A study examined the self-perceptions of college students regarding the effects of alcohol consumption on their interpersonal communication. Forty-seven subjects--the majority of whom were students majoring in health care studies--completed a 52-item Q-sort on alcohol and communication. Four person-types evolved: the social drinker, the…

A study examined the perceptions of pharmacy students regarding pharmacist-patient communication to determine whether the increased emphasis on the patient counseling role of pharmacists resulted in perceptual differences between students, pharmacists, and faculty. Data were gathered from 25 students, 2 pharmacy faculty, 8 communication studies…

A study explored issues regarding the selection of a Q sample in three studies using Stephenson's Q technique or Q methodology: a current study on initial interaction in interpersonal communication; a second study on the effects of alcohol use on interpersonal communication (these two studies are in progress and are the outgrowth and work of two…

Instructional applications of Q methodology (a set of procedures that can be used in studying the subjective nature of things) provide a means for teaching communication skills, analyzing thinking patterns, making comparative analyses, and structuring intrapersonal processes. Taking the best from quantitative and qualitative research methods,…

Q methodology, a theory-based research technique begun by William Stephenson, permits a scientific approach to the study of subjective ideas, and proves useful in studying intrapersonal communication processes in a variety of contexts. The Q-sort, which incorporates Q methodology into a measure, allows respondents to sort statements (pictures or…

By the mid-1970s, several pieces of federal legislation were passed requiring that handicapped or exceptional children be educated "in the least restrictive environment." The resulting "mainstreaming" of special children in regular classrooms has caused certain expectancies and special inclusion needs. To find out more about…

A study categorized self-perceptions of subjects regarding their feelings about initial communication interaction. Using Q-Technique, a total of 138 subjects, mostly students at a midsized, midwestern, urban university enrolled in interpersonal communication courses, were studied through the use of two structured Q-sorts containing statements…

A study examined how W. Stephenson's Q-methodology can be used as an instructional technique in teaching speech communication. The method was applied to an undergraduate communication theory class of 14 students who constructed, completed, and analyzed their own 59-item Q-sort about principles of communication theory. The process, which identified…