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requires interpretation; and it is always some conceptual scheme,
however rudimentary, and not virgin reality, that supplies the criteria
by which an interpretation of experience is to be appraised" (1977).
As to the latter, Delia, et al., explain that constructivism
seeks to understand how persons interpret their experience of the world
in which they live, and to show that this interpretation is fundamental
to an understanding of communication. This implies that the perceptions
or cognitive faculties of individuals are the basis for the behavior
that may follow as a result of such perceptions. As they put it,
"Behavior is organized through the application of interpretive schemes
as well as strategies that translate intentions into behavioral
displays" (1982; 151). To put it another way, the act of communication
is an act of interpretation, and behavior (which may include verbal or
physical activity) follows from this. Indeed, behavior (relies( upon
The method that the constructivist brings to bear on the study
of communication involves four major areas of concern: (interpretive
processes(, (human action(, (human interaction(, and (human communication(
(Delia, O'Keefe, and O'Keefe 1982; 151). The constructivists see
communication as a cumulative process which involves all four areas,
one following from the other. As a practical matter, these four areas
may overlap and converge even as interpretations, perceptions, and
motivations may shift. But it is precisely the role of the researcher
to analyze such overlaps and convergences, which constitute the
interactive process. Thus, interpretive processes refer to the
"cognitive schemes" or interpretive faculties that individuals employ
as they experience the world. Human action, or a strategy for dealing
with new experiences (i.e., words,...