ave contrary to one’s expectations or social norms.
People use three basic strategies to obtain information about others: passive, active and interactive. With the passive strategy, the individual of interest is observed in various situations, including those in which the person may be presenting himself to others in a strategic way (i.e., self-monitoring), such as in a classroom or at a party. The active strategy involves setting up a situation where the person of interest can be observed or approached for interaction. With the interactive strategy, people simply communicate with the person they wish to reduce uncertainty about.
Stages of Communication
Finally, Berger and Calabrese described three stages of communication through which uncertainty reduction advances:
1. Entry — Individuals exchange demographic information such as their age, gender, occupation and place of origin. Communication generally follows social rules and norms.
2. Personal — Communicators begin to share more personal data, including attitudes, beliefs and values. Communication is less constrained by social norms.
3. Exit — Communicators decide whether they will interact in the future or continue a relationship. In some cases, interaction will end at this point.
Although Uncertainty Reduction Theory has greatly influenced communication studies, it’s not without its critics. Some scholars say that uncertainty reduction is not always the factor motivating communication; some people interact out of a genuine desire to connect positively with others. Others note that Berger and Calabrese’s studies included only one U.S. demographic: middle-class white people. Still others have pointed out that the scope of the theory’s assumptions may be too large and, therefore, easily disproved–which ultimately weakens the theory.
Uncertainty Reduction Theory has been used in recent years to study intercultural interaction, organizational socialization and interactions on social media.