A study investigated the relationships among dyadic apprehension and levels of loneliness, dyadic apprehension and affinity-seeking competence, and affinity-seeking competence and levels of loneliness. Subjects, 198 undergraduate students, completed the Revised University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale, the Personal Report of…

A study tested a delivery skills method of instruction for reducing public speaking anxiety. Subjects were 59 male and 71 female undergraduates (ranging in age from 17-49) enrolled in a basic public speaking course at a midwestern university during the 1986-87 academic year. The Personal Report of Public Speaking Apprehension (PRPSA) which…

To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the nature of deception and how it functions in interpersonal relationships, this paper explores deception as a valid and essential part of human interaction processes. The paper includes an in-depth review of social science literature on deception, specifically, R. E. Turner, C. Edgley, and G. Olmstead's…

A study examined three aspects of the collective bargaining situation that involves, either directly or indirectly, communication behavior: (1) the number of opportunities to communicate, (2) the degree of cooperation/competitiveness shown by an opponent, and (3) the degree of communication apprehension possessed by parties to the process.…

A two-year long study investigated the influence of being in a mainstreamed classroom on nonhandicapped children's abilities to communicate with the handicapped. The study involved three groups of students: (1) 66 nonhandicapped, nonintegrated (those in classes without handicapped children); (2) 24 nonhandicapped, integrated; and (3) 55…

Three studies were conducted to ascertain the relationship between predisposition for group work climate and the types of procedural messages that group members employ. In the studies, expectations about group work procedures fell into two categories: high procedural order (HPO) and low procedural order (LPO). Each category consisted of four…

This paper offers a plan for increasing communication effectiveness in organizational setting through a team building approach. The first section of the paper provides a scenario that places team building in an organizational development context and presents a detailed description of a team building process used to increase communication…

Relational intimacy was studied for its influence on choice of interpersonal conflict strategies. Data were collected from 143 speech communication students who were randomly distributed among three groups representing different levels of intimacy (stranger, acquaintance, intimate) and were asked to imagine serious conflict with a person of the…

This paper proposes the use of interaction process analysis to study negotiation behaviors. Following a review of current literature in the field, the paper presents a theoretical framework for the analysis of both labor/management and social negotiation processes. Central to the framework described are two systems of activities that together…

Reports two experiments designed to further understanding of the effects of systematic desensitization (SD) training on college students and presents experimental test results indicating that students in SD do not differ significantly from those who choose not to join SD. (MH)

Indicates that males were more likely than females to use (1) violence against a noncompliant male persuasive target in a noninterpersonal relational context, and (2) direct coercion against persistently noncompliant and noninterpersonal persuasive targets in relational contexts with short-term consequences. (JD)

Presents results from two studies of how lower-back-pain patients communicate to health care providers. Suggests specific directions for future research. (MS)

Introduces and comments on articles in this symposium issue. Contends that speech teachers have methods to overcome communication problems. Challenges them to sort their methods out, test and phrase them in clear language, document assertions from their own classroom investigations, and eventually build a theory to help people improve their…

The two studies described in this monograph were designed to generate new ideas about the development of children's metacommunicative understanding and comprehension-monitoring abilities. Older subjects were more likely than younger subjects to detect inadequacies in communication; furthermore, younger children responded differently to…

Reports results of a survey of department chairs in many disciplines regarding communication problems they face. Finds that most department heads experience serious communication problems in conflict management, persuading/motivating others, public relations, and information management. (SR)