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A FIRST LOOK AT

COMMUNICATION THEORY

NINTH EDITION

EM GRIFFIN

ANDREW LEDBETTER

GLENN SPARKS

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A FIRST LOOK AT

COMMUNICATION THEORY

NINTH EDITION

EM GRIFFIN Wheaton College

ANDREW LEDBETTER Texas Christian University

GLENN SPARKS Purdue University

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A FIRST LOOK AT COMMUNICATION THEORY, NINTH EDITION

Published by McGraw-Hill Education, 2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121. Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Previous editions © 2012, 2009, and 2006. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education, including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.

Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

v

Em Griffi n is Professor Emeritus of Communication at Wheaton College in Illinois, where he taught for over 35 years and was chosen Teacher of the Year. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in communication from Northwestern University; his research interest is in the development of close friendships. Em is the author of three applied communication books: The Mind Changers (persuasion), Getting Together (group dynamics), and Making Friends (close relationships). For three decades, Em has been an active volunteer with Opportunity International, a nonprofi t development organization providing fi nancial solutions and training to empower people living in poverty to transform their lives. He also serves as a mediator and coach at the Center for Confl ict Resolution in Chicago. Em’s wife, Jean, is an artist and a musi- cian. They recently celebrated 50 years of marriage and have two adult children, Jim and Sharon, and six grandchildren, Josh, Amy, Sam, Kyle, Alison, and Dan. You can reach Em at em.griffi n@wheaton.edu.

Andrew Ledbetter is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Texas Christian University. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in communication studies from the University of Kansas. His research addresses how people use commu- nication technology to maintain their interpersonal relationships. A related inter- est concerns how parent–child communication predicts health and well-being. Andrew has published more than 35 articles and received recognition for teaching excellence from both the National Communication Association and Central States Communication Association. His wife, Jessica, is a former attorney who teaches business law at Texas Christian University. With their daughters, Sydney and Kira, they enjoy involvement in their church, playing board and card games, read- ing, cooking, and following the TCU Horned Frogs and Kansas Jayhawks. You can reach Andrew at a.ledbetter@tcu.edu, visit his blog at www.andrewledbetter.com, or follow him on Twitter via @dr_ledbetter.

Glenn Sparks is a professor in the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Pur- due University in Indiana, where he has taught for 28 years. He received his Ph.D. in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin–Madison; his research focuses on the effects of media. Glenn is the author of Media Effects Research: A Basic Overview and a personal memoir, Rolling in Dough: Lessons I Learned in a Doughnut Shop. He’s co-author of Refrigerator Rights: Our Crucial Need for Close Connection. Glenn is an avid sports fan and also enjoys trying to increase his skill playing the theremin. He is married to Cheri, a developmental therapist; they have three adult children, David, Erin, and Jordan, and one grandchild, Caleb. You can reach Glenn at sparks@purdue.edu.

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DEDICATION

We dedicate this book to our wives, Jeanie, Jessica , and Cheri, who encouraged us to work together, celebrated with us when the process went well, and comforted us when it didn’t. Just as they lovingly supported us in this project, we commit to

being there for them in what they feel called to do.

Em, Andrew, Glenn

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CONTENTS

Preface for Instructors x

DIVISION ONE OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 Launching Your Study of Communication Theory 2

CHAPTER 2 Talk About Theory 13

CHAPTER 3 Weighing the Words 24

CHAPTER 4 Mapping the Territory (Seven Traditions in the Field of Communication Theory) 37

DIVISION TWO INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Interpersonal Messages 52

CHAPTER 5 Symbolic Interactionism of George Herbert Mead 54

CHAPTER 6 Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) of W. Barnett Pearce & Vernon Cronen 66

CHAPTER 7 Expectancy Violations Theory of Judee Burgoon 81

Relationship Development 94

CHAPTER 8 Social Penetration Theory of Irwin Altman & Dalmas Taylor 96

CHAPTER 9 Uncertainty Reduction Theory of Charles Berger 108

CHAPTER 10 Social Information Processing Theory of Joseph Walther 121

Relationship Maintenance 134

CHAPTER 11 Relational Dialectics of Leslie Baxter & Barbara Montgomery 136

CHAPTER 12 Communication Privacy Management Theory of Sandra Petronio 151

CHAPTER 13 The Interactional View of Paul Watzlawick 164

Infl uence 175

CHAPTER 14 Social Judgment Theory of Muzafer Sherif 177

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viii CONTENTS

CHAPTER 15 Elaboration Likelihood Model of Richard Petty & John Cacioppo 188

CHAPTER 16 Cognitive Dissonance Theory of Leon Festinger 200

DIVISION THREE GROUP AND PUBLIC COMMUNICATION

Group Communication 214

CHAPTER 17 Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making of Randy Hirokawa & Dennis Gouran 216

CHAPTER 18 Symbolic Convergence Theory of Ernest Bormann 230

Organizational Communication 242

CHAPTER 19 Cultural Approach to Organizations of Clifford Geertz & Michael Pacanowsky 244

CHAPTER 20 Communicative Constitution of Organizations of Robert McPhee 255

CHAPTER 21 Critical Theory of Communication in Organizations of Stanley Deetz 267

Public Rhetoric 281

CHAPTER 22 The Rhetoric of Aristotle 283

CHAPTER 23 Dramatism of Kenneth Burke 293

CHAPTER 24 Narrative Paradigm of Walter Fisher 303

DIVISION FOUR MASS COMMUNICATION

Media and Culture 314

CHAPTER 25 Media Ecology of Marshall McLuhan 316

CHAPTER 26 Semiotics of Roland Barthes 327

CHAPTER 27 Cultural Studies of Stuart Hall 339

Media Effects 351

CHAPTER 28 Uses and Gratifi cations of Elihu Katz 353

CHAPTER 29 Cultivation Theory of George Gerbner 363

CHAPTER 30 Agenda-Setting Theory of Maxwell McCombs & Donald Shaw 375

DIVISION FIVE CULTURAL CONTEXT

Intercultural Communication 389

CHAPTER 31 Communication Accommodation Theory of Howard Giles 391

CHAPTER 32 Face-Negotiation Theory of Stella Ting-Toomey 404

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CONTENTS ix

CHAPTER 33 Speech Codes Theory of Gerry Philipsen 418

Gender and Communication 430

CHAPTER 34 Genderlect Styles of Deborah Tannen 432

CHAPTER 35 Standpoint Theory of Sandra Harding & Julia T. Wood 444

CHAPTER 36 Muted Group Theory of Cheris Kramarae 457

DIVISION SIX INTEGRATION

Integration 470

CHAPTER 37 Common Threads in Comm Theories 472

Appendix A: Abstracts of Theories A-1

Appendix B: Feature Films That Illustrate Communication Theories A-6

Appendix C: NCA Credo for Ethical Communication A-8

Endnotes E-1

Credits and Acknowledgments C-1

Index I-1

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PREFACE FOR INSTRUCTORS

If you’re already familiar with A First Look at Communication Theory and under- stand the approach, organization, and main features of the book, you may want to jump ahead to the “Major Changes in the Ninth Edition” section. For those who are new to the text, reading the entire preface will give you a good grasp of what you and your students can expect.

A Balanced Approach to Theory Selection. We’ve written A First Look for students who have no background in communication theory. It’s designed for undergraduates enrolled in an entry-level course, regardless of the students’ clas- sifi cation. The trend in the fi eld is to offer students a broad introduction to theory relatively early in their program. But if a department chooses to offer its fi rst theory course on the junior or senior level, the course will still be the students’ fi rst comprehensive look at theory, so the book will meet them where they are.

Our goal in this text is to pres ent 32 communication theories in a clear and interesting way. After reading about a given theory, students should understand the theory, know the research that supports it, see useful applications in their lives, and be aware of the theory’s possible fl aws. We hope readers will discover relationships among theories located across the communication landscape—a clear indication that they grasp what they’re reading. But that kind of integra- tive thinking only takes place when students fi rst comprehend what a theorist claims.

With the help of more than 200 instructors, we’ve selected a range of theories that refl ect the diversity within the discipline. Some theories are proven candi- dates for a Communication Theory Hall of Fame. For example, Aristotle’s analysis of logical, emotional, and ethical appeals continues to set the agenda for many public-speaking courses. Mead’s symbolic interactionism is formative for inter- pretive theorists who are dealing with language, thought, self-concept, or the ef- fect of society upon the individual. Berger’s uncertainty reduction theory was the fi rst objective theory to be crafted by a social scientist trained in the fi eld. And no student of mediated communication should be ignorant of Gerbner’s cultivation theory, which explains why heavy television viewing cultivates fear of a mean and scary world.

It would be shortsighted, however, to limit the selection to the classics of communication. Some of the discipline’s most creative approaches are its newest. For example, Sandra Petronio’s theory of communication privacy management

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PREFACE FOR INSTRUCTORS xi

undergirds much of the research conducted in the fi eld of health communication. Leslie Baxter and Barbara Montgomery’s theory of relational dialectics offers insight into the ongoing tensions inherent in personal relationships. And Robert McPhee’s communicative constitution of organizations describes how the prin- ciple of social construction works in an organizational context.