Ch 7. Theories of Message Production Constructivist Theory dfdfd

Constructivist Theory Theoretical approach to comprehend how messages are produced through individual cognitive process Attempts to explore which factors result in different capacity and abilities among individuals to grasp information and interpretation in interpersonal communication

Metatheoretical Foundations Ontology Social reality is constructed in interaction of ongoing individual’s interpretive process but limited by previously constituted contexts and structures Epistemology Examination of individual’s created interpretation Better comprehend knowledge (subjective and personal cognitive process)

Feature 1. Construct System Theoretical Bases Personal construct (Kelly; 1955) - Individual mode of sensemaking :Primary cognitive structure through which people interpret events Developmental theory (Werner; 1957) - Cognitive systems become more differentiated, more abstract and more integrated with maturation

Construct System (cont’d) Cognitive Complexity What is complex cognitive system? - “ A cognitive system composed of a comparatively large number of finely articulated , abstract, and well integrated elements is regarded as relatively complex (Miller, p.107)” Interpersonal constructs - An important construct system for comprehension of individuals’ perception of others in the context of interpersonal communication

Construct System (cont.) Measurement Role Category Questions (RCQ) - Developed by Crockett - Measure the degree of interpersonal cognitive complexity through the coding of open-ended responses - Larger set of constructs more cognitively complex

Feature 2. Person-Centered Communication Person-Centered Messages - Reflect characteristics of message recipients and social situations to adapt them - Produced through complex interpersonal construct Individual difference in communication skills - Complex cognitive process person-centered messages more likely to have beneficial outcomes in interpersonal communication

Application of Constructivist Theory Communication in Family Theoretical assumption Cognitive development is a critical element for effective communication. Application Communication between a parent and a child Ex) A mother tries to convince her daughter not to cry after the mother finds out that the daughter had a fight with her best friend.

Application (cont’d) “I am sure you feel bad now. But you and your friend can become reconciled again after you calm down. Things will get better. You’ll see.” “I am really sorry, my sweetie. I know that you are really disappointed and depressed. But why don’t you let me tell you about what I did for reconciling with my friends before? I am not sure it would make you feel better but we can talk about what happened to you and your friend and how you would attempt to rebuild your friendship.”

Application (cont’d) Expected Result Interaction of cognitive and communicative development through parent-children relationship Parents with mature interpersonal cognitive complexity would recognize child’s subjective perspective. encourage child to independently deal with situation by producing more person-centered messages adapted to her/him Through cognitive and communicative development in interaction with such parents, children would be encouraged to process what they learned into other communicative messages later and to adapt to new communication settings

Further Reading Burleson, B. R. & Samter, W. (1990). Effects of Cognitive Complexity on the Perceived Importance of Communication Skills in Friends. Communication Research 17: 165-182. Each participant tends to perceive affectively oriented communication skills to be more important than nonaffectively oriented skills. If cognitive complexity were taken into account: moderate or high-complexity individuals perceive affectively oriented communication skills to be significantly more important than low-complexity individuals.

Further Reading Applegate, J. (1980, May). Adaptive Communication in Educational Contexts: A Study of Teachers' Communicative Strategies. Communication Education 29(2), 158 Teachers with high complexity of interpersonal construct show greater capacity of personal and adaptive communication with students in both regulative and interpersonal contexts. They also express the teacher-student relationship in more personal terms.