Midterm Exam

1. Midterm Exam How to read the questions How to write the answers

2. Option • Try taking a separate piece of paper and trying to write a new answer based on our discussion. Then turn it in and I will tell you what I would have given that answer in terms of points if it were asked on the final.

3. How to read the question • Underline key words such as describe, name, examples, etc. • If there are parts, put a space for each part in your answer space so you don’t forget to answer a part of the question.

4. How to Answer the Questions • Get a basic answer down for every question so you can get some points for it. • Go back and fill in the detail on the ones you know. • Spend all the remaining time on ones you are not as sure of.

5. Question 1 • Please draw a communication model, label the parts, and discuss the importance of environment and feedback in the communication process. • 2 parts – draw a model and label • Discuss environment and feedback

6. Key points to answer • Model – most people got the drawing. Environment Medium Message Sender Receiver feedback

7. Environment • It can interfere with the communication effort by providing distracting stimuli. Can be overcome by finding a different environment, using a different medium or trying to re-shape your message so it is more powerful. • It can enhance your message if the message uses stimuli or visuals in the surrounding environment.

8. Feedback • It tells the sender if the message is getting through • As a result, he or she can adjust and re-send the message to be more effective.

9. Results on Question 1 • 8 scores of 20 • Average was 17.7 out of 20 = 88.5%

10. Question 2 • Please explain how cost-benefit analysis applies to designingcommunication strategies. Give examples. • 2 parts – explanation of how it applies • Give examples

11. Keys to answer • People make the decision to attend to a communication opportunity on the basis of their perception of the cost-benefit ratio of that opportunity compared to other opportunities at that time and place. • People make the decision to stay involved based on their assessment of the actual cost-benefit ratio.

12. Application • We need to make sure the benefit is obvious at first glance. • We need to make the perceived cost low, such as by using visuals with limited text. • We need to make sure the ratio of benefit to cost can compete with other opportunities at that time and place. • We need to make the actual benefit high and cost low.

13. Examples • Within the answer I noted the use of visuals instead of text. Other possibilities include using limited amounts of text, a readable font, large type size, interesting headings and sub-headings, etc.

14. Results on Question 2 • 4 answers with 20 points • Average score 15.5 = 77.5%

15. Question 3 • What is the problem with simply using a topic, such as China or Saudi Arabia, as the key to developing a communication strategy? Give an example of what you might use instead and explain why it is more effective. • 3 parts – problem with using a topic • Example of what you would use • Explanation of why it would be better.

16. Problem with using a topic • Tends to leads to cognitive overload because presenters choose lots of information connected by topic, but not by connections natural to the human brain. • Consequently, the connections between the information bits being presented are not strong enough to reduce cognitive load. • What do we store them as? • What is another name for a topic-driven approach?

17. Which of the following are schema driven approaches? • Food of the United States • Many tools have been fashioned from animal parts. • Birds of the temperate rainforests. • Birds are linked to their habitat.

18. The key to deciding • When people finish learning about • ___(Topic, sub-topic)____________________, I want them to know that ______(Theme, schema, concept, idea)___________________.

19. What is more effective? • Schema driven approach because you are presenting information in the form that our mind wants to store it, so it is less cognitive effort to process.

20. Question 3 • What is the problem with simply using a topic, such as China or Saudi Arabia, as the key to developing a communication strategy? Give an example of what you might use instead and explain why it is more effective. • The answer is not to choose a sub-topic. You keyed off the wrong words. It is not that the topic is large – it is that it is a topic instead of a schema or concept.

21. Results – Question 3 • 0 scores with 20 • Average score 10.8 = 54% • I eliminated the question (but I want you to know the answer for the final!)

22. Question 4 • What is cognitive load? Why does it matter to us as communicators? Give an example of a strategy to reduce cognitive load and explain why it would be effective. • 4 parts. What is it, why does it matter, an example of a strategy, and an explanation of why that would be better.

23. What is cognitive load? • Load on our working memory when processing information.

24. Why is it important? • Because we have limited cognitive capacity.

25. An example • Avoid the split attention affect because you are requiring one sense to switch back and forth between information sources. • Use visuals – less cognitive effort to absorb because the connections are often more obvious. • Etc.

26. Results – Question 4 • 3 answers with 20 points • Average score 15.6 out of 20 = 78%

27. Question 5 • What is dual mode presentation and why is it effective? (Be sure to include communication theory in your explanation.) • Only two parts – what is it and why is it effectvive?

28. What is dual mode presentation? • Dual mode presentation is when you are presenting the same information (information with high semantic overlap or very similar in meaning) in two ways, one of which can be processed in the verbal pathway and one that can be processed in the visual pathway. A film (audio plus pictures) is a good example of a dual mode presentation.

29. Is this dual mode presentation? White rein orchid grows in bogs

30. No, but it is dual coding theory White rein orchid grows in bogs

31. What would make it dual mode presentation? • Have an audio listening post.

32. Why is dual mode more effective? • We have two channels for processing information. If we process information that has similar meaning (high semantic overlap) along both channels at the same time, they have an additive effect and we learn the information better and retain it longer because we have a richer schema.

33. Results of Question 5 • 3 scores of 20 points • Average was 15.6 out of 20 = 78 %

34. Question 6 • Please describe the two processing routes of the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion. Which do we want our audiences to use and why? • 3 parts – describe the two routes; identify which we want our audiences to use and explain why.

35. Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion

36. Describe • In the central route we process information – think about it. In the peripheral route we use clues to tell us whether the information is right or wrong.

37. Which do we want and why? • We want the listener to use the central route. • Because elaboration or thinking about the information leads to an attitude shift that is enduring, resistant to change and predictive of behavior.

38. Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion

39. Results on Question 6 • 6 scores of 20 points • Average score 15.6 out of 20 = 78%

40. Question 7 • Why is the “embedding task” relevant to our attempts to communicate?

41. Why is it relevant? • Because the embedding task is the reason and motivation for our search of specific pieces of information in the first place.

42. What might be a better way of phrasing ‘the embedding task?’

43. Overall task or goal Information

44. Key points • We search for information for because we want to accomplish something. Whatever it is we want to accomplish is the embeddng task and defines what information will be useful.

45. Results of Question 7 • 2 scores of 20 • Average score of 12 our of 20 = 60% • I threw this question out (but will want you to know it on the final!)

46. Overall results with all questions • High score 133/140 • Average score 105.5/140 = 75.4%

47. Overall results with 5 questions • High score 97/100 = 97% • Average 82/100 = 82%

48. So what does all this mean? • I have to write some of my questions differently and re-teach information, especially on questions 2 and 7. • You have to learn how to analyze a question on an exam to make sure you address it correctly.

49. What does it mean in terms of grades? • If you are in the 80s or 90s after the 2 questions were eliminated, you are in good shape – you are in the ‘A’ category. If you are below 70%, we need to work on some things. • But remember, if you do better on the final than the midterm, I throw out the midterm. It is a teaching tool. I only use it if you have problems on the final.

50. Key point • With a few exceptions, the theories we learned and tested on during the first part of the class are the ones that I consider the most important. You will see all of them again on the final, and they will comprise the majority of the points.