MODELS OF COMMUNICATION

In the broadest sense, a model is a systematic representation of an object or event in idealized and abstract form. Models are somewhat arbitrary by their nature. The act of abstracting eliminates certain details to focus on essential factors. . . . The key to the usefulness of a model is the degree to which it conforms--in point-by-point correspondence--to the underlying determinants of communicative behavior.” 

Communication models are merely pictures; they’re even distorting pictures, because they stop or freeze an essentially dynamic interactive or transitive process into a static picture.

Models are metaphors. They allow us to see one thing in terms of another.

VARIOUS MODELS OF COMMUNICATION

 Lasswell’s Models

 Shannon and Weaver’s Model

 Osgood’s model

 The Scharmm Models

 Newcomb’s Symmetry model

 The Westley-MacLean Model

 The Gerbner Model

LASSWELL’S MODEL: Lasswell's model is a verbal saying, which say about who says what in which channel, to whom with what effect? This model say about communication process and it's function to society. Lasswell said 3 function of communication. The first one is a environmental monitoring. Then a relation from every departed society which give a response to environment. And the last one is a social transmission from one generation to the other. This model is often used in mass communication. Who to gate keeper, says what is a source to analyze about the message. In which channel to media. to whom to audience. And with what effect is about the effect which is made by a message of mass communication to reader, listener, etc.This model is also given a critic, because this model seems think that communicator and the message is always on purpose. This model is also though that is too much simple. But, just like the other good model, this model focus on important aspect in communication.

SHANNON AND WEAVER’S MODEL: This model is talking about the problem to send a message based on their accuracy level. This model presupposes an information source who create a message and send it by some channel to a receiver who recreate that message. In other words, this model assuming that information source create some message to be communicated from available set of messages. Transmitter changes messages to signal which suitable with the used channel. Channel is a medium which sending a sign from transmitter to receiver. In conversation, information source is a brain, the transmitter is voice which create a signs that transmitted by air. The receiver is a hearing mechanism and reconstruction a message from a signs. The destination is a receiver's brain. And the important concept from this model is a noise. 

OSGOOD’S MODEL: Osgood (1954) contended that the technical communication model of Shannon and Weaver, developed for application to engineering problems, was never intended for human communication. His own model is developed from his theory of meaning and from psycholinguistic process in general. He provides for both the sending and receiving functions within one individual and he takes into account the meaning of symbols. The Shannon and Weaver model implies separate sources, destinations, transmitters, and receivers. While this is usually true of mechanical systems, its is not true of human communication system. An individual functions as both a source and destination, as both a transmitter and a receiver by decoding the messages he or she encodes through a number of feedback mechanisms. 

THE SCHARMM MODELS: Communication is considered as an interaction, with both sides who encode - interpret - interpret back - transmit - and receive the signal. Schramm think that communication always needs 3 element : source, message, and destination. Source can encode and destination can decode message, based on their own experience. If both of circle have an an equal territory, so communication is an easy thing to do. Greater territory will affect on field of experience which belong to both sides. According to schramm, every one in communication's process is clearly become both encoder and decoder. We constantly encode back signs from our environment, interpret that signs and decode something as a results. Backward process in the model is called feed back, which playing an important rule in communication. Because it let us know how do our message being interpreted.

NEWCOMB’S SYMMETRY MODEL: Theodore Newcomb see communication from communication from the social psychology view. This model also known as ABX model. This model draw that someone (A) sending information to the other one (B) about something (X). That model assume that A's orientation to B and to X is depend to each other. And three of them is a system which content four orientation.

A to X orientation

A to B orientation

B to X orientation

B to A orientation

In this model, communication is a normal and effective way which make people can orient their self to their environment. It's a intentional communication act model of 2 people.

THE WESTLEY-MACLEAN MODEL: This model say about 2 context, interpersonal and mass communication. And the point of difference between interpersonal and mass communication is the feedback. In interpersonal, the feedback is direct and fast. In the mass, the feedback is indirect and slow. There is 5 parts in this model on interpersonal communication : object orientation, messages, source, receiver, and feedback. Source (A) see object or some activities in their environment (X) and create a message about that think (X')which sent to receiver (B). In that turn, the receiver will send a feedback about message to the source.

In mass communication this model have another parts, it's called gate keeper (C) or opinion leader which receive the message (X') from source of mass media (A) or by seeing object orientation (X1, X2) in his environment. And then, the gate keeper is creating their own messages (X")which sent to a receiver (B). So, the filter process is formed.

There is some important concept from this model : feed back, the differences and similarity between interpersonal and mass communication, and opinion leader which become an important thing in mass communication. This model is also separated purposive and non purposive messages.

THE GERBNER MODEL: This model is a lasswell's model expansion. It consist from verbal model and diagrammatic model. Verbal Model : someone perceives an event and reacts in a situation through some means to make available material in some form and contacts conveying content of some consequence. Diagrammatic Model : Someone perceives an event and send some messages to transmitter which will send a signal to receiver. In that transmission, the signal facing noise and become SSSE to destination.