Deck 2: Conceptualizing Communication Theory

Question 1

Which of the following statements about theory is true?

A) A theory is an organized set of statements that explains some phenomenon.
B) A theory is an organized set of statements that explains some phenomenon.
C) Theories are abstract ideas that are subject to rules of logic and organization.
D) All of the above are true.
E) Only statements A and B are true.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A theory consists of all of the following parts, EXCEPT:

A) An intellectual tradition
B) Focus assumptions
C) Operational definitions
D) Claims
E) Concepts

Answer 2

C

Question 3

To help us understand how parents' disclosures about divorce influence their children's well-being, Dr. Afifi and her colleagues created a picture that describes different factors that influence parents' decisions to disclose. In other words, Dr. Afifi and her colleagues created:

A) A model
B) An intellectual tradition
C) A conceptual framework
D) A theory
E) A paradigm

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Whereas a ________ is a group of people who share ideas about the communication process, a ________ is the set of ideas that they share.

A) Pool of intellectuals; conceptual framework
B) Pool of intellectuals; conceptual framework
C) Consortium; conceptual framework
D) School of thought; theory
E) Pool of intellectuals; paradigm

Question 5

When theorists attempt to identify the reasons, motives, and interests that underlie behavior (i.e., how and why people act the way they do), their primary objective for developing theory is to provide:

A) Description
B) Understanding
C) Prediction
D) Reform
E) Explanation

Question 6

Relational dialectics theory was developed by Dr. Leslie A. Baxter, a communication professor at the University of Iowa. This fact is part of the theory's:

A) Conceptual framework
B) Concepts
C) Intellectual tradition
D) Claims
E) Focus assumptions

Question 7

Uncertainty reduction theory states that as the amount of uncertainty increases, an individual's tendency to ask questions and seek information increases as well. This statement represents one example of a theory's:

A) Focus assumptions
B) Claims
C) Concepts
D) Scope assumptions
E) Intellectual tradition

Question 8

Which of the following statements about a theory's concepts is true?

A) Concepts represent specific ideas with explicit definitions attached to them.
B) Scholars invent a new set of concepts every time they refer to a unique event.
C) When a theory's concepts are tested, as in a research study, they typically become variables.
D) All of the above are true.
E) Only statements A and C are true.

Question 9

In the post-positivist paradigm, the role of communication is:

A) Power-laden
B) Inconsequential
C) Constitutive
D) Representational
E) Experiential

Question 10

The branch of philosophy that is concerned with how we know what it is we know is referred to as:

A) Ontology
B) Axiology
C) Epistemology
D) Methodology
E) Etymology

Question 11

All of the following statements are examples of claims, EXCEPT:

A) If a Hollywood actress discovers that her spouse has been unfaithful, then she will file for divorce.
B) Divorce is a formal separation of two married partners according to established customs.
C) Celebrity divorces are caused by the intense stress and pressure of the movie industry.
D) If a Hollywood marriage begins prior to both partners turning 25 years of age, then the couple will be more likely to divorce.
E) If a Hollywood marriage begins prior to both partners turning 25 years of age, then the couple will be more likely to divorce.

Question 12

Which school of thought believes only in what can be directly observed or experienced with the senses?

A) Post-positivist scholars
B) Interpretive scholars
C) Critical scholars
D) Post-modern scholars
E) Neo-Aristotelian scholars

Question 13

Dr. Trethewey looked at how firefighters socially construct risks and hazards in ways that align closely with their preferred identities as professionals who want nothing more than to "get it on" with fire. She conducted her study within which of the following paradigms?

A) The post-positivist paradigm
B) The critical paradigm
C) The postmodern paradigm
D) The new age paradigm
E) The interpretive paradigm

Question 14

When a communication theory seeks to understand the subjective experiences of others, it seeks to provide:

A) Predictions
B) Control
C) A description
D) Insight
E) Reform

Question 15

Which of the following purposes of communication theory draws our attention to the ways communication can change the social circumstances of the marginalized or less privileged?

A) Emancipation
B) Description
C) Explanation
D) Control
E) Insight

Question 16

_____ are what theories do for us, whereas _____ are what we do with theories.

A) Specific purposes; general functions
B) General functions; specific purposes
C) General tasks; specific tasks
D) Specific tasks; general tasks
E) Unique functions; general purposes

Question 17

Specific purposes of communication theory may include all of the following, EXCEPT:

A) Prediction
B) Explanation
C) Organization
D) Emancipation
E) Praxis and problem-solving

Question 18

After reading structuration theory, Dr. Schrodt and his colleagues applied concepts from the theory to examine how divorced parents negotiate their financial responsibilities and visitations with their children. This example best illustrates which general function of communication theory?

A) Explanation
B) Research stimulation
C) Praxis and problem-solving
D) Emancipation
E) Organization

Question 19

Communication Privacy Management theory helps us understand why sexually abused children tell some people about their abuse, and not others. In doing so, the theory seeks to provide:

A) A description
B) Predictions and control
C) Emancipation
D) Organization
E) An explanation

Question 20

All of the following statements about interpretive scholars are true, EXCEPT:

A) They assume that we come to know the world through our own unique points of view and positions.
B) They believe that communication is that which creates, composes, and enacts our experience.
C) They assume that the world we live in is a world of our own making.
D) They strive to maintain an objective, value-neutral position when studying social behavior.
E) They consider knowledge to be subjective.

Question 21

A model explains a process, whereas a theory describes a process.

Question 22

The goal of the critical paradigm is to critique existing power structures and work toward human empowerment.

Question 23

In the interpretive paradigm, researchers operate as advocates for social change.

Question 24

We cannot have a communication theory without a conceptual framework.

Question 25

The practice of anticipating future events is referred to as research stimulation.

Question 26

Any concept whose properties can vary is referred to as a ______.

Question 27

A theory's ______ assumptions refer to the breadth of topics it covers, whereas a theory's _______ assumptions refer to the applicability of their coverage in different contexts.

Question 28

Communication theories include a vocabulary of defined terms, or a ____________.

Question 29

Post-positivists typically adopt a ______ ontology that assumes that the world is "out there" waiting to be discovered, known, and explored.

Question 30

An epistemology that assumes that we come to know the world through our own unique points of view and positions is referred to as ________.