COM 225 Final Exam Study Guide – Revision Notes, Key Concepts, and Practice
Questions
How would you define communication? - ANS ✔✔Communication is the process whereby
humans collectively create and regulate social reality.
What are the criteria for evaluating communication? - ANS ✔✔The criteria for evaluating
communication are intentionality, reception, and effectiveness.
Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication involves signs, artifacts, codes, and the exchange of
meanings between individuals.
Signs - ANS ✔✔Signs are artifacts or acts that refer to something other than themselves.
What are some points of agreement about the definitions of communication? - ANS
✔✔Communication is transactional and a continuous process.
Can communication occur within one individual? - ANS ✔✔Some people believe
communication requires interaction with another person.
Is intention important in the study of communication? - ANS ✔✔There is disagreement
regarding whether intention is necessary for communication to occur.
Transmission Model of Communication - ANS ✔✔The transmission model of communication
focuses on the transmission of messages between senders and receivers.
Production and Exchange Model of Communication - ANS ✔✔The production and exchange
model of communication emphasizes how messages interact with people to create meaning in
the world.
,What is Interpersonal Communication? - ANS ✔✔Interpersonal Communication is defined
based on characteristics of interactions such as the number of people, physical proximity, nature
of feedback, level of formality, adaptation of a message, and structure of goals.
Situational Approach - ANS ✔✔The approach to defining communication based on
characteristics of interactions.
Levels of Communication - ANS ✔✔The different levels of communication include intrapersonal,
interpersonal, small group, organizational, face-to-face public, and mediated public.
Intrapersonal Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication with oneself, involving only one
person, with close proximity, immediate feedback, informal roles, specific adaptation, and
unstructured goals.
Interpersonal Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication between two people, usually face-to-
face, spontaneous and informal, with immediate feedback, specific adaptation, and usually
unstructured goals.
Small Group Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication involving 3 to about 10 people, often
more difficult than dyadic communication, requiring adaptation of messages to multiple people.
Organizational Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication taking place in complex organizations
with a defined hierarchy, specialized and differentiated roles.
Public Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication involving one speaker addressing a large
audience, where the speaker doesn't know the audience well and must rely on audience
analysis when constructing the message.
, mass communication - ANS ✔✔Communication taking place through a mediated channel, such
as television, radio, newspaper, or internet, usually with communicators far away from each
other, delayed feedback, and structured communicative goals.
Developmental Perspective on Interpersonal Communication - ANS ✔✔The perspective that
emphasizes considering the quality and content of the interaction, involving communication at
cultural, sociological, and psychological levels, with interpersonal communication requiring
sharing psychological level data.
Why are relationships important? - ANS ✔✔Relationships are important because they allow us
to fulfill our fundamental need to belong, and research supports the idea that relationships are
crucial to our happiness and survival.
What is a relationship? - ANS ✔✔A relationship can be defined as a constellation of behaviors,
cognitive constructs, mini-cultures, or collections of contradictory forces.
Constellation of Behaviors - ANS ✔✔The way people behave toward each other is the
relationship, and it is often shown through interdependence and behaviors toward one another.
Cognitive Constructs - ANS ✔✔A relationship is the way we think about our behaviors, and it
involves comparing behaviors to a relationship prototype. However, different individuals may
have different perceptions of the relationship.
Mini-Culture - ANS ✔✔A relationship can be seen as a mini-culture where shared perceptions,
roles, norms, and obligations are developed, similar to how MSU students have their own
unique culture.
Contradictory Forces - ANS ✔✔A relationship can involve a dialogue between opposing "voices"
expressing different and contradictory impulses. These tensions, such as interdependence vs.
independence, predictability vs. novelty, and openness vs. closedness, need to be managed.
Questions
How would you define communication? - ANS ✔✔Communication is the process whereby
humans collectively create and regulate social reality.
What are the criteria for evaluating communication? - ANS ✔✔The criteria for evaluating
communication are intentionality, reception, and effectiveness.
Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication involves signs, artifacts, codes, and the exchange of
meanings between individuals.
Signs - ANS ✔✔Signs are artifacts or acts that refer to something other than themselves.
What are some points of agreement about the definitions of communication? - ANS
✔✔Communication is transactional and a continuous process.
Can communication occur within one individual? - ANS ✔✔Some people believe
communication requires interaction with another person.
Is intention important in the study of communication? - ANS ✔✔There is disagreement
regarding whether intention is necessary for communication to occur.
Transmission Model of Communication - ANS ✔✔The transmission model of communication
focuses on the transmission of messages between senders and receivers.
Production and Exchange Model of Communication - ANS ✔✔The production and exchange
model of communication emphasizes how messages interact with people to create meaning in
the world.
,What is Interpersonal Communication? - ANS ✔✔Interpersonal Communication is defined
based on characteristics of interactions such as the number of people, physical proximity, nature
of feedback, level of formality, adaptation of a message, and structure of goals.
Situational Approach - ANS ✔✔The approach to defining communication based on
characteristics of interactions.
Levels of Communication - ANS ✔✔The different levels of communication include intrapersonal,
interpersonal, small group, organizational, face-to-face public, and mediated public.
Intrapersonal Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication with oneself, involving only one
person, with close proximity, immediate feedback, informal roles, specific adaptation, and
unstructured goals.
Interpersonal Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication between two people, usually face-to-
face, spontaneous and informal, with immediate feedback, specific adaptation, and usually
unstructured goals.
Small Group Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication involving 3 to about 10 people, often
more difficult than dyadic communication, requiring adaptation of messages to multiple people.
Organizational Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication taking place in complex organizations
with a defined hierarchy, specialized and differentiated roles.
Public Communication - ANS ✔✔Communication involving one speaker addressing a large
audience, where the speaker doesn't know the audience well and must rely on audience
analysis when constructing the message.
, mass communication - ANS ✔✔Communication taking place through a mediated channel, such
as television, radio, newspaper, or internet, usually with communicators far away from each
other, delayed feedback, and structured communicative goals.
Developmental Perspective on Interpersonal Communication - ANS ✔✔The perspective that
emphasizes considering the quality and content of the interaction, involving communication at
cultural, sociological, and psychological levels, with interpersonal communication requiring
sharing psychological level data.
Why are relationships important? - ANS ✔✔Relationships are important because they allow us
to fulfill our fundamental need to belong, and research supports the idea that relationships are
crucial to our happiness and survival.
What is a relationship? - ANS ✔✔A relationship can be defined as a constellation of behaviors,
cognitive constructs, mini-cultures, or collections of contradictory forces.
Constellation of Behaviors - ANS ✔✔The way people behave toward each other is the
relationship, and it is often shown through interdependence and behaviors toward one another.
Cognitive Constructs - ANS ✔✔A relationship is the way we think about our behaviors, and it
involves comparing behaviors to a relationship prototype. However, different individuals may
have different perceptions of the relationship.
Mini-Culture - ANS ✔✔A relationship can be seen as a mini-culture where shared perceptions,
roles, norms, and obligations are developed, similar to how MSU students have their own
unique culture.
Contradictory Forces - ANS ✔✔A relationship can involve a dialogue between opposing "voices"
expressing different and contradictory impulses. These tensions, such as interdependence vs.
independence, predictability vs. novelty, and openness vs. closedness, need to be managed.
