Uncertainty Reduction Theory

Was founded by researchers Berger and Calabrese in 1975. The theory deals with Interpersonal communication. It states that we live in an uncertain world, and we do everything we can to reduce uncertainty. The theory explains that the reason we enter into relationships is to reduce uncertainty. The levels of uncertainty decrease as the levels of self-disclosure and similarity in a relationship increase (uky.edu).

Cultivation Theory

This is a Mass communication theory, which was founded by the researcher George Gerbner in 1976. This theory explains that TV has become the main source of story telling in today’s society. Gerbner wrote that those who watch 4 or more hours of TV a day are considered heavy viewers, as opposed to those who watch less than 4, who are known as light viewers. Heavy viewers are exposed to greater amounts of violence, and are accordingly more fearful of the world. Gerbner also explained that the overuse of TV has created a more fearful populace (uky.edu).

Spiral of Silence

This too is a Mass Communication theory. It was founded by the research Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1984. This theory explains why people who fall into a minority of a group often feel the need to hide their opinions and views from the rest of the group (uky.edu).

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

This is an Intrapersonal Communication theory, which was founded in 1962 by Leon Festinger. The theory states that people have conflicting beliefs with their actions and beliefs. These conflicting views add up to a dissonance, which creates a tension, and reduction of this tension is usually sought by changing our beliefs in some way. Cognitive dissonance is when you have two good choices, you make your choice, but then you have second thoughts about your choice, so you downplay the other so that yours sounds better (uky.edu).

Classical Rhetoric Theory

Rhetoric was initially studied back in ancient Greece by philosophers such as Aristotle and Quintillian. The term rhetoric refers to the art of expressive discourse, and the rules of message composition used in speaking and writing in order to achieve different kinds of results and emotions on the receiver of the message (uky.edu).

Communication Competency

This is an Interpersonal Communication theory, which was founded in 1984 by the researchers Spitzberg and Cupach. This theory explains that Communication competency is the ability to choose the appropriate and most effective communication behavior for a given situation (uky.edu).

Agenda Setting Theory

This is another Mass Communication Theory, which was founded by Maxwell McCombs and Donald L. Shaw in 1973. This theory states that the media, especially the news media are not so successful at telling the audience what to think, but are very effective at telling them what to think about (uky.edu).

Social Exchange Theory

This theory is an Interpersonal Communication theory and was founded in 1952 by the researchers Thibault and Kelley. It states that we invest in relationships in order to get something in return. If we believe that the costs outweigh the benefits, we may not get involved (uky.edu).

Here is a link to a video, which shows this theory in practice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUBu92GEXas

Uses and Gratification Theory

This theory was founded in 1974 by Blumler and Katz. This Mass Communications theory states that media users play an active role in choosing what media to use. It explains that a media user chooses the media source that best fulfils his or her needs (uky.edu).