Newcomer adjustment, the process an individual goes through within the first year at a new organization, can be a challenging transition for traditionally aged recent college graduates. Unsuccessful adjustment can have profound negative consequences for young adults, organizations, and undergraduate institutions. Gaps exist in the human resource…

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…

A condensed review of the concepts of exploration and play is presented, followed by an outline of the major research findings. From this basis, gaps in the literature and new research directions are discussed. (Author/AM)

The review presents a brief and somewhat personal and impressionistic description of the status of the field in 1960, deals with the fortunes of some of the general broadguage theories and conceptual frameworks which have dominated the family literature over the decade, and offers survey of some of the substantive theories which dealt with more…

Various definitions of shyness are suggested that denote shyness as overt bits of behavior, an intervening variable, and an experimental state. Describes a definition of shyness in global and specific forms, and constructs a theory of the causation, modifiability, and prevention of shyness. (Author)

An instrument for measuring the value orientation of educational administrators was constructed following the model developed by England for measuring the value orientation of managers. The instrument was administered, via mail, to a stratified sample of 210 administrators from five States in the Plains and Rocky Mountain areas. Respondents rated…

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…

Hoping to clarify partially some of the questions relating to talent development, occupational allocation, adaptability of workers, training of workers, worker satisfactions and performance, a search of related literature was conducted by dividing the material into five major categories: (1) technology, (2) organizational structure, (3)…

Presents literature relevant to initial group structure and advances a model of group development based upon personal construct theory. The proposed model illuminates the relationship between initial structure and the psychological processes underlying group development. Research questions are posited to advance empirical tests of the model. (RC)

Although the Tension Reduction Hypothesis (TRH) of alcoholism has been the most popular explanation for alcohol abuse to date, the research addressing this model has provided tenuous support at best. In light of this contradictory support, a coping model of alcohol consumption is proposed. This model is based on the low self-image of…

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…

The Experimental Projects Branch of the Department of Manpower and Immigration contracted with the McGill University Industrial Relations Center to assess the bearing of the social science literature upon work and educational organizations and, in particular, their relevance to the construction of training programs. This paper presents a summary…

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…

Research findings and theories regarding adolescent contraceptive use are reviewed to propose an alternative framework relying on social learning theory. Environmental context, cognitive influences, and behavior execution constraints are suggested as the foundation for contraceptive behaviors. The behavioral skills teenagers need to use birth…