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Source ofinformation Sender Recipient DestinationSignalReceivedsignalSourceof noiseFree download from www.hsrcpress.ac.zaIf we were to regard this model as typical, it is possible to indicate thedifferences that exist between it and typologies on the one hand, and theorieson the other. As we have indicated, a typology is a conceptual framework inwhich phenomena are classified in terms of constructs or ideal types. Atypology, therefore, presents no more than a static image or a cross section of aspecific class of events. In a model, on the other hand, an attempt is made torepresent the dynamic aspects of the phenomenon by illustrating therelationships between the major elements of that phenomenon in a simplifiedform. In Shannon and Weaver’s model it is not merely a matter of identifyingthe major elements of the communication process (sender, message, recipient,noise and so on) but an attempt is also made to specify the relationshipsbetween the source of information, the sender, the recipient and the destination.In the following discussion, we shall indicate that a theory goes one stepfurther by also suggesting an explanation of the systemic relationships betweenthe phenomena.The key issue to bear in mind when either studying or using models, is thatthey do not pretend to be more than a partial representation of a givenphenomenon. As Kaplan quite justifiably indicates: the model is a particularmode of representation, so that not all its features correspond to somecharacteristic of its subject matter (1964: 284). A model merely agrees inbroad outline with the phenomenon of which it is a model. Certaincharacteristics of the phenomenon, irrelevant for the model, are convenientlyexcluded, while the most obvious aspects are emphasized. The value of thissimplification is that it draws the attention of the researcher to specific themes.In Shannon and Weaver’s model the issue of the accurate transfer of a messageand the role of noise in this process are emphasized. It is this guiding functionof models that is referred to as the heuristic function (literally heuristic meansto discover or to reveal). The model is, therefore, used to suggest new areas ofresearch because certain relationships and dimensions are emphasized to anunusual degree.140