1|Page
UCSB Comm 89 Midterm (Actual 2025/2026)
Questions and 100% verified Answers
Communication - (answers)-A social process in which individuals employ symbols
to establish and interpret meaning in their environment
-Note: there are many ways to define and interpret communication
-Has no definable beginning and ending
5 terms that are apart of the Communication process - (answers)-Social
-Process
-Symbols
-Meaning
-Environment
Process - (answers)Ongoing, dynamic, and unending occurrence. It is also
dynamic, complex, and continually changing
Social - (answers)The notion that people and interactions are part of the
communication process
Symbol - (answers)-Arbitrary label given to a phenomenon
-Words are symbols for concepts and things
Concrete Symbol - (answers)-Symbol representing an object
,2|Page
Abstract symbol - (answers)-Symbol representing an idea or thought
Meaning - (answers)-What people extract from a message
-Can have more than one meaning and even multiple layers of meaning
-Not all meaning is shared
Enviorment - (answers)-Situation or context in which communication occurs
-Includes a number of elements: time, historical period, relationship, and a
speaker's and listener's cultural background
-Can also be mediated--can take place with technological assistance
Linear Model of communication - (answers)-one-way view of communication that
assumes a message is sent by a source to a receiver through a channel
-Created by Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver
-Key elements of model: Source, message, receiver, channel, noise and semantic
noise
Source - (answers)-Originator/transmitter of a message
Message - (answers)-Words, sounds, actions, or gestures in an interaction
Receiver - (answers)-The recipient of a message
,3|Page
Channel - (answers)-Pathway to communication
-Correspond to the visual, tactile, olfactory and auditory senses
Nosie - (answers)-Distortion in channel not intended by the source
There are 4 types of noise - (answers)-Semantic Noise
-Physical (external) Noise
-Psychological Noise
-Physiological Noise
Semantic noise - (answers)-Linguistic influences on reception of message
-Pertains to slang, jargon, or specialized language used by individuals or groups
Ex: terms used by doctors and someone outside the medical community would
not know
Physical (external) noise - (answers)-Bodily influences on reception of message
(actual noise)
Psychological noise - (answers)-Cognitive influences on reception of message
-Refers to a communicator's prejudices, biases, and predispositions toward
another or the message
-Ex: listening to politicians whose views you don't support
, 4|Page
Physiological noise - (answers)-Biological influences on reception of message
-Exists if you or a speaker is ill, fatigued or hungry
Interactional Model of Communication - (answers)-View of communication as the
sharing of meaning with feedback that links source and receiver
-Two features of this model are feedback and field of experience
Feedback - (answers)-Communication given to the source by the receiver to
indicate understanding
-By be verbal or non-verbal, intentional or unintentional
Field of Experience - (answers)-Overlap of sender's and receiver's culture,
experiences, and heredity in communication
-Each person brings a unique field of experience to each communication episode,
which influences the comm between ppl
Transactional Model of Communication - (answers)-View of communication as the
simultaneous sending and receiving of messages
-The process is cooperative; the sender and receiver are mutually responsible for
the effect and the effectiveness of communication
-Transaction is greatly influenced by their past experience
-Requires us to recognize the influence of one message on another
UCSB Comm 89 Midterm (Actual 2025/2026)
Questions and 100% verified Answers
Communication - (answers)-A social process in which individuals employ symbols
to establish and interpret meaning in their environment
-Note: there are many ways to define and interpret communication
-Has no definable beginning and ending
5 terms that are apart of the Communication process - (answers)-Social
-Process
-Symbols
-Meaning
-Environment
Process - (answers)Ongoing, dynamic, and unending occurrence. It is also
dynamic, complex, and continually changing
Social - (answers)The notion that people and interactions are part of the
communication process
Symbol - (answers)-Arbitrary label given to a phenomenon
-Words are symbols for concepts and things
Concrete Symbol - (answers)-Symbol representing an object
,2|Page
Abstract symbol - (answers)-Symbol representing an idea or thought
Meaning - (answers)-What people extract from a message
-Can have more than one meaning and even multiple layers of meaning
-Not all meaning is shared
Enviorment - (answers)-Situation or context in which communication occurs
-Includes a number of elements: time, historical period, relationship, and a
speaker's and listener's cultural background
-Can also be mediated--can take place with technological assistance
Linear Model of communication - (answers)-one-way view of communication that
assumes a message is sent by a source to a receiver through a channel
-Created by Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver
-Key elements of model: Source, message, receiver, channel, noise and semantic
noise
Source - (answers)-Originator/transmitter of a message
Message - (answers)-Words, sounds, actions, or gestures in an interaction
Receiver - (answers)-The recipient of a message
,3|Page
Channel - (answers)-Pathway to communication
-Correspond to the visual, tactile, olfactory and auditory senses
Nosie - (answers)-Distortion in channel not intended by the source
There are 4 types of noise - (answers)-Semantic Noise
-Physical (external) Noise
-Psychological Noise
-Physiological Noise
Semantic noise - (answers)-Linguistic influences on reception of message
-Pertains to slang, jargon, or specialized language used by individuals or groups
Ex: terms used by doctors and someone outside the medical community would
not know
Physical (external) noise - (answers)-Bodily influences on reception of message
(actual noise)
Psychological noise - (answers)-Cognitive influences on reception of message
-Refers to a communicator's prejudices, biases, and predispositions toward
another or the message
-Ex: listening to politicians whose views you don't support
, 4|Page
Physiological noise - (answers)-Biological influences on reception of message
-Exists if you or a speaker is ill, fatigued or hungry
Interactional Model of Communication - (answers)-View of communication as the
sharing of meaning with feedback that links source and receiver
-Two features of this model are feedback and field of experience
Feedback - (answers)-Communication given to the source by the receiver to
indicate understanding
-By be verbal or non-verbal, intentional or unintentional
Field of Experience - (answers)-Overlap of sender's and receiver's culture,
experiences, and heredity in communication
-Each person brings a unique field of experience to each communication episode,
which influences the comm between ppl
Transactional Model of Communication - (answers)-View of communication as the
simultaneous sending and receiving of messages
-The process is cooperative; the sender and receiver are mutually responsible for
the effect and the effectiveness of communication
-Transaction is greatly influenced by their past experience
-Requires us to recognize the influence of one message on another
