COM CM 380 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Uncertainty Reduction Theory, Consistency, Universal Rule

• School: Boston University
• Department: Mass Communication, Advertising & Public Relations
• Course: COM CM 380
• Professor: Vigil

Document Summary

Evaluating theories: accuracy (is it supported?, your worldly experiences aren"t the experiences of the whole world, practicality (is it useful?, succinctness (occam"s razor, o. r. Always suit theories to the facts, not facts to the theories! (attribution, uncertainty reduction, expectancy violation & cognitive dissonance) Sometimes you"ll see these terms when explaining other concepts. Attribution theory: what causes behavior, snap judgements/trying to understand what causes how other people behave (yourself too, but more often other people) Professional applications: public relations, understanding individual tendencies helps in strategy creation (particularly good for crisis communication, ex. Fb makes others sad, but not me, i"m fine!) Uncertainty reduction theory: try to get information in order to reduce uncertainty, passive, you get information from being around not seeking information but the information comes to you, ex. You overhear a conversation about a person: active, trying to get information just not from the source, ex. Interactive: getting information from the source, ex.