ICS - WEEK 1
What is a theory?
Set of systematic, informed H UNCHES (ideas, so it’s not completely true yet) about the way things
work.
Systematic, because all the concepts are connected and i nformed, because they are built on what
we already know from previous researches
What does it do?
- theory as N ETS: we need them to understand the world. Theories are nets cast to catch what
we call the “world”
- theory as L ENSES: they influence how we see certain things and emphasise on some
elements. the lens imagery highlights the idea that theories shape our perception by
focusing attention on some features of communication while ignoring other features
- theory as MAPS: we need them to guide us, to show how things work and how they are
related. We need theory to guide us through unfamiliar territory.
What is communication?
sender -> message -> receiver
It’s the relational process of creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response.
Important things of communication:
1: message (book, video…) are the core of communication study
2: creation of message
3: i nterpretation of message (the receiver can interpret the message differently). Words don’t mean
things, people mean things. “humans act toward people or things on the basis of the meanings they
assign to those people or things” Herbert Blumer
4: relation process (between sender and receiver) communication is a process -> the flow is never
completely the same, and can only be described with reference to what went before and what is yet
to come. communication process is more about relationships than it is about content.
5: m essage that elicit a message: if a message fails to stimulate any cognitive, emotional, or
behavioral reaction, it is pointless to refer to it as communication.
Models of communication
- Transmission model: (focused on the receiver) the receiver processes a message as it was
intended by the sender
ex: a lecture
- Expressive model: the focus is on communication as an experience for both sender and
receiver. Emphasis on performance of messages (sender) on shared experience of messages
(receiver)
ex: concert
- Publicity model: communication as a tool to grab attention. There is competition between
senders to get the attention of the public.
ex: newspapers
- Reception model: communication is open to multiple interpretations by the receiver.
Senders transmits message with a certain purpose but there can be the possibility that the
receiver reads the message differently from how it was supposed to be read.
, EMPIRICAL CYCLE:
- never ending
- based on the reality, on what you have observed
1. O BSERVATION: idea for a new research hypothesis, something interesting that we want to
explain. -> observing relation in one or more instances
2. I NDUCTION: taking a statement that’s true in specific cases and saying that it’s true in all
cases even if it’s not necessarily true -> specific instances are transformed into general
rules/hypothesis. (based on my observations I say that this happens in all cases, but it’s just
my assumption)
3. DEDUCTION: we deduce that the general rule should also hold in new instances. (from a
general theory I have to go to a theory that will actually test my general theory
4. TESTING: collecting new data and comparing them to the prediction
5. EVALUATION: we interpret results in terms of hypothesis.
- prediction confirmed: hypothesis provisionally supported (not proven)
- prediction disconfirmed: not automatically rejected
What is a theory?
Set of systematic, informed H UNCHES (ideas, so it’s not completely true yet) about the way things
work.
Systematic, because all the concepts are connected and i nformed, because they are built on what
we already know from previous researches
What does it do?
- theory as N ETS: we need them to understand the world. Theories are nets cast to catch what
we call the “world”
- theory as L ENSES: they influence how we see certain things and emphasise on some
elements. the lens imagery highlights the idea that theories shape our perception by
focusing attention on some features of communication while ignoring other features
- theory as MAPS: we need them to guide us, to show how things work and how they are
related. We need theory to guide us through unfamiliar territory.
What is communication?
sender -> message -> receiver
It’s the relational process of creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response.
Important things of communication:
1: message (book, video…) are the core of communication study
2: creation of message
3: i nterpretation of message (the receiver can interpret the message differently). Words don’t mean
things, people mean things. “humans act toward people or things on the basis of the meanings they
assign to those people or things” Herbert Blumer
4: relation process (between sender and receiver) communication is a process -> the flow is never
completely the same, and can only be described with reference to what went before and what is yet
to come. communication process is more about relationships than it is about content.
5: m essage that elicit a message: if a message fails to stimulate any cognitive, emotional, or
behavioral reaction, it is pointless to refer to it as communication.
Models of communication
- Transmission model: (focused on the receiver) the receiver processes a message as it was
intended by the sender
ex: a lecture
- Expressive model: the focus is on communication as an experience for both sender and
receiver. Emphasis on performance of messages (sender) on shared experience of messages
(receiver)
ex: concert
- Publicity model: communication as a tool to grab attention. There is competition between
senders to get the attention of the public.
ex: newspapers
- Reception model: communication is open to multiple interpretations by the receiver.
Senders transmits message with a certain purpose but there can be the possibility that the
receiver reads the message differently from how it was supposed to be read.
, EMPIRICAL CYCLE:
- never ending
- based on the reality, on what you have observed
1. O BSERVATION: idea for a new research hypothesis, something interesting that we want to
explain. -> observing relation in one or more instances
2. I NDUCTION: taking a statement that’s true in specific cases and saying that it’s true in all
cases even if it’s not necessarily true -> specific instances are transformed into general
rules/hypothesis. (based on my observations I say that this happens in all cases, but it’s just
my assumption)
3. DEDUCTION: we deduce that the general rule should also hold in new instances. (from a
general theory I have to go to a theory that will actually test my general theory
4. TESTING: collecting new data and comparing them to the prediction
5. EVALUATION: we interpret results in terms of hypothesis.
- prediction confirmed: hypothesis provisionally supported (not proven)
- prediction disconfirmed: not automatically rejected
