General Theory Of Communication Research Articles

Publics and Lay Informatics: A Review of the Situational Theory of Problem Solving

The situational theory of publics (STP), one of the most popular public relations theories, provides a mechanism for the identification of publics and their information behaviors. The situational theory of problem solving (STOPS), an extension of the STP, is a more general theory of communication that looks at antecedents of individuals’ communication and information behaviors in the process of problem solving. This chapter reviews and explicates the differences and similarities between the two theories, their respective intellectual origins, and the body of new research that is being and could be generated from the STOPS.

General Theory of Communication

General Theory of Communication

Shielding risk

This article suggests that a theory of risk communication is incomplete without incorporating how risk is not only promoted, but also shielded: shielding risk refers to the strategic use of dominant cultural symbols, narratives and communication formats to deflect and often negate claims about risks. Many risk narratives are normatively based on institutional information sources, and reified through communication formats. It appears that all cultures shield risks, and our failure to locate and understand these may reflect limited theoretical perspectives about the relationship between a general theory of communication and social action, on the one hand, and risk communication, on the other. Clarifying how risk is shielded by institutional formats of social control can illuminate the role of mediated information and entertainment-oriented narratives in constructing social reality. I discuss the shielding of risk communication by focusing mainly on examples from the United States: guns, expanding prison population and military influences on universities

Aspects Concerning Tourism-Related Communication. Case Study: Poiana Ruscă Mountains (Romania)

Tourism is a phenomenon where communication is particularly important, being largely responsible for converting prospective tourists, into actual tourists. The article is based on the paradigm, functions and factors of tourism-related communication, and analysis how tourism-related communication takes place in the Poiana Rusca Mountains tourist area. This is a mountain area with complex tourism potential, located within the 1.5 hours isochrone of several urban centers, which makes it attractive for weekend, proximity tourism. The analysis considered several components: communication within the emitting spaces, communication within the studied area, as well as communication using the cyberspace. Based on the general theory of communication and its practice in tourism, the conclusion reveals several restrictive elements on the side of the sender - advertising being in short supply and lacking a coherent message –, as well as on that of the receiver - the absence of a predilection for outdoor tourism and hiking.

Public Speaking Attitudes: Does Curriculum Make a Difference?

In light of infamous levels of fear associated with public speaking, businesses are training staff in communication effectiveness and universities are requiring courses in public speaking. A variety of approaches to individual training are available, but few studies have assessed effectiveness of group instruction, as in academic curricula. The specific purpose of this study was to compare changes in scores on measures of self-perceived confidence, competence, and apprehension associated with public speaking after two types of courses: one focused on knowledge of the vocal mechanism and mastering vocal characteristics (pitch, volume, rate, quality), and one addressing general communication theory and public speaking. Seventy-one undergraduate students enrolled in "Voice and Diction" at George Washington University (GWU) and 68 enrolled in "Fundamental Speech" at Florida State University completed questionnaires before and after the courses. Scores on Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale, Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker, and Personal Report of Communication Apprehension-24, were compared within subjects (ie, prepost course) and between courses. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found on all measures: students reported less apprehension and more confidence and competence after the courses. No differences were found between the two courses when comparing the mean changes from pre- to postscore. Traditional public speaking curriculum of how to design and deliver a speech and curriculum tailored to the voice and speech mechanism succeeded in reducing public speaking apprehension and increasing feelings of confidence and competency for these undergraduate students.

'States of the Common and the Unique': An Introduction to a General Functional Communication Theory

We define here communication theory as the simplest abstract concept of a description of communicative processes serving as an explication for this phenomenon. To describe these processes we will use the term 'state'. The term general communication theory is used here to emphasize that communication is not related to a specific field - it is neither a purely linguistic nor a 'real world' phenomenon. (The contemporary contribution and segmentation of field of communication gives us the impression of specific fields and sub-fields of communication). Functional theory means here that we are interested in the functions that entities have, when participating in a communication and enable all communicators to make a communication process.

Mixed media: from digital aesthetics towards general communication theory

During the last decade, many studies have reconsidered the definition of media, frequently emphasizing how new Digital media may be reproducing or reformulating old analogue media. Through a critical examination of two key contributions Bolter and Grusin (1999) on remediation and Manovich (2001) on the language of new media this article suggests that much current work under a heading of digital aesthetics, approaching media as modes of representing reality, rather than as resources for acting in and on reality, is missing not one, but two opportunities one of exploring interactivity at the level of meaning as received and interpreted, the other of specifying how the discourses of digital media enter into social interaction beyond the interface. Digital media should be understood in the wider context of general communication theory, including issues of mediated and unmediated social interaction.

Uncertainty and the Communication of Time

Prigogine and Stengers (1988) [47] have pointed to the centrality of the concepts of “time and eternity” for the cosmology contained in Newtonian physics, but they have not addressed this issue beyond the domain of physics. The construction of “time” in the cosmology dates back to debates among Huygens, Newton, and Leibniz. The deconstruction of this cosmology in terms of the philosophical questions of the 17th century suggests an uncertainty in the time dimension. While order has been conceived as an “harmonie preetablie,” it is considered as emergent from an evolutionary perspective. In a “chaology”, one should fully appreciate that different systems may use different clocks. Communication systems can be considered as contingent in space and time: substances contain force or action, and they communicate not only in (observable) extension, but also over time. While each communication system can be considered as a system of reference for a special theory of communication, the addition of an evolutionary perspective to the mathematical theory of communication opens up the possibility of a general theory of communication.

Towards a Theory of Emotional Communication

In their paper, "Towards a Theory of Emotional Communication," Anne Bartsch and Susanne Hübner outline a model of emotional communication where emotional communication is conceptualized as a process of mutual influence between the emotions of communication partners. To elaborate this general notion further, four working definitions of emotional communication are introduced, each of which is based on a different theory of emotions. In the second part of the paper, an integrative framework is proposed that reconciles the four working definitions and their underlying theories of emotion. According to this framework, emotional communication comprises three interrelated levels of complexity: 1) innate stimulus-response-patterns, 2) associative schemata, and 3) symbolic meaning. Finally, Bartsch and Hübner discuss how emotional communication can be described in terms of general communication theory, and conclude that the three complexity levels are heterogeneous with regard to definitional issues in general communication theory. Hence, emotional communication cannot be subsumed under a single theory of communication. Taken separately, however, each complexity level of emotional communication can be related meaningfully to approaches in general communication theory.

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication: Distinguishing Symbolic, Spontaneous, and Pseudo-Spontaneous Nonverbal Behavior

Verbal and nonverbal communication are seen in terms of interacting streams of spontaneous and symbolic communication, and posed “pseudo-spontaneous” displays. Spontaneous communication is defined as the nonintentional communication of motivational-emotional states based upon biologically shared nonpropositional signal systems, with information transmitted via displays. Symbolic communication is the intentional communication, using learned, socially shared signal systems, of propositional information transmitted via symbols. Pseudospontaneous communication involves the intentional and strategic manipulation of displays. An original meta-analysis demonstrates that, like verbal symbolic communication, nonverbal analogic (pantomimic) communication is related to left hemisphere cerebral processing. In contrast, spontaneous communication is related to the right hemisphere. A general theory of communication should account for the natural biologically based aspects of communication as well as its learned and symbolically structured aspects. Further, such a general theory should include a feedback process—explanations of message production alone or message reception alone, although potentially useful, are incomplete. A corollary of these two criteria is that a general theory of communication should account for the coevolution of symbolic and nonsymbolic feedback processes and their integration into systems of communication characteristic of the human species. Whereas the explication of such a general theory is beyond the scope of this article, developmental interactionist theory (Buck, 1984, 1989, 1994) does aim to offer such an integrated view. The current article poses how developmental interactionist theory deals with the topic of this special issue of Journal of Communication—the relationship between verbal and nonverbal communication.

Lobbying: fantasy, reality or both? A health care public policy case study

AbstractThis paper provides a theoretical explanation for lobbying as interpersonal rhetorical communication based on the tenets of symbolic convergence theory (SCT). SCT is a general theory of communication in the symbolic interactionism paradigm. Nowhere in the extant communication literature, including the scholarly public relations research, is lobbying explicated in this way. This paper utilises a health care public policy case study to illustrate SCT in lobbying practice. The emphasis here is on how lobbyists use homo narrans, or human storytelling, in influential face‐to‐face information exchange with public policy decision makers to be persuasive on behalf of their clients. The ultimate aim of this paper is to build the current body of theoretical and practical knowledge about lobbying, to advance more positive perceptions of lobbyists and lobbying and to improve the practice of lobbying in producing effective public policy outcomes. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications

Three Decades of Developing, Grounding, and Using Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT)

For 30 years, good fortune has enabled us to contribute to the development of symbolic convergence theory (SCT). SCT is a general theory of communication that helps explain broad aspects of interpersonal, small group, public, organizational, mass, and intercultural communication. SCT explains the communicative force of fantasy-sharing on human action as stemming from its ability to forge a symbolic consciousness that is constitutive of reality. In this chapter, we first depict SCT’s heuristic value. Next, we highlight its historical development and grounding research. Then, we set out its anatomical elements providing a clear view of the relationship among its 18 technical concepts. Specifically, we highlight its basic, message, dynamic, communicator, medium, and evaluative concepts. Then, we depict its utility by describing its use in solving real-world problems ranging from physician recruitment to relationship building to creating a new corporate identity and culture. Thereupon, we synthesize the answers to its major criticisms. Finally, we discuss potential avenues for future research and development. We highlight the need for researchers to develop a propensity to fantasize scale and work toward the unification of the force of fantasy and the other communicative forces.

The Non-linear Dynamics of Sociological Reflections

Actors are embedded in networks of communication: the relationships among the actors can be represented as the rows of a matrix, while the column vectors represent their communications. The two systems are structurally coupled in the co-variation: each action can be considered as a communication with reference to the network. Co-variation among systems, if repeated over time, may lead to co-evolution. Conditions for stabilization of higher-order systems are specifiable: segmentation, stratification, reflection, differentiation and self-organization can be distinguished in terms of developmental stages of increasingly complex networks. The sociological theory of communication occupies a central position for the clarification of the possibility of a general theory of communication, since it confronts us with the limits of reflexivity in human understanding and reflexive discourse. The implications for modelling the relations among incommensurable discourses (e.g. paradigms) are elaborated.

INFLUENCE OF MATING TYPE AND SELECTION ON THE GENETIC INFORMATION FLOW

In this work a quantitative evaluation of the influence of mating type and selection on the genetic information flow in ecosystems is considered. Assuming the Schmalhausen’s model of information dynamics, a measure of information that accounts both, for the amount of genetic information in the population and the transformations induced by selection and mating type on the amount of information is employed. Furthermore, some measures of information transfer, channel noises and information loss are employed in the evaluation of two sexual reproductive types very relevant in plant populations: random mating and selfing. The measures employed arise from the Shannon’s General Theory of Communication. They are conditional entropies and the average mutual information. Reproduction takes place in the past generation after transformation of the genetic structure of the population through selection. In case of clastic selection an expression for the measure of fitness entropy is computed. Basic Mendelian rules of inheritance are assumed in the derivation of the one-generation transition probabilities. Finally, a numerical application is analyzed.

Interpreting anaphoric expressions: a cognitive versus a pragmatic approach

Levinson (1985, 1987a &amp; b, 1991) and Ariel (1985a &amp; b, 1987, 1988a &amp; b, 1990a, 1991) have each proposed to anchor discourse and sentential anaphora within a more general theory of communication. Levinson chose a general, extra-linguistic pragmatic theory. He uses Grice's Quantity maxim to account for the distribution of zeros, reflexives, pronouns and lexical NPs, claiming that coreferent readings are preferred, unless a disjoint reading is implicated (by the revised Gricean maxims he offers). I have proposed a specifically linguistic, cognitive theory, whereby speakers guide addressees' retrievals of mental representations corresponding to all definite NPs (coreferent as well as disjoint) by signalling to them the degree of Accessibility associated with the intended mental entity in their memory. An examination of actual data reveals that Levinson's predictions regarding definite NP interpretations are often not borne out. In addition, his proposals cannot account for many anaphoric patterns actually found in natural discourse. Accessibility theory, it is argued, can account for both types of problematic data.

Uncertainty and the communication of time

AbstractPrigogine and Stengers (1988) [47] have pointed to the centrality of the concepts of “time and eternity” for the cosmology contained in Newtonian physics, but they have not addressed this issue beyond the domain of physics. The construction of “time” in the cosmology dates back to debates among Huygens, Newton, and Leibniz. The deconstruction of this cosmology in terms of the philosophical questions of the 17th century suggests an uncertainty in the time dimension. While order has been conceived as an “harmonie preetablie”, it is considered as emergent from an evolutionary perspective. In a “chaology”, one should fully appreciate that different systems may use different clocks. Communication systems can be considered as contingent in space and time: substances contain force or action, and they communicate not only in (observable) extension, but also over time. While each communication system can be considered as a system of reference for a special theory of communication, the addition of an evolutionary perspective to the mathematical theory of communication opens up the possibility of a general theory of communication.

Issues in linearization: Prolegomena for a general theory of communication

Issues in linearization: Prolegomena for a general theory of communication

Shannon's general theory of communication

Shannon's general theory of communication

Control and Self-confidence as Reflected in Sex-bound Patterns in Communication: An Experimental Approach

Very little of the recent research on 'sex and language' has contributed much to our understanding of the actual nature of these phenomena. There has been a failure to adopt a communication perspective, and the impact of the situation has been ignored. This present study assesses the verbal communication of the four possible dyadic sex combinations (male → male; male → female; female → male; female → female) in two apparently similar, but in reality highly different communication situations, in that while the first is simple and straightforward, a communication conflict is induced in the latter. Whereas the traditional stereotypes concerning 'sex and verbal communication' are clearly reflected in the first situation, a radically different pattern is exposed in the conflict situation. The different sex-bound patterns of communication efficiency across situations are discussed within the framework of general communication theory in terms of the participants' confidence (in self and other) and their manner of exerting control.

Problems in the mathematical theory of quantum communication channels

In this paper a survey of some basic concepts of the general communication theory including both classical and quantum case is given. Some open questions are formulated and discussed.