A total of 440 adult couples were observed in eight different kinds of public places. Couples with children were observed to touch, talk, and smile less at one another. But children are disruptive of adult touching and talking, which means that couples with children experience reduced reward levels and less adequate communication. (Author)

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

This paper discusses the functionality of the linguistic code in communication processes of a family in a crisis situation and in need of concealing its plight. Basic concepts of verbal interaction are discussed to show the difficulties of any open exchange of messages within a family with a dying patient. (Author)

Groups of married couples (N=4) were studied using a measure of their marital communication habits and an intensive personal interview. Analysis of the data revealed that the quality of interpersonal communication between spouses significantly deteriorated across the groups as the degree of suicidal behavior increased. (Author)

An experiment was conducted in which perceptions of an individual responding to an initial disclosure were examined. Observer subjects (N=315) read a brief description of a first encounter between two women. During the meeting one of the women made either an intimate or a non-intimate disclosure (low vs. high initial intimacy). The other woman…

The search for syntactical rules which govern nonverbal communication and cues in humans has often been considered a problem separate from determining semantic rules. Departing from such a traditional approach was accomplished by employing the meaning of various nonverbal channels to study their interrelationship. It was proposed that the…

Discusses a study designed to specify the interpersonal communication related determinants of anomia within a close friendship context. (MH)

Undergraduates (N = 41) viewed a videotape of role-played problems and responded as though in face-to-face contact with the speakers. Half took the role of counselor and half the role of friend. Analysis of covariance indicated students serving as friends made fewer reflections and gave more advice than those serving as counselors. (Author)

Five components of communication competence have been derived from research: affiliation/support, empathy, behavioral flexibility, social relaxation, and interaction management. This paper describes these dimensions of communication competence; it then reports on a study in which two college females judged by their peers to be effective…

Recent studies have investigated the transition of relationships from a more intimate to a less intimate state--the depenetration process. Various phases of interpersonal conflict in the dissolution of marital dyads have been described, and factors indicating that a marriage might be "in trouble" have been identified. Processes that are…