concepts
type: Collection
type: ConceptGroup
member: uncertainty reduction theory

interpersonal concepts
type: Concept
narrower: uncertainty reduction theory

psycho-cognitive orientations
type: Concept
narrower: uncertainty reduction theory

theoretical approaches to studying relationships
type: Concept
narrower: uncertainty reduction theory

uncertainty reduction theory
type: Concept
broader: theoretical approaches to studying relationships
broader: psycho-cognitive orientations
broader: interpersonal concepts
definition: Uncertainty reduction theory (URT), formulated by Charles Berger and his colleagues, strives to explain how people communicate when they are unsure about their environment. The theory, in its original form, limited its claims to the context of strangers meeting for the first time. [Source: Encyclopedia of Communication Theory; Uncertainty Reduction Theory]