Proposes a theoretical framework for how givers and receivers of support interactively manage communication acts. Integrates theories of politeness and face work to describe characteristics of effective supportive communication. Demonstrates the framework's heuristic value in a series of research questions. (SR)

Proposes that cues to action are important influences on self-protective behaviors (i.e., bicycle helmets for safety). Interviews parents of children between the ages of 5 and 18. Indicates that cues to action affect perceptions of threat but are unrelated to attitudes, intentions, or behaviors. (PA)

Investigates two models (the Elaboration Likelihood Model and the Heuristic-Systematic Model) of the cognitive processing of fear-arousing messages in undergraduate students. Finds in three of the four conditions (low fear, high fear, high trait anxiety) that cognitive processing appears to be antagonistic. Finds some evidence of concurrent…

Presents both a conceptual model (which partitions family data into individual, dyadic, and family effects and permits examination of several types of interdependence between family members) and an analytical method (confirmatory factor analysis) that can be used in the evaluation of round-robin family research data. (SR)

Outlines a psychophysiological (involuntary responses to novel environmental stimuli) model of the role of orienting responses (ORs) in learning from televised lectures. Demonstrates that insertion of videographics in talking-head lectures produces ORs in television viewers. Finds that ORs enhance learning of familiar material but interfere with…

Tests three models of the door-in-the-face (DITF) compliance strategy--reciprocal concessions, perceptual contrast, and self-presentation. Finds that concession labeling led to stronger feelings of obligation to donate but did not affect compliance; and facilitated charity when interaction with the solicitor was anticipated but backfired when…

Examines the portrayal of family relationships in domestic comedy television programs. Selects eight popular programs for view by subjects who then evaluate each television family with scales drawn from family theory. Reveals a model in which children construct a relatively hostile relational environment and parents exert a compensatory effect,…

Argues that the new information-processing paradigm must find suitable ways to link individual-level information processing to the higher-level processes of public communication and social organization. Suggests that social identification theory may offer a useful approach to multilevel research. (MS)

Proposes that cultural and role variables within organizations will predict the extent to which individuals hold a collective or individualistic approach to organizational life. Finds that effects of participation and allocation on organizational participants is moderated by the culture of the organization and the roles individuals play within the…

Employs time series analysis to model individual and discursive influences on the response latencies of deceivers and truthtellers. Shows that a decay impulse model provides a good description of the data. Finds that message veracity and self-monitoring combined to affect the fit of the decay impulse model. (SR)

Attempts to elaborate the cultivation hypothesis by examining some proposed subprocesses, especially learning and construction with first- and second-order measures. Examines the relationship between first- and second-order measures. Argues that cultivation theory needs to be extended. (SR)

Describes research conducted among employees of a private psychiatric hospital regarding a job stress and burnout model. Concludes that both participation in decision making and social support have impacts on perceived workplace stress, burnout, satisfaction, and commitment for caregivers and support personnel. Discusses implications of the model…

Reviews theoretical work on emotional communication and burnout, concentrating on the Empathic Communication Model of Burnout. Tests hypotheses with a sample of workers who provide services to the homeless. Suggests that the moderating variables of job involvement, organizational role, and attitude about service recipients influence the impact of…

Studies viewer response to graphic horror films. Reports that undergraduate mass communication students viewed clips from two horror films and a scientific television program. Concludes that people who score high on measures for wandering imagination, fictional involvement, humanistic orientation, and emotional contagion tend to find horror films…

Examines mock jurors processing testimony under impression-set and memory-set conditions to determine under which condition they rate a witness to be more deceptive. Finds that under impression-set objectives subjects formed stronger judgments of the witness's deceptiveness, while the pattern was reversed under memory-set conditions. (MS)