MODELS OF COMMUNICATION

MODELS 

Mass communication scholars started making use of models only recently. In human communication, speech communication and in languages, models have been used since an early time. Even Aristotle is said to have created some communication models. Aristotle's most important model is the Rhetoric Model. Many scholars and researchers have followed his footsteps. In addition to communication scientists, social researchers, psychologists and public opinion experts have also added to the development of models by way of innovating and enriching these models. The most familiar names in this area are David Berlo, Shannon, Warren Weaver, Harold Laswell, Paul Lazarsfield, Bernard Berelson, Wilbur Schramm, CharlesOsgood, George Gerbner, Everett Rogers, and several others.

SMCR MODEL:

Famous communication scientist David Berlo propounded this model. This is also known as the Source-Message-Channel-Receiver model of communication. This model is significant because it emphasizes the importance of "thorough understanding of human behavior as a pre-requisite to communication".It underlines the role of the source and the receiver. The background of the source depends on several variables. Similarly, the receiver also interprets the message depending upon the background- knowledge, skill, attitude, culture, etc. If both the source and receiver were matched in their standing, the communication would be fruitful. Otherwise, there would be gaps.

Graphically, it is represented as follows:

                                                  Berlo's SMCR Model

SHANNON AND WEAVER'S MODEL:

This is one of the earliest models of communication developed. Shannon, an acclaimed mathematician, developed this communication model in 1947. Later with Warren Weaver, he perfected it. This model is known as the Shannon-Weaver Model. Shannon and Weaver listed the major elements of the process of communication. According to them, the ingredients in the communication process include:

o A source,

o A transmitter,

o A signal,

o A receiver, and

o Destination.

o Noise

To understanding the theory properly, we can say that the source is a speaker, the signal is speech, and the destination is the receiver and the transmitter is used to send the message from the source to the receiver. This model is supposedly derived from a mathematical interpretation of communication for sending or transmitting the message with the help of a technology or manually by human beings. This is illustrated as under: In this model, the important objective is transmitting the message. This model has not studied the other concerned or allied areas of impact, or effect on the receiver, i.e., destination or his reactions to the message.

CHARLES E. OSGOOD'S MODEL:

This model is a "highly circular" model. The important characteristics of Osgood’s model are that the message receiver is also a message sender. Thus the messages move in cycles. And the sender and the receiver interact with one another establishing a kind of "interactive relationship" where one person may be source one moment and a receiver the next and again a source the following moment. This process mostly takes place in interpersonal communication. The figure below explains the model (Charles E. Osgood's Model)

WILBUR SCHRAMM'S MODEL:

As we all know Wilbur Schramm's contribution in communication, especially in mass communication research, is exemplary. He has analyzed and presented communication in new light and explained communication in various ways. These are communication with one’s self, communication between two persons, or a group of persons, communication with mass audience running into hundreds or thousands of millions of people. Schramm further developed Shannon and Weaver's model to further elaborate and clarify his various concept of communication. He explained the communication process as an interaction among an encoder, decoder, message, feedback and noise. Schramm emphasized on the roles of feedback and noise in his model. This added new dimension to the understanding communication study and research. The model has been illustrated in the following figure:

(Schramm's Model)

GATEKEEPING MODEL:

Kurt Zadek Lewin (1890-1947), was born in German. He was a great Psychologist and pioneer in Social Psychology. He developed the concept in the field of psychology called psychological “field” and “life space” in order to understand the human behavior and its important consideration of total life space. His studies are more based on to understand a person’s own world, physical, mental and social through frequent conversation between his pre-memories, desire and his goals. And also his works help to understand the relationship between attitudes and behavior in the group or individuals.Kurt Lewin coins the word called “Gate keeping”. It’s nothing but to block unwanted or useless things by using a gate. Here the person who make a decision is called “Gatekeeper”. At first it is widely used in the field of psychology and later it occupies the field of communication. Now it’s one of the essential theories in communication studies.

Concept:

The Gatekeeper decides what information should move to group or individual and what information should not. Here, the gatekeeper are the decision makers who letting the whole social system. The gatekeeper is having its own influence like social, cultural, ethical and political. Based on personal or social influences they let the information to the group. Through this process the unwanted, sensible and controversial information’s are removed by the gate keeper which helps to control the society or a group and letting them in a right path. In home mother plays the vital role and she has to decide what their kid’s needs and what should avoid.

In news medium editor play vital role. He has to decide what kind of news items will publish and what should not.  Every day the news channel receives various news items from all over the world. The channel have its own ethics and policies through this the editor decide the news items for publish or aired. In some cases few news items are rejected by the editor due the organizations policy or the news items which are not suitable for publish.

A news channel can’t show all those news items to audience because it may affect the channel reputation in public and organizations policy. Here, editor decides the news items especially he can’t show the Texas bull fighting because it is not internationally popular story. But the same time the news channel can’t show the religious abuses also because it may hurt audience directly and it may affect organizations policy also. 

News items:

N1-N5

Gatekeeper:

Chief Editor

Selected News Items:

N2,N3

Discarded News Items: (on popularity)

N1

Discarded News Items: (on policy)

N4

LASSWELL MODEL

Harold Dwight Lasswell, the American political scientist states that a convenient way to describe an act of communication is to answer the following questions

• Who

• Says What

• In Which Channel

• To Whom

• With what effect?

This model is about process of communication and its function to society, According to Lasswell there are three functions for communication:

1. Surveillance of the environment
2. Correlation of components of society
3. Cultural transmission between generation

Lasswell model suggests the message flow in a multicultural society with multiple audiences. The flow of message is through various channels. And also this communication model is similar to Aristotle’s communication model.

In this model, the communication component who refers the research area called “Control Analysis”,

Says what is refers to “Content Analysis”,

In which channel is refers to “Media Analysis”,

To Whom is refers to “Audience Analysis”

With What Effect is refers to “Effect Analysis”

Example:

CNN NEWS – A water leak from Japan’s tsunami-crippled nuclear power station resulted in about 100 times the permitted level of radioactive material flowing into the sea, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said on Saturday.

Who – TEPC Operator

What – Radioactive material flowing into sea

Channel – CNN NEWS (Television medium)

Whom – Public

Effect – Alert the people of japan from the radiation.

Advantage of lasswell model:

• It is Easy and Simple
• It suits for almost all types of communication
• The concept of effect

Disadvantage of lasswell model:

• Feedback not mentioned
• Noise not mentioned
• Linear Model

GERBENER MODEL:

Mr. George Gerbner is one of the pioneers in the field of communication research. His works are descriptive as well as very easy to understand any other before. He is working as a professor and head of the Annenberg School of Communications in the University of Pennsylvania.  In 1956, Gerbner attempted the general purpose of communication models. He stressed the dynamic nature of communication in his work and also the factor which affecting the reliability of communication.

(i) Perceptual Dimension:

An ‘E’ is an event happens in the real life and the event content or message is perceived by ‘M’ (Man or a Machine). After Perceives the message from “E” by “M” is known as “E1”. E1 is not same as like ‘E’. Because any man or machine can’t perceives the whole event and they perceives only the part of the event (E1). This is known as “Perceptual Dimension”.

These 3 factors are involves between ‘E’ and ‘M’

• Selection
• Context
• Availability

M (man or machine) cannot perceive the entire content of the event “E”. So M selects the interesting or needed content from the entire event and filtering the others.  The context occurs in the event and Availability is based on ‘M’s attitude, mood, culture and personality. (For eg. How a journalist perceives the messages from the event and also can’t focus the whole event so they filter the unwanted or unrelated content from the event. This filtered content is not same as like the actual event content because the journalist edits the content based on his attitude, mood and cultural background or press policies).

(ii) Means and Controls dimension:

E2 is the event content which is drawn or artified by M. Here M becomes the source of a message about E to send someone else. M creates a statement or signals about the message and Gerbner termed its Form and content as “SE2”. S (Signal or Form) it takes and E2 (Man’s content). Here Content (E2) is structured or formed (S) by ‘M’ and it can communicate in a different ways or based on the structured ways.

M has to use channels (or media) over to send the message which he has a greater or lesser degree of control. The question of ‘control’ relates to M’s degree of skill in using communication channels. If using a verbal channel, how good is he using words? If using the Internet, how good is he at using new technology and words?

This process can be extended to infinitum by adding on other receivers (M2, M3etc.) who have further perceptions (SE3, SE4 etc.) of the statements about perceived events.

Important Note:

Message at every level is altered or changed.