Constructivism by Jesse Delia

I.

Introduction

The reporters focused on the theory that Jesse Delia. He explained that
Constructivism is a communication theory that seeks to explain individual differences in
peoples ability to communicate skillfully in social situations. Delia is the former chair of
the department of speech communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
and now serves as the executive director of international research relations at the school.
Along with a network of constructivist researchers, he uses Walter Crocketts open-ended
Role Category Questionnaire (RCQ) to help us get inside our head.

Role Category Questionnaire (RCQ)

On this topic, we focused on how Role Category Questionnaire works. We even let our
classmates participate so that they could fully understand it. We ask two female students to
help us on the RCQ. Then we ask our remaining classmates to give us a word or two about
the two female students. It could be a physical attributes, habits, characteristics, etc. We
also ask them to write it on a piece of paper, after they are done we ask them to encircle
the similarities of the two students.

The main purpose of the Role Category Questionnaire The measure of cognitive

complexity (construct differentiation) based on the standard twopeer version of

Crockett's Role Category Questionnaire (RCQ) was found to have high fourweek
testretest reliability under conditions of either strict enforcement of a time limit
for completion of the RCQ ("timed version) or no such enforcement ("untimed").
Additionally, for subjects who completed both a timed and an untimed version at a
Castro, Jolas
Chua, Crizz Joy Nina
Claudio, Coleen
Dano, Jazzenits Nicole
De Guzman, Renato
De Jesus, Maricel

fourweek interval (with order varied), the correlation of timed and untimed
differentiation scores was high.

(Write you written

report here)
Individual Interpretations:

As a theory, Constructivism is concerned with the cognitive processes that proceed the
actual communication within a given situation. Measuring and observing these cognitive
processes can be a difficult task. While I agree that people who are able to adapt their
messages to particular situations and audiences are more successful than those who are
not able, saying that those who are more cognitively complex are always more successful is
probably misrepresenting the truth.

Metatheoretical Assumptions:

Epistemologically, Constructivism allows for multiple truths depending on both the abilities
of the communicator and receiver in creating and understanding cognitively complex
messages. Ontologically, some people have the ability to act (humanistic) using a rhetorical
design logic while others are forced to react (scientific) through the use of either
expressive or conventional design logic. Axiologically this theory is value-conscious

Castro, Jolas
Chua, Crizz Joy Nina
Claudio, Coleen
Dano, Jazzenits Nicole
De Guzman, Renato
De Jesus, Maricel

because while it recognizes the capacity for value influence, it does not subscribe to any
particular patterns.

Critique:

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 peoples communication effectiveness.

References:
http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/interpersonal/construct.html
http://www.scholars.northwestern.edu/journalArticleDetail.asp?id=21371&o_id=139

Castro, Jolas
Chua, Crizz Joy Nina
Claudio, Coleen
Dano, Jazzenits Nicole
De Guzman, Renato
De Jesus, Maricel