Communication Theory Group Presentation - How People Construct Meaning

7/30/2019 Communication Theory Group Presentation - How People Construct Meaning

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Chapter 7

How People ConstructMeaning

-Summer Biggs

-Gabriella Gonzalez

-Kailey Graybill

-Vivian Rangel


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How People Construct

Meaning

Rules Theory & Constructivism

Extend the general premises of symbolicinteractionism by providing more detailedaccounts of how individuals constructmeanings


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Rules Theory

How humans construct meaning

Coordinated Management of

Meaning Theory (CMM)


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Coordinated Management of

Meaning Theory

Emerged in the 1970s

Is an interpretive theory that assumes human

communication is rule guided and rule following

3 key concepts

Hierarchy of meanings

Rules Logical Force


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Hierarchy of Meanings

Barnett Pearce and

Vernon Cronen (1980)

We rely on a hierarchy ofmeanings to interpret

experiences

6 levels of the hierarchy


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Level 1

CONTENT

CONTENT: Lowest level of

meaning in the hierarchy

We only understand thedictionary meanings of

words

Youre a jerk

Cultural Patterns

Autobiography

Relationships

Episode

SpeechAct

Content


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Level 2

SPEECH ACT

SPEECH ACT: Provides acontext for interpreting theraw content ofcommunication

We take actions when wespeak

Which speech act beingperformed isnt alwaysclear

joking

Cultural Patterns

Autobiography

Relationships

Episode

SpeechAct

Content

Cultural Patterns

Autobiography

Relationships

Episode

SpeechAct

Content


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Level 3

EPISODE

EPISODE: a recurring

routine of interaction thatis structured by rules and

has boundaries.

Larger frames that help us

determine what is inside

and outside of a giveninteraction routine

Friendly banter

Cultural Patterns

Autobiography

Relationships

Episode

SpeechAct

Content

Cultural Patterns

Autobiography

Relationships

Episode

SpeechAct

Content


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Level 4

RELATIONSHIPS

RELATIONSHIPS: Semi

scripted ways we interactwith particular others

How we define a given

relationship provides a

context for interpreting

lower levels

Best friend context

Cultural Patterns

Autobiography

Relationships

Episode

SpeechAct

Content

Cultural Patterns

Autobiography

Relationships

Episode

SpeechAct

Content


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Level 5

AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Anpersonal view of yourselfthat shapes or is shapedby communication

All speech acts andepisodes that areconsistent with anindividuals sense of selfmake up the wholeautobigraphy

I am playful

Cultural Patterns

Autobiography

Relationships

Episode

SpeechAct

Content

Cultural Patterns

Autobiography

Relationships

Episode

SpeechAct

Content


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Level 6

CULTURAL

PATTERNS CULTURAL PATTERNS:

Understanding of the lowerlevels of hierarchy that isshared by particular socialgroups or societies

Because different socialgroups develop distinctcultural patterns,misunderstandingshappen

College friends

Cultural Patterns

Autobiography

Relationships

Episode

SpeechAct

Content

Cultural Patterns

Autobiography

Relationships

Episode

SpeechAct

Content


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Rules

Allow us to make sense of social interaction and

guide our own communication so we can

coordinate meanings with others

1. Constitutive Rules

2. Regulative Rules


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Constitutive Rules

Define what counts as what

What certain actions constitute or mean in a

situation

Example:

kissing and hugging = affection

listening and responding = attentiveness


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Regulative Rules

Tell us when its appropriate to do certain things

and what we should do next in an interaction

Example:

Playful banter-

friends follow regulative rule that says it is

appropriate to match an insult with an insult

Classroom-

student raises hand to speak, regulative rule says it is

not appropriate to insult a teacher or other students


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Logical Force

Cronen and Pearce

The felt obligation to act

What is logical, appropriate, or required in certainsituations

We may feel we must do something because of:

1. Prior actions

2. Desired outcomes

3. Situational demands

4. The desire to change situations


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Strange Loops

Robert Branham and Pearce

Internal conversations where individuals become

trapped in destructive patterns of thinking

Involves hierarchy of meaning

Solution includes altering meanings


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Exemplar- gym


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Critical Assessment of CMM

Theory

1. Unclear Meaning of Rule

Not all rules theorists agree on the meaning of rules

2. Too Ambiguous What are the constitutive rules for defining rules?

What accounts for creativity, innovation, andviolations of convention?

3. Too Broad in Scope CMM tries to explain the whole universe

Fails to provide insight into specific communication


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Constructivism


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Constructivism Theory

Roots of the constructivist theory are symbolic

interactionism and psychologist George Kellys

personal construct theory. Both focus on cognitive process

3 primary concepts of constructivist theory:

Cognitive Schemata

Cognitive Complexity

Person-Centeredness


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Cognitive Schemata

There are 3 additional kinds of knowledge

structure:

Prototypes Personal Constructs

Stereotypes

Scripts (Not a knowledge of structure)

They all work together to make sense of our

experiences.


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Exemplar- cafeteria


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Prototype

Prototypes are ideal or optimal examples of

categories of people, situations, objects, and so

forth. We use prototypes to interpret others who fit into

particular categories.


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Personal Constructs

A mental yardstick that allows us to measure a

phenomenon on a particular dimension.

Personal constructs are bipolar, or opposite,scales of judgment.


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Stereotypes

Stereotypes are predictive

generalizations.

We prophesy what she orhe will do based on the

general group into which

we have classified the

individual.


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Scripts

Not a knowledge structure, but are guides to

actions.

Scripts are a routine of how you interact withdifferent activities. Like the way you talk and

behave.


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Constructivists believe that people vary in the

complexity, or sophistication, of their interpretive

processes. Cognitive Complexity elaborate on how a persons

interpretive processes are along three dimensions

of differentiation, abstraction, and organization.


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Differentiation is measured by the number of distinct

interpretations an individual uses to perceive and

describe others.

Abstraction is the extent to which a person interpretsothers in terms of internal motives, personality traits, and

character.

Organization is the degree to which a person notices and

is able to make sense of contradictor behaviors.

Cognitively unsophisticated interpretation

Cognitively more complex explanation


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Exemplar trust fall


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Person-Centeredness

Cognitively complex people are more capable of

engaging in sensitive communication that is

tailored to particular others. A person who is not cognitively complex

A cognitively complex individual


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Internal Validity Questionable

Some scholars arent satisfied with the Role

Category questionnaire that was given

They believe it largely measures vocabulary ratherthan the complexity of a persons interpretations

A person with a large vocabulary could provide

more elaborate descriptions of others than a

person with a limited vocabulary


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Pragmatic Utility is Weak

Constructivist work has not addressed practical

issues

Jesse Delia believes testing constructivism is thegoal of future research


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Theoretical Scope Neglects

Communication

Constructivism is more concerned with cognitive

process than communication

The theory emphasizes the process of perceivingand interpreting interpersonal phenomena

Doesnt explain the link to communication


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In Summary

How we create meaning

Coordinated Management Meaning Theory and

Constructivism

CMM explains the multiple levels of meaning we go

through to make sense of experiences and coordinate

communication

Constructivism emphasizes personal constructs andcognitive complexity to explain how we organize

perceptions


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What is the purpose of the

Hierarchy of Meaning pyramid?

a. To interpret experiences

b. To explain social conventions

c. Show the steps of purging guilt

d. Explain the qualities of good storytelling

e. None of the above


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True or False

According to CMM theorists,

communication is action.

A di t th L i l F th


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According to the Logical Force theory,

which of the following is not a reason

we feel we must act?

a. Prior actions

b. Desired outcomes

c. Guilt

d. Situational demands

e. Desire to change situations


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True or False

Regulative rules tell us when its

appropriate to do certain things,

and what we should do next in an

interaction.


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What is one of the primary

concepts of Constructivist Theory?

a. Cognitive Schema

b. Cognitive Complexity

c. Person- Centeredness

d. None of the above

e. All of the above


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True or False

Prototypes are ideal or optimal

examples of categories of

people, situations, objects, and

so forth.


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What do scholars think the problem with the

Role Category Questionnaire is?

a. The questions were too complex to be answered

b. Only children took part in it

c. It only measured vocabulary

d. There were not enough questions to get an

accurate reading

e. All of the above


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True or False?

The ability to tailor

communication to particularindividuals with whom we

interact is Person-

Centeredness

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Communication Theory Group Presentation - How People Construct Meaning

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