Exercise 17.1 Analyzing a communication assignment

Analyze the following assignment from a communications course.

Assignment: Distribute a questionnaire to twenty people (ten male, ten female) asking these four questions: (1) What do you expect to say and do when you meet a stranger? (2) What don’t you expect to say and do when you meet a stranger? (3) What do you expect to say and do when you meet a very close friend? (4) What don’t you expect to say and do when you meet a very close friend?

When you have collected your twenty questionnaires, read them over and answer the following questions. Discuss your findings, using concepts and theories explained in your text.

  • What, if any, descriptions were common to all respondents’ answers?

    Question

    What, if any, descriptions were common to all respondents’ answers?
    What, if any, descriptions were common to all respondents’ answers?
  • How do male and female responses compare?

    Question

    How do male and female responses compare?
    How do male and female responses compare?
  • What similarities and differences did you find between the responses to the stranger and to the very close friend?

    Question

    What similarities and differences did you find between the responses to the stranger and to the very close friend?
    What similarities and differences did you find between the responses to the stranger and to the very close friend?
  • What factors (environment, time, status, gender, and so on) do you think had an impact on these responses?

    Question

    What factors (environment, time, status, gender, and so on) do you think had an impact on these responses?
    What factors (environment, time, status, gender, and so on) do you think had an impact on these responses?