the experiment was executed, we have also found ourselves hanging out

regularly. We all felt that our time together was well spent, and was used effectively.

When getting to know people, one should be straightforward about their intentions, and

confront issues such as low levels of intimacy and high levels of uncertainty between them. This

may lead to a resolution of the issues quickly. Rather than letting something like being socially

uncomfortable run its course, addressing it head-on would be more efficient and effective.

589 Words (Not including Cover Page or Bibliography)

 Bibliography

Griffin, Em. A First Look at Communication Theory. 7th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher

Education, 2009. Print.