Evolutionary psychologists explore the adaptive function of traits and behaviors that characterize modern Homo sapiens. However, evolutionary psychologists have yet to incorporate the phylogenetic relationship between modern Homo sapiens and humans' hominid and pongid relatives (both living and extinct) into their theorizing. By considering the…

Research has documented two behavior patterns known as Type A and Type B. Type A behavior is characterized by competitive striving, a sense of urgency, and hostility, while Type B behavior is less aggressive and more relaxed. It has been theorized that individuals exhibiting Type A behavior have a strong need to maintain control over their…

Three potentially useful perspectives for the scientific development of human communication theory are the law model, the systems approach, and the rules paradigm. It is the purpose of this paper to indicate the utility of the rules perspective. For the purposes of this analysis, human communication is viewed as the successful transfer of symbolic…

The purpose of this essay is to propose a different explanation of collective behavior and also to hypothesize how communication functions in this process. Using the experimental finding known as the "risky shift," this essay (1) summarizes the history of the risky shift, (2) presents two different theories which have been proposed to…

To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the nature of deception and how it functions in interpersonal relationships, this paper explores deception as a valid and essential part of human interaction processes. The paper includes an in-depth review of social science literature on deception, specifically, R. E. Turner, C. Edgley, and G. Olmstead's…

Following the reasoning of "expectation states theory", the present study was designed to answer three questions: (1) Is the task orientation of males and females different when they work on a task together? (2) Is the task orientation of males and females working on a task, separately, different? and, (3) If there are differences, will status…

Three potentially useful perspectives for the scientific development of human communication theory are the law model, the systems approach, and the rules paradigm. It is the purpose of this paper to indicate the utility of the systems approach. The first section of this paper provides a brief account of the systems view of the world. Outlined in…

Studies based on models of interpersonal coorientation have discovered regularities in communication behavior that coorientation theory cannot explain. On the other hand, rules-based theories of communication contain explanatory concepts seemingly applicable to these phenomena, but have not been articulated sufficiently to be applied to the…

A three-level model explains the emergence and maintenance of rhythmic stereotypy and self-injury in disabled individuals: Level 1, internally regulated rhythmic behaviors; Level 2, stereotypy and self-injury as adaptive responses to understimulating or overstimulating environments; and Level 3, stereotypy and self-injury as learned behaviors to…

Information processing, beliefs, and motivations can be coupled with the principle of causal attributions to provide a framework for assessing the causes to which individuals attribute their own behavior. For example, an elderly man who forgets to buy something at the store presents himself with an identity based on cultural stereotypes--in this…

This paper examines the selection and influence of friends in schools which differ in the degree of "openness" in the instructional program. Data collected from over 4,000 students in grades 5, 6, 8, and 11 in 1973 and 1974 provide information on student characteristics, school structure and processes, and academic and affective outcomes for…