This bibiliography on communication apprehension was compiled from computer searches of the ERIC, Psychological Abstracts, and Dissertation Abstracts data bases, as well as from general readings in the subject area. The more than 1,000 citations are arranged alphabetically by author within the following categories: articles in books,…

Examines the relationship between communication apprehension and various aspects of the learning situation, including: general verbal activity score, year in school, course grade achieved, student rating of the instructor, and student major. Reports a relationship between the level of communication apprehension and students' chosen occupational…

Reports on research into the communication of speech state anxiety between adjacent speakers in the speaking order in a public speaking setting. Finds, based on classical response contagion theory, that public speaking state anxiety in an educational setting is contagious. Discusses possible consequences, and advances suggestions for future…

A comprehensive understanding of stage fright will better enable teachers and researchers to select the most appropriate "cure" and to determine those cases in which speech training will help reduce stage fright or other states of communication apprehension. Attempts to understand stage fright have focused on three psychological theories…

Investigates how, prior to actual communication activities or assignments, instructors can manipulate situational factors to moderate situational anxiety and avoidance. Reports that anxiety and avoidance can be moderated by manipulating context, motivation, and acquaintance factors. (MM)

Develops a typology of strategies people use to cope with public speaking anxiety. Assesses the influences of anxiety level on strategy use. Finds 65 basic tactics in 6 strategy types (Relaxation, Preparation, Positive Thinking, Audience Depreciation, Concentration, and Resignation). Finds high anxious persons more likely to report Relaxation and…

Examines the effectiveness of rhetoritherapy as a treatment for individuals with communication difficulties. Finds that performance-based communication training is effective in decreasing communication apprehension and problems communicating and in increasing other-perceived talkativeness. Reports that rhetoritherapy may be a more effective…

Investigates whether variations in five audience characteristics (size, status, familiarity, similarity, and behavior) are related to audience anxiety. Supports the contention that the effect of situational factors are greatly tempered by an individual's predisposition to respond anxiously. Discusses instructional implications of these findings.…

Presents a follow-up study to further assess the extent to which reticent participants subscribe to beliefs outlined in prior research and to further test the ability of the Penn State program to alter those beliefs. Reveals significant pretreatment differences between reticent and comparison group participants on 7 of 16 beliefs. Shows…

Presents a theoretical statement on the nature of reticence that affirms, in part, Gerald M. Phillips' conceptualization in prior research but, grounded in new empirical data, refines and revises the construct. Proposes a new definition and a six-component model of reticence. Discusses theoretical and treatment implications. (SR)

Thirty-two speech anxious college students participated in a study that examined whether four treatments that have been effective when applied separately would be equally effective when applied in combination. The treatments were (1) systemic desensitization (SD), (2) speech skills training (SST), (3) SST combined with coping skills training (CST)…

Compares the effectiveness of systematic desensitization (SD), rational emotive therapy (RET), and visualization (VIS) in reducing communication apprehension (CA). Concludes that, while all treatment modes reduce CA, no significant differences were found in their effectiveness. Emphasizes that VIS is a relatively simple technique that can be used…

Clarifies the nature of communication avoidance through a structural analysis grounded in facet theory. Presents evidence for a duplex model of avoidance in which theoretical distinctions among modalities of approach-avoidance and context proved empirically relevant. Discusses implications of these findings for the explication, treatment, and…

Assesses the construct and concurrent validity of the Reticence Scale, a 24-item self-report measure. Compares it to other established measures and to open-ended responses to a set of questions. Finds satisfactory support for its construct and concurrent validity. Finds high correlations between dimensions of the Reticence Scale and the open-ended…

A study sought to affirm the previously established relationship between irrational beliefs and communication apprehension. Four hundred and fifty-four subjects completed an Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT) and all 24 questions of the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) test. Results support the hypothesis that students high in…