Background: The talk of persons with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) often features distinctive forms of repetition (echophenomena). Although often characterized as meaningless or inappropriate, there is evidence that such practices can sometimes have communicative functions. Aims: To investigate the interactional organization of repetition…

A discussion of speech behavior and social distance outlines the major ways in which the study of rules of speaking can provide insights into the norms and values of a speech community. It shows ways in which the same material can provide information about the interaction process and the situations in which interlocutors negotiate their…

Presents a model of relational influence attempts (RIAs) in dating and marital couples' conversations. Provides insight into the role that tacit relational knowledge plays in shaping conversation. Links conversation analysis with relationship analysis. Supports the claim that knowledge of relational pragmatics is required to effectively evaluate…

Focuses on courtroom speech as it occurs when a lay person interacts with an attorney and proposes a framework that includes a (1) macrostructural description of direct and cross-examination sequences as contexts that condition the interaction, and (2) microanalytical model that accounts for the effectiveness of the question-and-answer examination…

Presents a computer analysis of talk-silence patterns of mixed sex triads related to levels of communication apprehension. Results indicate that high apprehensives talk less, talk less often, and are interrupted less often than low apprehensives. Discusses the implications of computer use in talk-silence behavior research. (JMF)

Recognizing the lack of research delineating what personality traits might predispose a person to poor listening, this paper contrasts two lines of research assessing how the cognitive and affective characteristics of speakers impact on their recall of conversation. The first section of the paper considers the theoretical perspective arguing that…

The study analyzes communicative interaction in an informal social setting, investigating how the social task of leave-taking organizes the interaction into a cohesive discourse. Data is taken from the last five minutes of a half-hour tape recording made during a Mexican-American family's Christmas gathering, when one group of guests prepares for…

Studied one aspect of communication competency: how people express emotions through verbal behavior. Found, among other conclusions, that references to unpleasant emotions outnumber references to pleasant emotions almost two to one. (PD)

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 16 titles deal with the following topics: the use of mass distribution as a method of diffusing ideas on college campuses; compliance-gaining message selection; the rhetoric of Divorced Catholics Groups and the founding of a…