Models of communication: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:37, 27 October 2023

Revision as of 07:38, 27 October 2023

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Models of communication are classified in many ways and the proposed classifications often overlap. Some models are general in the sense that they aim to describe all forms of communication. Others are specialized: they only apply to specific fields or areas. For example, models of [[mass communication]] are specialized models that do not aim to give a universal account of communication.{{sfn|Fiske|2011|p=[https://www.routledge.com/Introduction-to-Communication-Studies/Fiske/p/book/9780415596497 24, 30]|loc=2. Other models}} Another contrast is between linear and non-linear models. Most early models of communication are linear models. They present communication as a unidirectional process in which messages flow from the communicator to the [[audience]]. Non-linear models, on the other hand, are multi-directional: messages are sent back and forth between participants. According to Uma Narula, linear models describe single acts of communication while non-linear models describe the whole process.{{sfn|Narula|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AuRyXwyAJ78C 12–14]|loc=1. Basic Communication Models}}{{sfn|McQuail|2008|p=[https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+International+Encyclopedia+of+Communication%2C+12+Volume+Set-p-9781405131995 3143–9]|loc=Models of communication}}{{sfn|Chandler|Munday|2011|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nLuJz-ZB828C 438]|loc=transmission models}}

=== Linear transmission model ===

[[File:Linearmodel.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Linear transmission model{{sfn|UMN staff|2013|loc=[https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/1-2-the-communication-process/ 1.2 The Communication Process]}}]]

Linear transmission models describe communication as a one-way process. In it, a sender intentionally conveys a message to a receiver. The reception of the message is the endpoint of this process. Since there is no feedback loop, the sender may not know whether the message reached its intended destination. Most early models were transmission models. Due to their linear nature, they are often too simple to capture the dynamic aspects of various forms of communication, such as regular face-to-face conversation.{{sfn|UMN staff|2013|loc=[https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/1-2-the-communication-process/ 1.2 The Communication Process]}}{{sfn|Kastberg|2019|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=esLDDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 56]}} By focusing only on the sender, they leave out the audience's perspective. For example, listening usually does not just happen, but is an active process involving [[Understanding|listening skills]] and interpretation.{{sfn|Narula|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AuRyXwyAJ78C 15–17]|loc=1. Basic Communication Models}} However, some forms of communication can be accurately described by them, such as many types of [[computer-mediated communication]]. This applies, for example, to [[text messaging]], sending an email, posting a blog, or sharing something on social media.{{sfn|UMN staff|2013|loc=[https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/1-2-the-communication-process/ 1.2 The Communication Process]}}{{sfn|Kastberg|2019|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=esLDDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 56]}}{{sfn|Manuela|Clara|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=FjFtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA2 2]}} Some theorists, like Uma Narula, talk of "action models" instead of linear transmission models to stress how they only focus on the actions of the sender.{{sfn|Narula|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AuRyXwyAJ78C 15]|loc=1. Basic Communication Models}} Linear transmission models include Aristotle's, [[Lasswell's model of communication|Lasswell]]'s, [[Shannon–Weaver model|Shannon-Weaver]]'s and [[Source-Message-Channel-Receiver model of communication|Berlo]]'s model.{{sfn|Chandler|Munday|2011|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nLuJz-ZB828C 438]|loc=transmission models}}{{sfn|Cobley|Schulz|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6xrNrpSZKxsC&pg=PA41 41]}}{{sfn|Hakanen|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=oFHgZaiNhWUC&pg=PA28 28]}}

=== Interaction model ===

[[File:Interaction_models_of_communication.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Interaction model{{sfn|UMN staff|2013|loc=[https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/1-2-the-communication-process/ 1.2 The Communication Process]}}]]

For interaction models, the participants in communication alternate the positions of sender and receiver. So upon receiving a message, a new message is generated and returned to the original sender as a form of feedback. In this regard, communication is a two-way process. This adds more complexity to the model since the participants are both senders and receivers and they alternate between these two positions.{{sfn|UMN staff|2013|loc=[https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/1-2-the-communication-process/ 1.2 The Communication Process]}}{{sfn|Kastberg|2019|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=esLDDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 56]}}

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For interaction models, these steps happen one after the other: first, one message is sent and received, later another message is returned as feedback, etc. Such feedback loops make it possible for the sender to assess whether their message was received and had the intended effect or whether it was distorted by noise.{{sfn|Narula|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AuRyXwyAJ78C 15–19]|loc=1. Basic Communication Models}} For example, interaction models can be used to describe a conversation through [[instant messaging]]: the sender sends a message and then has to wait for the receiver to react. Another example is a question/answer session where one person asks a question and then waits for another person to answer. Interaction models usually put more emphasis on the interactive process and less on the technical problem of how the message is conveyed at each step. For this reason, more prominence is given to the context that shapes the exchange of messages. This includes the physical context, like the distance between the speakers, and the psychological context, which includes mental and emotional factors like stress and anxiety.{{sfn|UMN staff|2013|loc=[https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/1-2-the-communication-process/ 1.2 The Communication Process]}}{{sfn|Kastberg|2019|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=esLDDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 56]}} [[Schramm's model]] is one of the earliest interaction models.{{sfn|Littlejohn|Foss|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=2veMwywplPUC&pg=PA176 176]}}

=== Transaction model ===

[[File:Transactionalmodel.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Transaction model{{sfn|UMN staff|2013|loc=[https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/1-2-the-communication-process/ 1.2 The Communication Process]}}]]

Transaction models depart from interaction models in two ways. On the one hand, they understand sending and responding as simultaneous processes. This can be used to describe how listeners use non-verbal communication, like [[body posture]] and [[facial expression]]s, to give some form of feedback. This way, they can signal whether they agree with the message while the speaker is talking. This feedback may in turn influence the speaker's message while it is being produced. On the other hand, transactional models stress that meaning is created in the process of communication and does not exist prior to it. This is often combined with the claim that communication creates social realities like relationships, [[Identity (social science)|personal identities]], and [[communities]].{{sfn|UMN staff|2013|loc=[https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/1-2-the-communication-process/ 1.2 The Communication Process]}}{{sfn|Kastberg|2019|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=esLDDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 56]}}{{sfn|Barnlund|2013|p=48}} This also affects the communicators themselves on various levels, such as their thoughts and feelings as well as their social identities.{{sfn|Chandler|Munday|2011|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nLuJz-ZB828C 387]|loc=Shannon and Weaver's model}}