In our everyday interactions as they unfold in real time, how do we do including? This article examines a specific set of interactional moments when the potential to be included (or not) recurs: when a newcomer arrives to some social scene where two or more already-present persons are actively engaged in some activity and that newcomer displays…

There has been mixed research evidence for an hypothesized greater reinforcement value associated with democratically supervised work, although supervisory style, both autocratic and democratic, and its effects on group productivity have been the subjects of extensive investigations in industrial and social psychology. The effects of supervisory…

This article presents a brief overview of Gestalt theory, the group interventions utilized to experiment with interpersonal contact in a conference workshop along with their theory base, an evaluation of the workshop, and some experimental ideas and recommended activities that group leaders may want to incorporate into similar interpersonal…

The two studies of predisposition toward verbal behavior (PVB) reported in this paper examined the behavior of interactants who have dissimilar verbal predispositions in task-oriented discussions. In the first study, 20 groups of three members each were given an interpersonal task that involved reaching a consensus. In the second study, 17 pairs…

Relative to children in the attention-placebo and waiting-list control, skills-training children demonstrated increased skill in a role-play situation, a greater verbal knowledge of how to interact with peers, and more initiation of peer interactions in school. (Author)

Using the coorientational framework developed by McLeod and Chaffee, this study tested Bem's theory that an individual performing a behavior (speaker) and an individual observing the behavior (listener) use the same evidence when evaluating the performer's attitudes. Participants included 96 undergraduate students at the University of…

Conceptualizing the subject matter of interpersonal behavior was the primary objective of this study. Researchers administered version three of Lorr and McNair's Interpersonal Behavior Inventory (IBI) to 507 undergraduates at Cleveland State University. The first group received three copies of the IBI and were asked to rate themselves, rate a…

Social identity theory holds that social group memberships become part of the psychological self, affecting thoughts, feelings, and behavior. However, tests of this hypothesis have mainly involved judgmental dependent measures. A method is suggested that can provide more direct evidence. Discusses use of that method. (KW)

A study assessed the validity of applying the Spitzberg and Cupach dyadic model of communication competence to small group interaction. Twenty-four students, in five task-oriented work groups, completed questionnaires concerning self-competence, alter competence, interaction effectiveness, and other group members' interaction appropriateness. They…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 24 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the relationship between changing sex-role attitudes and behaviors and changing decision-making patterns among married couples; (2) a comparison of the effect…

THESE PAPERS REPRESENT NOTES FOR THEORY SESSIONS PRESENTED AT VARIOUS TRAINING LABORATORIES AND ARE INTENDED AS HELPFUL TOOLS IN SUPPLEMENTING THEORY SESSIONS AND UNDERSTANDING VARIOUS LABORATORY EXPERIENCES. THE IDEAS AND CONCEPTS HAVE PROVED USEFUL IN NATIONAL TRAINING LABORATORIES OVER THE YEARS. CONDITIONS FOR LABORATORY LEARNING ARE SET…

Materials presented in this curriculum guide are designed to provide students with the information and skills they need to work effectively in task-oriented groups. The curriculum is presented in eight self-contained units or modules, each of which emphasizes a particular set of group interaction attitudes, knowledge, and skills. These include…