Speech 100 - Study Guide Examination #1
Adler & Rodman’s Understanding Human Communication (10th Ed. 2009) chapters 1-3
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Chapter 1: Human Communication: What & Why

  1. Where are meanings located?
  2. What do we mean when we say communication is symbolic?
  3. What are the functions of communication? Give examples.
  4. What are the social needs satisfied through communication?
  5. What are the different types of communication?
  6. Mary has a stomachache and can’t listen very well. What kind of noise is she experiencing?
  7. Name the type of communication that is characterized by an unequal distribution of speaking time.
  8. What are the functions of a model?
  9. What are the components of a speech communication model?
  10. Describe the encoding process?
  11. What is feedback?
  12. Define a linear model of communication. Interactive model. Transactional model.
  13. What is communication competence?
  14. What are the seven characteristics of a competent communicator?
  15. What are seven common misconceptions about communication?

Chapter 2: Perception, the Self and Communication

  1. What are five common perceptual errors (misconceptions)?
  2. What is the first step in the perceptual process?
  3. What factors influence the interpretation process in perception
  4. What is the fundamental attribution error?  Explain the concept of self-serving bias.
  5. What is perception checking? How can you use it to become more accurate in your view of others? Give examples.
  6. Name some characteristics of self-concept?
  7. Do you believe babies come into the world with very little sense of self?
  8. How does culture operate as a filter for perception?
  9. What is the connection between self-concept and communication?
  10. What is meant by reflected appraisal?
  11. How have social scientists defined "significant other"?
  12. What is the self-fulfilling prophecy?
  13. Are people more influenced by negative or positive characteristics of others?
  14. The use of a placebo in medicine is an example of what principle?
  15. What is impression management? Why do we use it?
  16. How do we manage impressions?

Chapter 3: Language

  1. Where are meanings located?
  2. How does language reflect the attitude of the user?
  3. What is the relationship between language use and gender?
  4. What is equivocal language?  Give two examples.
  5. How do relative words get their meaning?
  6. What is S. I. Hayakawa’s ladder of abstraction?
  7. What is the difference between fact statements and opinion statements? How do they sometimes become confused and lead to misunderstanding?
  8. What is emotive language?  Give two examples.
  9. Distinguish between denotative and connotative meanings?
  10. What is evasive language? What are euphemisms?
  11. What is the difference between low context and high context communication styles?
  12. Explain the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis. (Linguistic relativism)