A First Look At Communication Theory, 10e (Griffin)
Chapter 1 Launching Your Study of Communication Theory
1) ________ is used as “an umbrella term for all careful, systematic, and self-conscious
discussion and analysis of communication phenomena.”
A) Communication
B) Inquiry
C) Informed hunch
D) Theory
2) Identify a key feature of theory as suggested by Judee Burgoon.
A) Theory consists of a set of hunches.
B) Theory is unlikely to involve an element of speculation, or conjecture.
C) Theory is unlikely to fall in the hunch category when floated initially.
D) Theory is based on an isolated idea.
3) Which of the following nontechnical terms does Judee Burgoon use in reference to
communication theory?
A) hints
B) hunches
C) inklings
D) instincts
4) Hunches that communication theories are based upon should be:
A) informed.
B) plural.
C) systematic.
D) All of the answers are correct.
5) Theories:
A) alter what we already believe in.
B) go beyond accepted wisdom.
C) should reflect commonly held beliefs.
D) usually violate or contradict accepted wisdom.
6) Which of the following has NOT been posed as a metaphor for theories?
A) lenses
B) mirrors
C) maps
D) nets
7) ________ is the relational process of creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response.
A) Communication
B) Message exchange
C) Symbolic interaction
D) Theory-building
8) Communicators usually make ________ choices about a message’s form and substance.
A) conscious
B) mindless
C) responsive
D) subconscious
9) In the context of the interpretation of messages, many communication scholars believe that:
A) anyone can step into the same river twice.
B) “communication is irreversible.”
C) the only “failure in communicating” is not communicating.
D) “words don’t mean things, people mean things.”
10) Theories should be posed if there is a clear or widely accepted explanation of a given
phenomenon.
11) Burgoon believes that a theory is an inspired thought or an isolated idea.
12) Before developing a theory, theorists should be familiar with alternative explanations and
interpretations of the types of phenomena they are studying.
13) Communication is a relational process not only because it takes place between two or more
persons, but also because it affects the nature of the connections among those people.
14) Communication theorists use the word “text” as a synonym for a message that can be
studied, regardless of the medium.
15) Communication is the relational process of creating and interpreting messages that
________.
16) In the context of the interpretation of messages, the term ________ refers to a quality of
symbols and means they are open to multiple interpretations.
17) If you were developing a definition of theory, what components would be the most central in
your answer?
18) When describing communication theory, explain what Burgoon means by the term
“hunches.”
19) Communication theorists differ in how they define communication. Do you think this term
needs to be universally understood or interpreted?
20) Griffin’s working definition of communication, “the relational process of creating and
interpreting messages that elicit a response,” involves five features of communication. Which of
these features is the most central to the concept of communication?
21) How are both senders and receivers incorporated in Griffin’s definition of communication?
22) Change or edit the following statement to better reflect the definition presented in Chapter 1:
“A theory is a hunch about the way things work.”