Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Understanding the basics of Communication and the SHANNON AND WEAVER’S MODEL:-The Mathematical model of communication

Understanding the basics of Communication and the SHANNON AND WEAVER’S MODEL:-The Mathematical model of communication
Scroll down for Practice Questions

Communication is an activity which done by all of us, every one communicate to share their ideas, thoughts or feelings through sign n symbols, oral n etc. Everyone have their own language of expression animals, plants, human... the while nature communicate with each other… basically communication is not a subject we do this activity by birth...as no one gives any idea about how to react when you are happy or sad or how to learn facial expression..It’s all thing are look illogical in academic sense, but these all things are important in many areas of study  for example sociologist and psychologist they give their views or judgment on the basis of verbal and non verbal communication. So this the important part of study and life too. So there is one thing that very clear to all of us that communication amenable to study but it is compulsory in multi – disciplinary area of study………..

Now the topic comes in our mind that what we study in it so….we learn about sign and codes as well as symbols
Sign are graphical or act representation of something that we use explain others about that thing
Codes are planning or system where all sign n symbol properly organize and by both this the communication run smoothly.
Some definitions which explain my words more properly are their…
: - communication is the “interchange of thoughts and ideas”. – HOBEN
: - “Every communication act is viewed as transmission of information consisting of discriminative stimuli from a source to receptive”. - NEWCOMB
:-“An interchange of thoughts opinion or information thoughts ,speech, writing, or sign is called communication”- ROBERT ANDERSON

SIMILARLY by JOHN FISKE {Was a professor of communication arts at the University of Wisconsin Madison} say in his book “Introduction to communication studies” [studies in culture and communication] THAT- there are two main schools in the study of communication -
First- communication as a “transmission of message”
Second- communication as “production and exchange of meaning of meaning”

The “transmission of message” reflects that how sender and receiver encode and decodes any message or information and how transmitter uses the channels and media for communication. Similarly on the other hand “production of exchange of meaning” it reflect that how message or text interact with receiver to understand the meaning and able to decode sender.

Here we understand one thing properly the role of text in our culture …because the sender and receiver may be belongs to different culture in that case the use of term signification arises for this school.

Basically the study of communication is the study of text and culture or culture differences for that we have one method –the study of semiotics means the science of sign and meaning.

Now we discuss about some communication model to understand better communication studies and their processes

SHANNON AND WEAVER’S MODEL-{Mathematical model of communication}
Shannon and weaver’s model of communication is the best example to understand the communication as a transmission of message. Claude Shannon- (1948) come out with an article “mathematical  theory of communication”

Shannon presents it as a simple linear process. According to John Fiske, Shannon and weaver identify three levels of problems in the study of communication (Fiske, 1990)

Level 1 {Technical Problem} – how accurately the symbols of communication be transmitted.
Level 2 {Semantic Problem} – how preciously do the transmitted symbols convey the desired meaning?
Level 3 {Effectiveness Problem} – how effectively does the received meaning effect conduct in the desire way?

All three levels are interrelated to each other.the main point to study in that how we can improve accuracy and efficiency in communication act.

Now back on the terms of model:  (Refer to model above)

1: the “information source” is the first term; works to select message out of a set of huge possible message.

2: the term “transmitter” transforms the message into signals that sent a message to commutation medium or channel for receiver.

3: the third term “receiver” is just opposite to source or we can say kind of inverse transmitter which reforming the transmitted signals over back into message and describing source’s message or interpreting it.

Now this message is after all processes set to the “destination” the final term of model. So we can say it that destination is the final receiver or the message come finally to the initial receiver and the whole transmission is ultimately accomplished.

In between the whole model the most unique and important new term introduce by Shannon and weaver is “noise”. They clarify it that this whole model design on the idea of telephonic conversation where signal or channel transmitted the information so its is obvious that some hindrance or barrier comes.They called it noise. Noise comes internal or external sources .

Few Practice Questions for UGC NET Jan 2017:
1. Social Scientists use to describe ………………………. As "mother of all models."? 
a. Hypodermic needle
b. Gerbner’s General Model
c. Shannon–Weaver model
d. Osgood & Schramm Model

2. The Shannon–Weaver model is some time being criticized for?
a. Inappropriate to represent individual test
b. Inappropriate to represent social processes
c. Not considered the information source as vital element
d. Receiver is treated under noise

3. The Shannon-Weaver Model has…………….element?
a. four
b. five 
c. six
d. ten

4. According to Shannon-Weaver Model…………………….is responsible for taking the ideas of the source and expressing the source’s purpose in the form of a message.?
a. The Message itself
b. The Encoder
c. The Channel
d. The Receiver

5. Identify the correct sequence of Shannon and weaver model communication model
a. Signal, Thought, Transmitter, Recipient 
b. Thought, Transmitter, Signal, Recipient 
c. Signal, Transmitter, Thought, Recipient 
d. Thought, Signal, Transmitter, Recipient 

6. Shannon and Weaver assumed that sorting out which Level of problems may lead to improvements at the other levels?
a. Level A
b. Level B
c. Level C
d. there is no relationship all level of problems are independent 

7. Shannon and Weaver argued that there were three levels of problems of communication which of the following is NOT one of them?
a. technical 
b. semantic
c. correction
d. effectiveness 

Other Practice Questions:
Q1: What do u understand about the communication and how  improved it by the help of Shannon and weaver model?
Q2: How all three problem or level of problems in this model interrelated to each other?
Q3: Apply this Shannon and weaver model  in your daily life communication experience and make some realistic example for more explanation?

Works Cited:
Fiske, J. (1990). Introduction to Communication Studies (Second Edition ed.). New York: Routledge.
McQuail, D. (ed.) (1972) Sociology of Mass Communications, Harmondsworth: Penguin
Newcomb, T. (1953) ‘An approach to the study of communication acts
Shannon, C. and Weaver, W. (1949) The Mathematical Theory of Communication




1 comment:

  1. beautifully written and a very informative article......thanku so mich..keep writing...

    ReplyDelete