Background: Historically, significant advances in scientific understanding have followed advances in measurement and observation. As the resolving power of an instrument increased, so have gains in the understanding of the phenomena being observed. Modern interactive systems are potentially the new "microscopes" when they are…

This paper contains a discussion concerning some of the variables which threaten external validity and inferences about communicative behavior made by researchers and teachers. Communication researchers have begun to explore potentially artifactual sources of variance in judgments of evaluations of communicative behavior. Some studies have shown…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the function of memory as an underlying psychological process in human communicative behavior by offering a theoretical framework derived from communication literature. Divided into two sections, the paper deals with "The Psychology of Memory: Some Basic Propositions," which reviews the literature on the…

Presents five steps to understanding and assessing Huckleberry Finn's decision-making process: (1) determining options; (2) describing the "system" of thinking that justifies one option over another; (3) observing which option is chosen; (4) determining how that supporting "system" rationalizes choice; and (5) assessing whether…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the function served by self-adaptor type behaviors (defined here as "hand touch" on the face, body, the other hand, and the fingers) in order to discover why people perform self-adaptors and what happens when they do. Following an extensive review of the literature, it is proposed that…

A critical review of the small group literature is undertaken in an attempt to identify those characteristics which distinguish the dyad, the two-person group, from larger groups. Comparisons of dyads to larger groups are made in five categories of major small group variables: influence processes, affiliation processes, role differentiation and…

Measured problem drinking of college students (N=613) by statistical analysis of reported drinking behavior, psychological involvement and consequences of alcohol use. Results showed alcohol problem scores for 72 percent of students questioned, higher scores for males than females, and no differences as a function of age or class standing.…

Develops a method for predicting leadership behavior in small groups by integrating leadership theory and source valence concepts. (MH)

Through a review of the literature, this paper centers on the temporal analysis of communication behaviors in the study of social interaction. It argues that the choice of one or another temporal model of analysis and its underlying assumptions is highly related to the conclusions about social interaction that are found by the researcher. Although…

Examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and leisure behavior. Discussions include alcohol consumption in relation to leisure activity patterns and experiences, as well as the implications for the leisure service profession and the approaches professionals can use to deter alcohol consumption. (GLR)

This paper defines the variables involved in relational communication, incorporates and organizes these variables into a framework, and proposes relationships between these variables to produce a model with heuristic capabilities. Relational messages include information about the feelings, personalities, and identities of the people involved in…

Describes study which examines undergraduates' sensitivity to children's behavior and the extent to which students' behavior changes as a result of a "sensitivity to children" course. Research explored whether students' Interpersonal Perceptual Style (IPS: the extent to which a person is sensitive to another's negative and positive behavior) was a…

Cheating in the classroom appears to be widespread at all levels of American education. This research review examines: (1) characteristics of cheaters, (2) situational factors influencing the student's decision to cheat or not to cheat, and (3) reasons for cheating, as reported by students. (Author/GDC)

Empirical studies that demonstrate probable gender biased perceptions resulting from the use of man-linked words and third-person, singular masculine pronouns are reviewed in this paper. Among the findings revealed by the review are: (1) there is a tendency for people to perceive man-linked words as more likely to refer to men than to women; (2)…

In this essay, the authors explore rhetorical sensitivity and the behaviors that characterize the rhetorically sensitive person as defined by Hart and Burks in a paper entitled "Rhetorical Sensitivity and Social Interaction." Rhetorical sensitivity is viewed as an attitude toward encoding information obtained in social situations. After…