Uncertainity Reduction Theory(Charles Berger)_Simplified

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UNCERTAINTY REDUCTION THEORY OF CHARLES BERGER * All friends begin as strangers. Berger contends that our drive to reduce uncertainty about new acquaintances gets an exffa boost from any of three prior conditions. A. Anticipation of future interaction: we know we will see them again. B. Incentive value: They have something we want. C. Deviance: They actin aweird way. UNCERTAINTY REDUCTION: TO PREDICT AND EXPLAIN .E Two kinds of uncertainties: Behavioural and Cognitive 'l' Behavioural: In the first meeting one does not know how to face the other and how one should act towards the new person. Should you shake hands or say 'Namaste"? Who must pay the bill when going along with a stranger? Often there are accepted procedural protocols to ease the stress that behavioural uncertainty can cause. {. Cognitive: Cognitive questions are aimed at discovering who the other person is as a unique individual. What makes her happy? Does she have other friends? Reducing cognitive uncertainty means acquiring information that allows you to discard many of these possibilities. That's the kind of uncertainty reduction Berger's theory addresses. AN AXIOMATIVE THEORY: CERTAINTY ABOUT LINCERTAINTY .t Eight key variables of relationship development: Verbal ou@ut, nonverbal warmth, information seeking, self-disclosure, reciprocity, similarity, liking, shared networks. Axioms are traditionally regarded as self-evident truths that require no additional proof. l Verbal output: As uncertainty is further reduced, the amount of verbal communication will increase. Nonverbal warmth: As nonverbal affiliative expressiveness increases, uncertainty levels will decrease in an initial interaction situation. Information seeking: High levels of uncertainty cause increase in information seeking behaviour. As uncertainty levels decline, information-seeking behaviour decreases. Self-disclosure: High levels of uncertainty in a relationship cause deqiS the intimacy level of communication content. Low levels of urrcffifu*y produce high levels of intimacy. People express attitudes, values, and fbdings when they have good idea what the listener's response will be. Reciprocitv: High levels of uncertainfy produce high rates of reciprocity. Low levels of uncertainty produce low levels of reciprocity. Similarity: Similarities between persons reduce uncertainty, while dissimilarities produce increases in uncertainty. The conversation grows when we are able to find qualities that both like and because we both like to design something on the computer; we become familiar with each other and in other words uncertainty decreases. 2. 4. 5. 6.

Transcript of Uncertainity Reduction Theory(Charles Berger)_Simplified

Page 1: Uncertainity Reduction Theory(Charles Berger)_Simplified

UNCERTAINTY REDUCTION THEORY OF CHARLES BERGER

* All friends begin as strangers. Berger contends that our drive to reduceuncertainty about new acquaintances gets an exffa boost from any of threeprior conditions.

A. Anticipation of future interaction: we know we will see them again.B. Incentive value: They have something we want.C. Deviance: They actin aweird way.

UNCERTAINTY REDUCTION: TO PREDICT AND EXPLAIN

.E Two kinds of uncertainties: Behavioural and Cognitive'l' Behavioural: In the first meeting one does not know how to face the other and

how one should act towards the new person. Should you shake hands or say'Namaste"? Who must pay the bill when going along with a stranger? Oftenthere are accepted procedural protocols to ease the stress that behaviouraluncertainty can cause.

{. Cognitive: Cognitive questions are aimed at discovering who the other personis as a unique individual. What makes her happy? Does she have otherfriends? Reducing cognitive uncertainty means acquiring information thatallows you to discard many of these possibilities. That's the kind ofuncertainty reduction Berger's theory addresses.

AN AXIOMATIVE THEORY: CERTAINTY ABOUT LINCERTAINTY

.t Eight key variables of relationship development: Verbal ou@ut, nonverbalwarmth, information seeking, self-disclosure, reciprocity, similarity, liking,shared networks. Axioms are traditionally regarded as self-evident truths thatrequire no additional proof.

l Verbal output: As uncertainty is further reduced, the amount of verbalcommunication will increase.Nonverbal warmth: As nonverbal affiliative expressiveness increases,uncertainty levels will decrease in an initial interaction situation.Information seeking: High levels of uncertainty cause increase in informationseeking behaviour. As uncertainty levels decline, information-seekingbehaviour decreases.

Self-disclosure: High levels of uncertainty in a relationship cause deqiSthe intimacy level of communication content. Low levels of urrcffifu*yproduce high levels of intimacy. People express attitudes, values, and fbdingswhen they have good idea what the listener's response will be.Reciprocitv: High levels of uncertainfy produce high rates of reciprocity. Lowlevels of uncertainty produce low levels of reciprocity.Similarity: Similarities between persons reduce uncertainty, whiledissimilarities produce increases in uncertainty. The conversation grows whenwe are able to find qualities that both like and because we both like to designsomething on the computer; we become familiar with each other and in otherwords uncertainty decreases.

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Page 2: Uncertainity Reduction Theory(Charles Berger)_Simplified

Likine: Increases in uncertainty level produce decreases in liking; decreases inuncertainty produce increases in liking.Shared networks: Shared communication networks reduce uncertainty, whilelack of shared networks increases uncertainty. This idea goes beyond the twostrangers' meeting.

STRETEGIES TO COPE WITH UNCERTAINTY

{. Berger says "most social interaction is goal-driven". He felt that wecontinually construct cognitive plans to guide our social actions. According toBerger, "Plans are mental representations of action sequences that may beused to achieve goals."

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CRITQUE

..1. Motivational assumption of axiom 3 as the problem* Berger's analysis of human interaction is a major contribution to

communication studies.

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Overall Strategy:Build relationshipwith dispatcher