COMS 201 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: General Semantics, Testability, Rationality
16 Apr 2016
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Communication a systemic process in which individuals interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings . Abstract: symbols aren"t concrete or tangible (touchable) Arbitrary: no natural or intrinsic relation to what symbols represent. Theories are human construction; a way of describing, explaining, and representing phenomena. When theorizing, we attempt to make sense of things. Description: to understand how/why something works, must be able to describe it, identify key features of the phenomenon. Explanation: effort to clarify why and how something works, identifies how key features of the phenomenon work together, there are 2 main types of explanations. Relies on universal laws to explain phenomena. Causal or correlational: causal: x leads to y; y happens because of x, correlational: two things go together, but not that once. Rules have more restricted score than laws. Attempt to identify patterns that describe/explain communication interactions in specific situations.
