Investigates the effect that timing of suspicion and outcome involvement has on biased message processing by undergraduate students. Indicates that timing of suspicion has little effect on biased processing, but perceived suspicion did influence biased processing. Notes that the timing of suspicion did influence the strength of the truth-bias but…

Extends the recent work on the veracity effect in deception detection. Explains the probabilistic nature of a receiver's accuracy in detecting deception and analyzes a receiver's detection of deception in terms of set theory and conditional probability. Finds that accuracy is shown to be a function of the relevant conditional probability and the…

This paper considers the future of communication research and instruction in an age when the communication environment is under stress from such factors as communication overload, language "pollution," and a widespread and growing disregard for truth. Items related to the general thesis are considered from three perspectives: the role of…

Asks whether macro-assessment of honesty has utility for detecting deception. Multiple regression analyses indicate that honesty assessments can be only partially predicted from communication style, characterized by the level of friendliness, attentiveness, preciseness, animation, and dramatic style. (JK)

To determine the extent to which males and females bring similar or dissimilar attitudes of trust to encounters with members of the same or the opposite sex, a study was conducted that examined attitudes of interpersonal trust according to the subject's perception of the expertness (validity of judgment), reliability, and dynamism of the attitude…

Discusses experiments indicating that simulated jurors instructed by a judge to disregard sensational inadmissible testimony do not appear to do so when rendering their verdicts; and an attorney's objection or judge's ruling on inadmissible testimony tends to amplify the influence of such information on jury verdicts and sentence recommendations.…

A study investigated how the attribution of a problem solution to an individual or group affects the consumer's perception of the solution's quality. Based on the tendency to support group decision-making (Hydra phenomenon) it was predicted that decisions attributed to groups would be perceived as higher in quality than those made by individuals,…

Patient noncompliance with medical advice is of major concern to physicians. Although many do not consider compliance their responsibility, research studies indicate that physicians can control many of the variables influencing compliance. Physicians' verbal and nonverbal communication habits that convey directiveness, coldness, complexity, and…

A model of conversational distance violations that claims that these violations mediate communication outcomes such as source credibility, source attraction, and learning was examined in a study involving 136 undergraduate students. The students were tested in small group settings using eight confederates, four rated highly and four lowly in…

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…

Case study confirms that a teacher's classroom communication behavior is affected by concerns about communication. Identified three types of teacher concerns about communication--self, task, impact--and then established a relationship between these concerns and patterns of behavior. (PD)

Reviews the effects of source credibility and other variables in the communication process, showing how they work in cognitive response and attribution theories. Develops and posits a theoretical position that links the two types of theories. (RL)

A study was designed to examine an underlying assumption regarding the use of the semantic differential in measuring the credibility and homophily of a communicator, namely, that responses to an ideal source position themselves at one extreme end of the scale, reflecting the monotonic function of the instrument such that the highest response…

Examined the effects different communicators (science methods instructors, supervisors, graduate assistants, and others) had on the attitudes of 25 elementary education majors toward science and science teaching, focusing on which communicators were perceived as being the most credible. (DH)

Reviews research involving the definition and measurement of the source credibility construct and reports on a new study. Argues that future factor analytic studies of source credibility would serve no useful purpose, that the historical definitions of the construct should be retained, and that satisfactory measures already exist. (PD)