Defining Uncertainty

Since uncertainty has been identified as an important construct, necessary to the study of communication, it would be beneficial to know when the concept originated, and how it has been defined and studied.

One way to consider uncertainty is through the theoretical framework of information theory. Shannon and Weaver (1949) proposed that uncertainty existed in a given situation when:

• there was a high amount of possible alternatives and 
• the probability of their event was relatively equal. 

Shannon and Weaver related this view of uncertainty to the transmission of messages, but their work also contributed to the development of URT.


Berger and Calabrese (1975) adopted concepts from the information theorists as well as Heider's (1958) research in attribution. Berger and Calabrese (1975) expanded the concept of uncertainty to fit interpersonal communication by defining uncertainty as the:

• “number of alternative ways 
• in which each interactant 
• might behave” (p. 100). 

The greater the level of uncertainty that exists in a situation, the smaller the chance individuals will be able to predict behaviors and occurrences.
 “Uncertainty, then, can stem from the large number of alternative things that a stranger can believe or potentially say” (p. 7).

Although individuals seek to reduce uncertainty, high levels of certainty and predictability can also inhibit a relationship. Heath and Bryant (2000) state:

• “Too much certainty and predictability can deaden a relationship; too much uncertainty raises its costs to an unacceptable level. 
• Relationship building is a dialectic of stability and change, certainty and uncertainty” (p. 271). 

Therefore uncertainty is a concept that plays a significant role in interpersonal communication.

SOURCE:http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Communication_Theory/Uncertainty_Reduction