Examines the effect of varying the quality of evidence in a persuasive message. Concludes that, while good evidence may not be necessary to persuasive communication, poor evidence is detrimental. (PD)

Investigates the effects of communication apprehension on listeners by focusing on the extent to which the apprehension of the sender influences his/her communication effectiveness as perceived by the receiver. (MH)

Discusses several studies of whether and how well humans can detect lies. Examines the accuracy of such persons as well as the process of how they actually detect lies, how they think they detect lies, and whether the actual and perceived processes of lie detection correspond to one another. (JMF)

This study attempts to determine if general principles of effective communication may be defined, if certain principles may be seen as central to the judgment of an individual's effectiveness, and if such principles of effective communication can affect perceptions of effective and ineffective communicators. Respondents to a 60-item questionnaire…

See CS 703 555 for availability. (MH)

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…

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…

This study tested two primary hypotheses concerning the effects of mispronunciation on the ratings of source credibility. First, as the number of mispronunciations presented by a speaker increases, audience ratings of source credibility will decrease. Second, the effects hypothesized in the first statement will be stronger for audiences at a more…

Theories and research in speech communication that have particular relevance to organization development include studies in areas of entropy, feedback, group cohesiveness, norms, opinion leadership, and source credibility. One study of an organization development project made at a hospital revealed that subjects tended to report those changes in…