Linear vs. Interactive Models of Communication

The book describes two different models of communication between people. The first is the Linear model, which represents one-way verbal communication. This model involves only one person as the sender and the other person as a passive receiver. In this model, there is no feedback being given from the receiver, which is unrealistic. It also recognizes the presence of "noise", which is described as a distraction like background conversations or accents which make it harder to understand what is being communicated. Thus, noise is what causes a gap in the information being conveyed. An example that I've come across based on the this model is when I was younger and I would get in trouble by my parents, they would lecture me as I sat there, and just listened. I was not allowed to provide any feedback or response and all I could do was just take it in passively.

The second model, the Interactive model is a more updated version of the Linear model. This model differs from the Linear model by accounting for feedback that can be given by listeners. In a conversation, there is a sender and a receiver that can provide a response. This model is more realistic, for it describes that communication is created and interpreted through one's personal experience. In addition, the more experiences that are shared between two people, the better they can relate to one another and develop a deeper connection. The bump in this model is that it still does not display that communication between people can change over time and fails to recognize that both parties are involved in both receiving and sending messages, rather than a sequential process with only one designated receiver and one designated sender.

Introductory Post

Hi Everyone,

I'm "Michelle" & I'm currently a second year Senior :) studying Health Science. I will be graduating in Fall 2012, so I'm pretty excited and scared to get out of SJSU! Aside from this Comm class, I have also taken Comm 40 (Argument & Debate) and Comm 41 (Critical Decision Making). I'm taking this class for fun, as a filler because I needed more units and it was recommended to me. This is also my first online class, which I hope goes well since I'm not very good at checking up on things online all the time..but I guess I'd better get used to it.

I was born and raised here in San Jose, but I love to travel elsewhere. This past summer, I went on a tour all over the west side of Europe, which was amazing. I love to eat and expand my palette. My favorite types of food include Filipino, Indian, Japanese and Korean. In addition I'm a sucker for sweets and milk tea. I am also fascinated by sea life and love whales and jellyfishes. My favorite sport to watch is hockey and my favorite team is the SJ Sharks! Lastly, I work on campus in the Student Union. :)