The juxtaposition of classic sociological theory and the, relatively, young discipline of human-computer interaction (HCI) serves as a powerful mechanism for both exploring the theoretical impacts of technology on human interactions as well as the application of technological systems to moderate interactions. It is the intent of this dissertation…

Applied researchers, whether working with the framework of design-based research or intervention science, face a similar implementation challenge: practitioners who enact their programs typically do so in varied, context-specific ways. Although this variability is often seen as a problem for those who privilege fidelity and standardization, we…

A sample of 200 men and women matching the characteristics of the married U.S. population for age, income, education, and race was administered a 101-item questionnaire assessing the full range of their sexual activities with their mates. The test as a whole was found to be statistically sound. (Author)

Previous research indicates that social beliefs can act in a self-fulfilling manner, affecting responses to individuals and thereby constraining these individuals to behave in ways that spuriously confirm attitudes about them. The possible role of self-perception, i.e., whether targets of such self-fulfilling prophecies not only alter their…

It was predicted that high self-esteem subjects would have higher attraction scores than low self-esteem subjects to similar strangers or to strangers who gave positive personal evaluations. It was also predicted that high self-esteem subjects would have lower attraction scores than low self-esteem subjects to dissimilar strangers or to subjects…

This research focuses on the significance of grandparenthood to a sample of young adult grandchildren as detailed from their responses to a series of Likert-type, range of choice, and yes-no items in five distinct areas of inquiry. Results show that grandchildren do not see grandparents as old-fashioned. (Author)

This study suggests that the feelings of isolation experienced by some older people may be more likely than their actual lack of interaction. Data were collected from 163 subjects, aged 60 and older, by interview. Significant differences were obtained for the age and income variables and two of the proximity variables. (Author)

This study investigates seating distance and angles of location and orientation in a conversational situation as a function of several variables: attitudinal agreement or disagreement by a stranger, agreeing or disagreeing normative information, and personality variables. Subjects were 52 randomly selected introductory psychology students from the…

This paper summarizes the existing literature on the importance of the family meal in analyzing family interaction, presents the results of a naturalistic observational study of a normal (nonpathological) family, and identifies the implications of the study for research and therapy. (Author)

Should a stimulus be defined as the single event immediately preceding a response (simple stimulus) or as a constellation of antecedents representing several preceding events (complex stimulus)? Sixty-eight families with a child between four and eight years of age were observed, and family interactions coded in the naturalistic setting of the…

The National Crime Survey measured the occurrence of an estimated 3.8 million violent crimes among intimates, i.e., acquaintances or relatives, during 1973 to 1976, in which three-tenths of the crimes involved persons married or otherwise related to each other. The data collection focused on identification of crime location, time of day or night,…

This paper reports findings from fieldwork in situations that brought young children and child welfare practitioners together with the aim of diagnosing and treating children's communication difficulties. The findings suggest that communication difficulties tend to be treated as a property of the individual child rather than as an emergent,…

Generational differences in the balance of power contribute to varying patterns of influence strategy use within cohorts of young, middle-aged, and older adults. The self-report Likelihood of Influence Tactic Use Scale was administered to 10 males and 10 females in each of three cohort groups to investigate the influence tactics used at different…

A social scenario approach was used to test hypotheses about the order of disclosure in same-sex and mixed-sex developing friendships of four types of statements: positive intrapersonal, negative intrapersonal, positive interpersonal, negative interpersonal. Results indicated that, as predicted, disclosures about the self precede disclosures of…

Two experiments were conducted which studied seating distance of subjects in a small group discussion situation. In Experiment I groups of three subjects sat on cushions in a bare carpeted room along with a moderator and discussed a socially relevant issue. The distances generated by subjects' placement of their cushions served as the main…