and an Alternative Explanation?

Uncertainty reduction has a major role in communication theory of relational development. Two competing theories, Berger and Calabrese’s (1975) uncertainty reduction theory (URT) and Sunnafrank’s (1986) predicted outcome value (POV), provide different perspectives on the uncertainty reduction process during initial interactions. Research suggests that when forming a first impression, negative information weighs more heavily than positive information, which is called the “negativity effect ” (Kellermann, 1984). This research examined the relationship between the level of uncertainty and the negativity effect in initial interaction. Jina H. Yoo 189 This paper incorporates the negativity effect with uncertainty reduction to explain how negative information will affect uncertainty level during an initial interaction. The basic assumption of uncertainty reduction is that when two individuals meet for the first time, their primary goal is to reduce uncertainty and increase predictability through communicating with each other, since uncertainty is an uncomfortable state (Berger & Calabrese, 1975). This assumption suggests that the quantity of information is a major determinant of reducing th