COMM 2500 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE 2026

COMM 2500 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE 2026 What are the characteristics of communication? - Answers 1. communication is a process: active and continuous 2. communication is uniquely human: humans nicate in unique and powerful ways that differ from those used by animals 4. communication is a collective activity: social, only occur when people enter into relationships with each other communication is a creative endeavor: we create the thing we are talking about to exist through language. ce, rights. 5. Communication is regulatory : It helps us create and take possession of the world around us. Communication - Answers the process whereby humans collectively create and regulate social reality ☺ Culture: set of values, beliefs, customs, and codes that bind people together → powerful factor in determining communication practices What are the four implications the authors of the text draw from this definition? - Answers 1. through communication we each create our own reality 2. too often we allow what we have created through communication to control us 3. communication always takes place in a cultural context 4. communication requires cooperation How do culture and context shape how competence is framed or understood? - Answers - need to bring the right abilities depending on the context of the situation - four contexts that frames competence: cultural, historical, technological, and relational -culture affects the way we see the world, telling us what to notice and what to disregard -the social groups which we belong to provide us with specific instructions on how to communicate effectively and appropriately In the model presented in the text, there are two levels of competence. One is internal and is called process competence. The other is external and is called performative competence. What is the difference between them? - Answers Performative competence: the surface level, consisting of the part of competence that can be seen, the actual performance of day to day behaviors Process competence: a deeper level, consisting of everything we have to know in order to perform Situational Approach: - Answers the belief that interpersonal communication occurs whenever two people are in face to face interaction regardless of the intimacy of the interaction, looks at more observable things focuses on external situational factors (like number of people involved and physical proximity) Developmental Approach - Answers belief that interpersonal communication occurs only when the interaction between the two people occurs at a psychological level, looks at nature of interaction Terms from Lecture: Digital - Answers the word of the symbol Ex: numbers Analogical Communication - Answers to point at an object, communicates/creates meaning because the signifier is physically tied to the thing it is signifying Ex: blushing, smiling Text Terms: - Answers Social cognition: the process by which we used socially defined cognitive structures to influence our perceptions Schema: the pre-existing cognitive structures we use to guide perception; stereotypes, person As a definition of interpersonal communication, how is the situational approach different from the developmental approach? - Answers the situational approach doesn't require intimacy to be interpersonal (Explain more) whereas the developmental approach assumes interpersonal comm only occurs when the interaction is intimate. ( What are the key characteristics Trenholm and Jensen identify as marking most relationships? - Answers Interpersonal relationship begin with awareness. Interpersonal relationship develop through coordinated interaction. eg. each began to act with the other person in mind called joint action. As relationship unfold, we begin to analyze and evaluate them. Our relationship is influenced by outside force. Our relationship can control us as much as we can control them. Relationship is constructed and maintained through communication. When we say every message has a content and relationship meaning, what does this suggest? - Answers every message communicates some meaning that has a relational component between the two How does priming influence our processing of information (draw from class and Gladwell)? - Answers Priming: perceptions being influenced by things you're not aware are influencing your behavior -things that are acting as a "secretive frame" when processing information How are self-schemas different from our schemas of others? - Answers Self-schemas is how we see ourself Explain the attribution biases we display and how they influence our explanations of what caused behavior. - Answers our attributions are often biased because we tend to give ourselves more leniency on why we are being negative while being less negative towards others. Based on what we learned about perception processes, what would we tend to notice in others? - Answers What are mindfulness and mindlessness, and how do these relate to dual-processing models (i.e., "system 1 and system 2")? *From Gladwell, what is a "Warren Harding error"? Naive realism: - Answers he experiential belief that what we perceive and to pp9a lesser extent what we remember, are relatively complete and accurate representations of the world What are the characteristics of nonverbal communication (aspects of nonverbal that make them so powerful)? - Answers -more trusted then nonverbal codes -more emotionally powerful -culturally influenced, but express more universal meaning -continuous and natural -clustered What are the functions of nonverbal codes? What kinds of meaning do they express? - Answers 1. Express meaning : how people feel about others and their relation to them. 2. Regulate flow of interaction : turn-taking cue, leave -taking cue, professional context cues. 3. Modify verbal meaning : accenting : non-verbal that focus attention on a word complementing : non-verbal elaboration repeating : non-verbal repetition for a verbal message substitution "non-verbal replacement for a verbal Contradicting : non-verbal that opposes verbals What are the three nonverbal message systems? - Answers Visual communication system: proxemics (Space), kinesics(body movement), and artifacts(cloths) Auditory communication system: vocalics Invisible communication system: chronemics(use of time), olfactics(smell), haptics(touch Spontaneous communication: - Answers a senders involuntary display of an inner emotional state and a receivers direct and immediate sensory awareness of that emotional state Symbolic communication: - Answers the use of arbitrary symbols that have been socially defined and are intended to convey specific meanings. age, nonverbal cues. What does it mean to "own your emotions"? - Answers cknowledging your emotions and taking responsibility for them, ex: i feel really insecure What are reflective statements? - Answers unique speech act, says something about the situation. eg. this is big deal for you, and it makes sense you're scared about it. Reflecting what the person says to you back at them. What are the characteristics of language? - Answers it allows us to express and control emotion it can reveal or camouflage thoughts and motives it permits us to make and avoid contact