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Running Head: UNCERTAINTY REDUCTION THEORY

Interpersonal Theory Analysis: Uncertainty Reduction Theory Name Institution Date

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Interpersonal Theory Analysis: Uncertainty Reduction Theory Introduction Everyone wants to be certain about a relationship or the behavior of someone else. Incidences of uncertainty will always cause panic and anxiety, especially if it affects someone’s life. For instance, when a person breaks up without giving reasons, there would be uncertainty to the other partner (Redmond,2015). Uncertainty reduction theory explains how individuals can reduce uncertainty in a relationship (Beebe, Beebe & Redmon, 2017).The effectiveness of interpersonal communication is vital for reducing uncertainty. Theory Summary Uncertainty reduction theory (URT) was first developed by Charles Berger and Richard Calabrese in 1975. Charles Berger served as a professor emeritus of communication at the University of California, Davis. Richard Calabrese holds a Ph. D in Human Communication Studies from Northwestern University and is currently the professor of Communication at Dominican University. Berger and Calabrese (1975) stated that people experience uncertainty when interacting with strangers, because they do not know the expectations (Redmond,2015). However, Berger and Calabrese assert that uncertainties reduce as the interaction proceeds. The uncertainty reduces because people gain information about each other. Uncertainty reduction theory has evolved over years to include interactions within established interpersonal relationships. As a relationship proceeds, people may experience uncertainty, which prompts acquisition of information about another person to reduce uncertainty. In 1982, Berger and his colleague, James Bradac, also a distinguished professor of communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara, included ongoing and terminated relationships in the discussions of

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uncertainty reduction. For instance, in interpersonal communication one may become confused about feelings towards his or her partner. URT gives an explanation for the behavior that people display when interacting. Theory Explanation The uncertainty reduction theory involves reduction of uncertainty in individuals during initial interactions, an ongoing or an already terminated relationship. The elements of uncertainty reduction theory include; cognitive and behavioral. Cognitive uncertainty involves uncertainty about another person’s thoughts or our own thoughts. On the other hand, behavioral uncertainty is the uncertainty about another person’s behavior. Predicting another person’s behavior makes one comfortable in a relationship. But inability to predict behavior, which causes behavioral uncertainty leads to anxiety. For instance, a person texts a new friend to find out why he or she did not call the previous night shows an effort to reduce uncertainty. A person wants to understand what is going on in the relationship. In other words, people strive to make sense out of an event or something. Berger and Calabrese identified different ways through which people can reduce uncertainty. First, proactive or predictive; occurs before an interaction and enables one to generate predictions. Second, retroactive or explanatory; occurs during or after interactions and enables one to generate predictions. Uncertainty reduction theory has seven variables in initial interactions. According to Berger & Calabrese (1975), the variables are; a). amount of verbal communication; this is the number of words in initial interactions, (b). non-verbal affiliative expressiveness; the ability of people to show positive feelings towards each other, for example, friendly facial expressions, nodding the head other non-verbal cues such as gestures, (c) information seeking behavior; involves the number of questions that people ask each other, (d) intimacy of communication

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content; the extent to which there is low risk of disclosing personal information, for example, demographic and high-risk information such as opinions, (e) reprocity; the ability of people to share information equally, (f) similarity; the extent to which people share similar attitudes and agree during communication, (g) liking; the positive feeling towards another person. The model of uncertainty reduction theory

Figure 1: Uncertainty reduction theory model. Source: (Redmond,2015, p.4) The model works by first examining the relationship, which has uncertainty. A person experiences either cognitive uncertainty or behavioral uncertainty to attain uncertainty reduction. However, uncertainty reduction theory works when a person looks forward to future interactions. This means that the response to uncertainty is not the same for everybody. Therefore, the theory does not work when people do not expect to meet each other. Uncertainty reduction theory has explained everything that involves interpersonal communication. The theory revolves around emotional and social intelligence, which are essential in predicting a person’s thoughts and behavior in interpersonal communication (Soyoung et al. 2017). When interacting, a person should always be able to recognize his or her feelings and those of the other person.

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Face-to-face communication Example On one of the Sundays, a close friend invited me to their church service, Baptist Church. I know that Baptist Church is a Bible believing church, but I was not certain how the church is conducted. I asked my friend how long the service will take, and if I the pastor will ask me to stand up and introduce myself. I am usually nervous when speaking in public, but nervousness fades away as I continue speaking. I wanted to know more about the church service so that I could prepare myself. He told me that the church service takes 3 hours and that I will be required be required to just raise up my hand when the preacher asks if there is a new member in the church. After the explanation I felt my uncertainty has reduced. Uncertainty reduction theory effectively explains my thoughts and behavior. Before attending the church service, I was uncertain about what to expect. When my friend explained the procedures of the church service and how the church recognizes new people, I felt my uncertainty has reduced. Mediated Communication Example. Tom met Shirley at school and they had regular communication over the phone. Tom always sent a goodnight text or called through phone to wish Shirley a goodnight. However, one of the days Tom failed to call or send a text message. In the morning, Shirley called to find out why Tom did not wish her goodnight as usual. Tom told her that his phone went off in the evening and he could not find where the charger was, but he found in the morning. Tom and Shirley’s case illustrates the application of uncertainty reduction theory. When Tom failed to text Shirley at night, Shirley thought that he was with someone else or he just did not want to text. She was uncertain and wanted to be certain about what could have happened.

UNCERTAINTY REDUCTION THEORY When Tom explained what happened, her uncertainty reduced. This mediated example is different from face-to-face communication because in face-to-face communication a person can focus on the facial expressions and gestures and determine if what is being said is true or false. Conclusion Uncertainty reduction theory focuses on reducing uncertainty in interpersonal communication. People feel uncomfortable in times of uncertainty and they will always seek to find out more information about a person. Uncertainty reduction theory praises emotional intelligence and social intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability of a person to recognize his or her emotions and that of others. Social intelligence is the ability to predict a person’s behavior, that is, seeing a person in the most realistic light possible. Similarly, uncertainty reduction theory entails cognitive uncertainty and behavioral uncertainty. Therefore, to reduce uncertainty in interpersonal communication, people should always focus on cognitive and behavioral aspects.

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Beebe. S.A, Beebe S.J & Redmon M.V (2017). Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others, 8e. Reprinted and electronically reproduced by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Hoboken, NJ. Redmond, M. (2015). Uncertainty Reduction Theory. English Technical Reports and White Papers Retrieved from https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1005&context=engl_reports Soyoung Jung, Soojin Roh, Hyun Yang, & Biocca, F. (2017). Location and Modality Effects in Online Dating: Rich Modality Profile and Location-Based Information Cues Increase Social Presence, While Moderating the Impact of Uncertainty Reduction Strategy. CyberPsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 20(9), 553–560. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2017.0027...