COMM 502 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Scientific Method, Economic Determinism, Frankfurt School

• School: Bloomsburg University
• Department: COMM - Communication
• Course: COMM 502
• Professor: La Valley, Angela

Document Summary

Communication scholars hold widely divergent views as to what communication is. Robert craig suggests that communication should be viewed as a practical discipline; theory is developed to solve real world problems. Craig identifies seven established traditions of communication theory. The socio-psychological tradition: communication as interpersonal interaction and influence. Scholars believe that communication truths can be discovered by careful, systematic observation that predict cause-and-effect relationships. Researchers focus on what is without their personal bias of what ought to be. Theorists check data through surveys or controlled experiments, often calling for longitudinal empirical studies. The cybernetic tradition: communication as a system of information processing. Norbert wiener coined the term cybernetics to describe the field of artificial intelligence: wiener"s concept of feedback anchored the cybernetic tradition. Communication is the link separating the separate parts of any system. The rhetorical tradition: communication as artful public address. Greco-roman rhetoric was the main communication theory until the twentieth century.