ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides the basics and the background necessary to begin a meaningful study of human communication and the requisite variety to build own integrated understanding of “how communication works.” In the last 5 to 6 years, there have been dramatic increases in both the output and number of outlets for communication-related research. A cursory survey of research findings, published in communication journals during the past 6 years, reveals a conglomeration of concepts, such as self-disclosure, communication apprehension, empathy, persuasion, communication competence, attitudes and attitude formation, turn-taking, fear arousal, cognitive dissonance, source credibility, diffusion, violence and aggression, etc. To a large extent, this sort of concept-hopping has been the consequence of the field’s widespread embracing of quantitative methodology as the dominant vehicle for studying human communication phenomena.
