Uncertainty Reduction Theory states that before and during initial interactions between two people, one's first instinct is to reduce uncertainty about the other through various methods . For example, when you see someone you think you'd like to get to know, you try to understand what they're like through various methods so you can control the conversation and steer it down a path that the other person finds interesting. There are a few methods, or strategies, for understanding what the other person likes: passive, active and interactive. In the passive strategy we try to discover the other person's interests through observation from afar. This happens without them knowing, because you are trying to understand what they are like without influencing their decisions. The second strategy is called active strategy. Because of this, there is interaction between you and someone else who is not the person you are seeking information about. For example, you talk to the person's friends to find out what they are like. Of course this has the disadvantage of possibly obtaining incorrect information...