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ComS 100A: Survey of Communication Studies
Final Exam: Study Guide
Harris-Jenkinson
The test is worth 100 points and consists of a combination of multiple choice and true/false
questions. It covers all the material we have discussed and read over the semester. Some of the
questions may be from previous tests.
Please note: Some questions are very straight forward and involve rote memory (e.g., definitions,
lists), while others are application-based (you may be given an example and asked to identify a
concept). Other questions are based upon synthesis (you may not be able to find the exact
answer from lecture or in the textbook, but you should be able to figure out the answer if you
understand the material). Occasionally I use comic strips as the basis for questions.
Materials needed:
 One scantron (green, #882, half sheet)—WE MAY DO THIS ONLINE!
 One piece of binder paper (if you come across a question on the multiple choice or true/false
questions where you believe you need to justify your answer)—or prep an email so you can
do the same thing in a single email to me ([email protected]); screenshot the
question for me
 One or two sharpened #2 pencils
 Your bright, cheerful, awake and READY smiling face
You should know (be able to identify based upon examples, give an example/definition for a
concept, etc.):
• The impact of communication to our lives
• The models of communication (linear, interactive, transactional) and what distinguishes each
from each other
• Types of communication contexts (interpersonal, group, public, organizational, etc.)
• Principles and misconceptions of communication
• Criteria for a disclosure to be classified as self-disclosure
• Johari Window
• Guidelines for appropriate self-disclosure
• Different communication contexts (interpersonal, intrapersonal, mediated, etc.)
• Stages of interpersonal perception
• Selective exposure, selective attention, etc.
• Self-concept, self-esteem, self-fulfilling prophecy—basically, if it has “self” in the word, know
it!
• Symbols and referents
• Theories & Models: Sapir-Whorf hypothesis,
• Conversational process
• Denotative and connotative meanings of words
• Language abstraction ladder
• Language barriers (polarization, bypassing, etc.)
• Difficulties in interpreting nonverbal communication
• How verbal and nonverbal messages interact (repeat/emphasize, substitute, etc.)
• Areas of study in nonverbal communication
• Differences between listening and hearing
• Types of listening
• Suggestions to improve your listening
• Types of conflict (pseudoconflict, intrapersonal, ego conflict, simple conflict, intergroup, etc.)
• Conflict myths and benefits
• Conflict styles (competitive, avoidance, etc.)
Harris-Jenkinson
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Final Exam Study Guide: ComS 100A
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Confirming & disconfirming responses
Gibbs’ communication climates (supportive & defensive, characteristics of each)
Characteristics of Interpersonal communication
Types of families (extended, origin, kin networks, etc.)
Circumplex model of family communication, Koerner & Fitzpatrick’s typology of families
(pluralistic, protective, etc.)
Reasons to study intercultural communication
Differences between low-context and high-context cultures
Differences between individualistic and collectivist cultures
Ethnocentrism, cultural imperialism, cultural homogeneity, culture shock, enculturation,
acculturation
Hofsteade’s research on cultural dimensions/cultural values
Interpersonal attraction (what is it, what are the elements of it, when each type is most
important)
Models of relational development/dissolution (Knapp, Duck, dialectical theory, Relational
Dialectics, etc.)
Types of power relationships
Relationships of circumstance & choice
Types of groups (primary, secondary, problem-solving, therapy, etc.)
Advantages and disadvantages of working in groups
Tuckman’s phases of group development (the “–ing” ones)
Types of roles in groups (task, maintenance, individualized/self-centered)
Leadership theories
Types of interviews (performance review, reprimand, etc.; board interviews, panel interviews,
etc.)
Types of questions (open, closed, leading, illegal, etc.)
Purposes of phases of interview process (e.g., what is the responsibility of the interviewer in
the opening, closing…)
Aristotle’s forms of rhetorical proof
Intrinsic & extrinsic credibility
Differences between informative and persuasive presentations
Claims of fact, value, policy
Beliefs, attitudes, values
Delivery styles
What credibility affects (exposure, cognitive learning, etc.)
Communication message flow (downward, upward, horizontal, formal, informal)
Ethical perspectives (golden mean, categorical imperative, Utilitarianism, veil of ignorance,
etc.)
Communication and classical management theories
Functions performed by communication in organizations
Theories/models of mass media (functions, uses and gratification, technological determinism)
Hawthorne Studies
Types of power in organizations
Purposes of the U.S. media
Motivations or gratifications of using various forms of media
How EMC is changing our understanding of conversations
Asynchronous vs. Synchronous forms of EMC
Types of relationships between patients and providers
James Vicary’s claim of subliminal messages
Judas Priest trial in relation to subliminal messages
Tachistoscope
Definitions or descriptions of:
• Symbolic interactionism
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Final Exam Study Guide: ComS 100A
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Culture, co-culture
Metacommunication
Family
Groupthink, risky shift phenomenon
Rhetoric (as per Aristotle)
Ethos (as per Aristotle)
The grapevine
Organizations
Mass media
Harris-Jenkinson
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Final Exam Study Guide: ComS 100A