Note: This guide is not guaranteed to contain a complete list of everything that may be on the test. You are responsible for reading and learning all the concepts and skills assigned on the syllabus readings and discussed in class. This guide will help you substantially, but you should still review your class notes, reading notes, and the readings themselves.
For each concept below, you should be able to define it and identify it as used in a context. Some questions will ask you to apply your knowledge of these concepts.
The test will contain approximately 50 multiple-choice questions. Bring a Scantron 882 and pencil to the test.
You may bring one 8.5 by 11-inch page of notes (one side of the page) with you for use during the test.
Semantics
- What is semantics?
- trapping metaphor
- the impression of meaning in the absence of meaning
- polarizing terms
- types of context (verbal, non-verbal)
- abstract and concrete terms
- general and specific terms
- three “lessons” of Semantics 1
- denotation and connotation (Be careful to define connotation accurately. Connotation is not the same thing as the slang meaning or a personal meaning for a word.)
- Types of definition
- descriptive
- stipulative
- normative
- persuasive
- euphemisms
- Three Major Principles of Semantics
- the word is not the thing
- a word/label is a judgment
- the same word can refer to different things
- how to choose a name for your child
- functional fixation
- the role of adjectives in slanting
- Logical Fallacies Associated with Language
- emotive language
- weasel words
- fallacy of composition
- fallacy of division
- vicious abstraction
- suppressed quantification
- equivocation
- amphibology
- accent
- synonyms
Cialdini, Influence
- the six major compliance techniques
- reciprocation
- commitment and consistency
- social proof
- liking
- authority
- scarcity
- low balling
- rejection then retreat
- the Milgram experiment
- psychological reactance
- perceptual contrast
- “start small and build”
- difficulty of attainment as a factor in valuing
- affinity scams
- four conditions for a commitment to be effective