Talk About Theory
description
Transcript of Talk About Theory
Em Griffin
A First Look at
Communication Theory
8th edition
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Talk About Theory2
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Talk About Theory
Two Communication Scholars View a Diehard Fan Objective or Interpretive: Sorting Out the Labels Ways of Knowing: Discovering
Truth of Creating Multiple Realities? Human Nature: Determinism or Free Will? The Highest Value: Objectivity or Emancipation? Purpose of Theory: Universal
Laws or Interpretive Guides? Objective or Interpretive: Why Is It Important?
Slide 2
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Talk About Theory
Glenn Sparks is a behavioral scientist –applies the scientific method to describe, predict, and explain recurring forms of human behavior
Marty Medhurst is a rhetorician – studies ways symbolic forms can be used to identify with people, or to persuade them to a certain point of view
Slide 3
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Talk About Theory
Need to grasp crucial differences between the objective and interpretive approaches to communicationGlenn Sparks: behavioral
scientist, conducts experimentsMarty Medhurst: rhetorician; interpret texts
Slide 4
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Two Communication Scholars View a Diehard Fan
MasterCard “Priceless” campaignAd Week:
• “Peyton Manning is one of the few superstar athletes who shows he can act in his commercials. We’ve seen his cheerleader-for-the-everyday guy before. This time he’s rooting for the waitress who drops her tray, the latte guy who’s burned by escaping steam, and the movers who let a piano escape down a hill. “That’s okay guys. They’re not saying ‘boo,’ they’re saying moooooovers.’”
Slide 5
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Two Communication Scholars View a Diehard Fan
Glenn: An Objective ApproachObjective approach – assumption
that truth is singular and is accessible through unbiased sensory observation; committed to uncovering cause-and-effect relationships
Slide 6
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Two Communication Scholars View a Diehard Fan
Glenn: An Objective Approach (continued)
MasterCard convinced Manning’s celebrity appeal will rub off on the public image of their credit card
Source credibility – perceived competence and trustworthiness of a speaker or writer that affects how the message is received
Slide 7
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Two Communication Scholars View a Diehard Fan
Glenn: An Objective Approach (continued)
Hovland and Weiss suggest that expertise and trustworthiness are two main ingredients of perceived credibility
Slide 8
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Two Communication Scholars View a Diehard Fan
Glenn: An Objective Approach (continued)
Kelman: when people forge a body of identification with a figure like Manning, they’ll gladly embrace his persuasive pitch
• Identification – perceived role relationship that affects self-image and attitudes; based on attractiveness of role model, and sustained if relationship remains salient
Slide 9
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Two Communication Scholars View a Diehard Fan
Glenn: An Objective Approach (continued)
Do viewers transfer Manning’s expertise from the gridiron to credit cards?
• “I would want an objective test to find out if celebrity appeals really work”
– Is ad campaign followed by increase in new card applications or number of charges?
– Test whether ad has same effect on viewers who do not know who Manning is
Slide 10
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Two Communication Scholars View a Diehard Fan
Marty: An Interpretive ApproachInterpretive approach – linguistic
work of assigning meaning or value to communicative texts; assumes that multiple meanings or truths are possible
Slide 11
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Two Communication Scholars View a Diehard Fan
Marty: An Interpretive Approach (continued)
MasterCard uses Manning in an attempt to identify manliness with money
• Invites viewer to become part of “team” being instructed by “Coach” Manning
Burke’s dramatistic pentad – five-pronged method of rhetorical criticism to analyze a speaker’s persuasive strategy – act, scene, agent, agency, purpose
Slide 12
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Two Communication Scholars View a Diehard Fan
Marty: An Interpretive Approach (continued)
Ad starts with confusion, moves through pain and destruction, and arrives at manliness, money, and acceptance
Symbolic transformation has taken place• Manning “coaching” the right attitude• Symbolic equivalence established between
being manly and being “in the money”
Slide 13
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective or Interpretive: Sorting Out the Labels
Objective approach and interpretive approach to communication study clearly differ in starting point, method, and conclusionGlenn, social scientist who
works hard to be objectiveMarty, rhetorical critic who
does interpretive study
Slide 14
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective or Interpretive: A Difference that Matters
Most interpretive scholars are humanists, but a growing numberof postmodern communication theorists reject that traditionHumanistic scholarship – study of what
it is like to be another person, in another time and place; assumes there are few important panhuman similarities
Slide 15
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective or Interpretive: A Difference that Matters
Separate worldviews of interpretive scholars and scientists reflect contrasting assumptions about ways we arrive at knowledge, the core of human nature, questions of value, and the purpose and methods of research
Slide 16
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Ways of Knowing: Discovering Truth or Creating Multiple Realities?
Epistemology – study of the origin, nature, method, and limits of knowledgeScientists assume Truth is singularInterpretive scholars regard
truth as socially constructed through communication
Slide 17
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Human Nature:Determinism or Free Will?
Determinism – assumption that behavior is caused by heredity and environmentScientists stress forces that shape human
behavior (biology and environment)Interpretive scholars focus on conscious
choices made by individuals
Slide 18
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Highest Value:Objectivity or Emancipation?
Most social scientists place high value on objectivity that is not biased by ideological commitments
Interpretive scholars believe that ability to choose separates humanity from the rest of creation, and value scholarship that expands free choice (emancipation)
Slide 19
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Highest Value:Objectivity or Emancipation?
Emancipation – liberation from political, economic, racial, religious, or sexual oppression; empowerment
Deetz claims that every general communication theory has two priorities – effectiveness and participation
Slide 20
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Purpose of Theory: Universal Laws or Interpretive Guides?
As a behavioral scientist, Glenn works to pin down universal laws of human behavior that cover a variety of situationsTheory testing
is basic activity
Slide 21
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Purpose of Theory: Universal Laws or Interpretive Guides?
As rhetorical critic, Marty strives to interpret a particular communication text in a specific contextExplores web of
meaning that constitutes human existence
Slide 22
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective or Interpretive: Why Is It Important?
When you understand what each type of theorist is about, your comfort zone will expand and your confusion will diminishMetatheory: theory about
theory; stated or inherent assumptions made when creating
Both seek to improve society
Slide 23
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Figure 2-2: Classification of Communication Theories According to Objective/Interpretive
Worldview
Slide 24