Three exploratory studies were aimed at describing the purposes of lies and the consequences of lying. Data were collected through a partly open-ended questionnaire, a content analysis of several tape-recorded interviews, and a large-scale survey. The results showed that two of every three lies were told for selfish reasons, while three of every…

Recent behavioral research has challenged the relationship between speech organization and the communication variables of source credibility and attitude change. Two hundred eighty-seven students comprising six discussion sections of a basic speech course were exposed to videotaped versions of three separate speech conditions: a 30% disorganized…

In 1992, a review of research in adventure therapy offered a perspective that utilized work in psychotherapy as a lens to view the current state of the field. From that review, recommendations were made to gain respect within the field of traditional mental health. This update examines the 1992 recommendations and updates them based on recent…

A discussion of the public image and academic reputation of psychology covers three topics: general public skepticism of the field, the introductory psychology course, and undergraduate education in psychology. Public skepticism about psychology stems from: the nature of the field as one encompassing a diversity of viewpoints and theories; the…

This paper reviews the research undertaken by trainees in counseling supervision who were students in a class on studies in supervision. One study which is discussed focuses on the relationship of supervisor behavior and supervisor didactic or experiential expectations. Another study is presented which explores the behavioral correlates of…

A study investigated whether older persons as a group are generally more persuaded by high authority figures than are younger persons. The study employed a design that allowed for extensive comparisons among subjects of different ages in terms of their willingness to be persuaded by physicians in interpersonal situations. One hundred-twenty…

Recent research on the role of personal space has demonstrated the effects of violating or not violating a spatial norm on the perceived persuasiveness, credibility, and attractiveness of the message source. The persuasive impact of personal space violations has been difficult to interpret because of the failure to effectively manipulate source…

A study was conducted to examine the evaluative criteria or schemata that voters use in making decisions about competing candidates. More specifically, the study sought to determine (1) whether the criteria that voters employ differ between the candidates, and (2) the relative importance of various candidate-specific criteria in the voting…

Rating scales were developed and applied to evaluate deferential/nondeferential language users. Participants were 1,262 college students in small discussion groups containing two experimenter's confederates who used either deferential or nondeferential language. The characteristics of deferential language users were questioning/tentative behavior,…

A serious problem in the area of attitude research is the low relationship between verbal attitude and supposedly related overt behavior. A study tested a model derived from M. Deutsch's proposition on persuasive communication stating that for communication to be effective in a conflict situation, it must convey to the information receiver the…

To determine the source of perceptual attributions made about male and female communicators, 120 college students provided their perceptions about the speakers on tape recordings in which male/female voices showed variations in task and socio-emotional behavior, pronunciation of "-ing" word endings, interruptions, amount of words, pitch, and…

A model of the generation of initial trusting attitudes toward groups by individuals who were not members of those groups was developed from the literature on interpersonal trust. The model proposed that perceptions of situational threat would be preconditions to the saliency of trust as a concept. Given that trust was a salient concept, the model…