Vocal activity in spontaneous speech appears to alternate between regular periods of high and low activity. These cycles may be properties of social systems, internal cognitive rhythms, or physiological rhythms that affect readiness to initiate activity. (Author/RL)

Describes a study designed to test the circumplexical order hypothesis at the phenomenological level of conscious communication. (MH)

Demonstrates that there are important conceptual distinctions among the constructs of reticence, shyness, communication apprehension, and unwillingness to communicate. Argues that the failure to recognize the distinctions impedes research and precludes improved methods of identifying the problems and improving treatment. (PD)

An exploratory study was conducted to define and differentiate interruptions structurally and tactically. The participants were 60 college students assigned to female-female, female-male, and male-male conversational dyads. The dyadic conversations were recorded for 14 minutes, during a period of "getting to know each other" and during a…

Presents a conceptualization that there is a strong relationship between the personality characteristic of communication apprehension and a set of theoretically relevant behaviors. Predicts an empirical distinction between apprehension and attitude, and compares three self-report measures of apprehension. (JMF)

Guided by the belief that impressions of communication competence are based on observations of behavior appropriate to a particular context and on inferences about others' capabilities and motivations, a study was undertaken to (1) examine the relationship between self perceptions and other perceptions, (2) discover the role of motivation in…

This volume discusses various aspects of nonverbal communication and provides an extensive bibliography of journal articles, listed by author, that are relevant to the topic. Commentary is divided into six sections: "Considerations in Nonverbal Communication," which examines the impact of motion and rhythm, the components of nonverbal…

Evidence indicates that a significant number of medical students have pervasive communication problems that affect their interaction with patients, faculty, clinical associates, and hospital staff. This paper describes the dynamics of the communication syndrome (clinically identified as "reticence"), discusses the manifestations and…

A study was conducted to examine speech interruption patterns as an index of communication dominance and gender differences in language behavior. Six graduate student groups involving a total of 35 subjects were videotaped. The data extracted for study were 255 transcribed interruption sequences. A category system was developed and used to code…

To determine if an interviewer's orientation toward satisfaction and commitment actually produced different interviewee reactions in these two areas, 20 interviewers conducted an informative and persuasive interview with two different sets of five interviewees (physical education majors). The Conversation Self-Report Inventory (CSRI) was used to…

An experiment was devised to apply role theory to the prediction of communication behavior by observing dominance behavior as a function of gender and attitudes toward sex role stereotypes. Task type was used as an exploratory variable. The hypothesized interaction of gender and sex role attitudes did not occur, and the hypothesis that men would…

To determine the effects of videorecording experience on the communication process in community college sophomore nursing students, 20 students were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received 90-minute sessions of videorecording/feedback experience twice weekly for five weeks. The control group was not exposed to the experimental…