Encoding: the process of translating information to another person. The source of sender if first responsible for this act, and it includes taking their thought or idea that they want to share and putting it into a message with symbols that everybody in the communication process at that time are aware of. For example, if I am talking to another student about graduate school and I say I received a large envelope from the school, they will understand that I was accepted because receiving a large envelope from a college is a symbol of acceptance (Weiner, 1990).
Ethnocentrism: a belief in the superiority of one’s own culture and customs over all others. This is usually based off an individual’s fear of what is not familiar or known to himself/herself, and can lead to friction with others on questions of culture or viewpoints. If left unchecked, this behavior could lead to rejection of others’ cultures completely which in turn could be viewed as racist (DeFleur, Kearney, Plax, & Defleur, 2005).
