In an initial test of a theory of increasing content, forty experimental dyads ranging from compatibility to incompatibility were composed and studied. The three channels are identified as the motivation, delivery, and information channels. A linear relationship between intra-group compatibility and a set of five dependent variables was…

Extends control systems theory to analyze purposive collective behaviors, ranging from simple to complex, involving small and large groups. Suggests that complex collective phenomena can be explained as the repetition or combination of individual and collective sequences of action. Posits that control systems theory can be used to elucidate…

Examines the function of conflict in the process of achieving group consensus. Available from: Human Communication Research, Robert L. Cox, Executive Secretary, International Communication Association, Box 8563 University Station, Austin, Texas 78712. Telephone: 512-471-4821. Subscription Rates: institutional or non-members, $15.00 per year;…

The usefulness of the social class construct for life-cycle research is discussed in this paper. Social class is defined as used in the paper, and as it is generally used by students of the human life cycle. It is further evaluated as a descriptor, and a predictor of behaviors and attitudes. The construct seems to be most useful in studies of…

In this introductory text to the field of attitude change, the emphasis is on one of the end products of research in social psychology--manipulation and control of attitudes and related behaviors. The text first defines the concept of attitude, then identifies ideas from the areas of history, literature, law, religion, and the social sciences that…