M ILLER C HAPTER S EVEN Theories of Message Production Adapted to: COM 422 Proseminar in...
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Transcript of M ILLER C HAPTER S EVEN Theories of Message Production Adapted to: COM 422 Proseminar in...
MILLER CHAPTER SEVEN
Theories of Message Production
Adapted to:
COM 422Proseminar in Communication
School of CommunicationIllinois State University
BACKGROUND Encoding researchGoals research (ex: compliance-gaining)
Traits research (ex: comm apprehension)
Theories in this chapter move beyond this to consider explanations linking “what’s in the head” with “messages produced”
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF MESSAGE PRODUCTION (TABLE 7.1)
Speakers draw on vast stores of knowledge pursue a wide range of goals coordinate their own behavior with
that of interactional partners produce messages within time
constraints produce messages with little
conscious awareness
CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY: BACKGROUND Developed by: Jesse Delia and colleaguesontology is largely social
constructionistepistemology :??
Emphasizes coding of open-ended responses from research participants
But is guided by theorySo constructivism is between objective and subjective (theory is link between knower and known)
THE CONSTRUCT SYSTEM
Construct system = an interpretive scheme for understanding the world (construct=opposites like tall-short)
Construct systems differ in Levels of differentiationOrganizationAbstraction
If a person has a construct system high in these qualities, he/she is cognitively complex
CONSTRUCT SYSTEMS ARE DOMAIN SPECIFIC
Domains can be cooking, cars, health, etc.
For constructivists, the most critical domain is the interpersonal construct system
Constructivists measure the complexity of the interpersonal construct system by using the Role Category Questionnaire (RCQ)
WHAT THE RCQ IS LIKE…
Write the initials of a friend on a blank piece of paper. Take 3 minutes to describe the friend in as much detail as possible.
Look at your answer in terms ofNumber of constructsLevel of abstractionOrganization of ideas
What are some possible underlying biases that this research might include?
PERSON-CENTERED COMMUNICATIONConstructivists consider messages
produced in terms of the extent to which they are person-centered.
Person-centered peopleAdapt to the needs of listeners (e.g.,
social support)Account for the situationAttend to multiple goals (e.g., conflict)
LINKING CONSTRUCTS AND MESSAGES
The link between what is in the head and messages produced is clear: People who are more cognitively complex will produce more person-centered messages
Why? The most promising suggests that cognitively complex individuals are better at attending to multiple goals in interactioni.e., instrumental and relational goals
MESSAGE DESIGN LOGICSDesigned by B.J. O’KeefeMain Point: Different ways of managing multiple goals in interaction (instrumental & face needs)
3 Message Design Logics: (Table 7.2) Expressive Design Logic Conventional Design Logic Rhetorical Design Logic
CRITIQUE OF CONSTRUCTIVISM & DESIGN LOGICS
Metts: (not in Miller)Critiques note that these approaches
have not yet assessed the extent to which motivation mediates the effect of cognitive structures.
Just because someone is cognitively complex or capable of rhetorical design logic does not necessarily mean that he or she will use those abilities.
ACTION ASSEMBLY THEORY: BACKGROUND
Developed by John GreenePost-positivistic ontology of generative realismemphasizes the interaction of social,
physiological, and psychological components in the scientific explanation of human behavior
Epistemology is objectivist
STRUCTURES IN AAT: PROCEDURAL RECORD
The cognitive component in AAT
Part of an individual’s memory system
Contains information that links action, outcomes, and situations
Ex.: “If I yell at my roommate for being messy, she will refuse to cooperate.”Describe the procedural record for ordering at a restaurant
STRUCTURES IN AAT: OUTPUT REPRESENTATION
Behaviors produced from procedural
Output representations exist at four hierarchical levels(1) interactional representation(2) ideational representation(3) utterance representation(4) sensorimotor representation
PROCESSES IN AAT: ACTIVATION PROCESSES
Activation is the process by which particular procedural records are selected
Activation is a function of matches between the current situation and goals and information on the procedural record
Activation speed will depend on the strength of the procedural record (recency and frequency of activation)
PROCESSES IN AAT: ASSEMBLY PROCESSESOnce particular procedural records
are activated, they must be assembled into coherent behavioral representation
AAT sees assembly as a process of “coalition formation” of similar records. “momentary assemblages of activated
behavioral features that could be said to ‘fit’ together”
Process not always conscious, but takes timeSets of procedural records can be efficient
Preparing in advance
ACTION ASSEMBLY THEORY:EVIDENCE AND EXTENSION Tests of AAT have been based on the
tenet that “assembly takes time.” whether or not more complex message tasks
take more time.
There has been general support for AAT from these tests.
AAT has also been developed further to deal with conceptual and empirical concerns
THEORIES OF PLANNING AND GOALS:THE GOAL CONSTRUCTPrimary goals in interaction define
what a person is trying to accomplishSecondary goals are typically
concerned with relational issues in interactionIdentity goalsInteraction goalsRelational resource goalsPersonal resource goalsArousal management goals
THE GOAL CONSTRUCT, CONT.
Can also consider “meta-goals”Efficiency (or effectiveness)
How to meet primary goals without wasting time or resources
AppropriatenessAvoid offending or casting bad image of self
Politeness theory and face theory
EFFECTIVENESS AND APPROPRIATENESS
How might effectiveness and appropriateness play out in correcting an employee (or grading a student’s speech)?
THEORIES OF PLANNING AND GOALS:PLANNING PROCESSES
Interaction plans provide the road map for achieving interaction goals
Plans are hierarchical and mental representations of goal-directed action sequences
The “hierarchy principle” suggests that when plans are thwarted, adjustments are made at low levels of plan abstraction
BERGER’S PLANNING THEORY AS A MODEL OF A SOCIAL SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION THEORY
Units/ConceptsPropositions/Laws of Interaction
System StatesBoundariesIN THE STUDY Operationalization variables
Hypotheses
OVERALL COMPARISON AND CRITIQUE
What are some ways in which the theories in this chapter are alike?
What are some comparative strengths and limitations, in terms of theory evaluation terms or conceptual strength, of the theories presented in this chapter?
How might knowing some of the theories in this chapter make you a better teacher/ friend / parent / worker/ social change agent/ etc.?