Constructivism – Jesse Delia

People who are cognitively complex in their perceptions of others have a greater capacity for sophisticated communication that will achieve positive outcomes. They can employ a rhetorical message design logic that creates person-centered message that simultaneously pursues multiple communication goals.

Constructivism is a scientific theory that attempts to explain why some people are more successful in attaining their interpersonal communication goals than others. It also makes predictions that people who are more cognitively complex will be more successful because of their ability to use rhetorical design logic in sending messages. Attempting to study cognitive processes is a difficult task and can make a situation quite complicated; therefore the application of this theory is not very simple. However, this theory does a good job in laying the foundations for some important future research about what role the cognitive process plays in people’s communication effectiveness.

Those who are more cognitively complex in their formation of messages are more capable of achieving their interpersonal communication goals. These people are also better suited for interpreting messages in a more clear manner.

Example:

• In a situation where a student might have an argument with a teacher about a grade he or she received, an example of a statement that might use expressive design logic would sound like this:  “You are so unfair. You are always out to get me!”
• An example of a statement using conventional design logic might sound like this:  “I worked hard on this project. Your expectations of me are higher than anyone else in this class because I am the only one who is a major.”
• An example of a statement that uses rhetorical design logic might sound like this:
• “I would like to sit down with you and go over the grading of my project. I believe that if I have the chance to explain a bit more about what I did, you might be able to re-evaluate my grade. Additionally, I am unclear about some of the comment you made. I hope that through discussing it, I might get a better idea about exactly what it is that you expected to be done for this assignment.”
• How does Constructivism explain comforting messages? ***
• Constructivism – people make sense of the world through systems of personal constructs. Constructs are contrasting features on how we group other people.
• Certain people are advantaged in certain situations due to their personal backgrounds and experiences.

Comforting message – Burleson & Applegate’s Typology:

• deny feelings
• implicitly recognize feelings
• deal with feelings (most helpful, requiring high cognitive complexity)

Classifying constructivism

• Delia’s theory
• Makes causal (determinist) claims
• Is tested with experiments
• Thus, it is an objectivist theory