The Influence of Ethnicity, Gender, and Dyadic Composition On Uncertainty Reduction in Initial Interactions

Abstract

Uncertainty reduction theory (Berger and Calabrese, 1975; Berger, 1975, 1979; Berger and Bradac, 1982) is one of the major frameworks employed in the study of interpersonal communication. This theory focuses on how communication is used to gain understanding in interpersonal relationships with uncertainty as the central construct of the perspective. The original explication of the theory (Berger and Calabrese, 1975) presented 7 axioms and 21 theorems that specify the interrelationships among uncertainty, amount of communication, nonverbal affiliative expressiveness, information seeking, intimacy level of communication context, reciprocity, similarity, and liking.