Presents both a conceptual model (which partitions family data into individual, dyadic, and family effects and permits examination of several types of interdependence between family members) and an analytical method (confirmatory factor analysis) that can be used in the evaluation of round-robin family research data. (SR)

Examines the link between social skill and dysphoria. Finds three factors that help explain inconsistent results in the literature: conceptualization of social skill, perspective from which social skill is assessed, and situational outcome. Shows that the link between social skill and dysphoria is complex and affected by the three factors. (SR)

Addresses a recurring inconsistency in the epistemic interpretation of the Family Communication Patterns scales. Reviews the traditional linkage to coorientation and proposes a more direct interpretation. Results confirm that subjects associate the scales with underlying dimensions of conformity or control and openness or supportiveness. Provides…

Asserts that discussing micro-macro issues is central to developing communication research and that theory should be developed and tested through research designs that span the traditional domains of social science. States that this special issue of "Communication Research" explores interpersonal interaction and the interaction of the…

Discusses implications of the contextualism of William McGuire for media-effects research and for the answers media-effects researchers give to questions of social concern. Argues that mass communication research long has contained latent contextualist orientations. (MS)

Examines use of message discrimination in a multicity health campaign project. Addresses three issues: message recall patterns as functions of instrument length and sociodemographic variables; types of messages recalled; and interviewer effects. Suggests that three open-ended "question cycles" are sufficient for recall and that…

Uses a spatial model to examine the relationship between stimulus exposure, cognition, and affect. Notes that this model accounts for cognitive changes that a stimulus may acquire as a result of exposure. Concludes that the spatial model is useful for evaluating the mere exposure effect and that affective change does not require cognitive change.…

Present a graphical multivariate approach to the analysis and reporting of presidential poll results when more than two candidates command a significant percentage of the vote. Advocates a methodology based on joint statistical inference. Applies this methodology to polls prior to the 1992 presidential election. (HB)

Synthesizes research supporting the assertion that people are not very accurate perceivers of the opinions of others. Assesses the impact of these findings on E. Noelle-Neumann's "spiral of silence" theory. Suggests an alternative research strategy drawn from social psychology to test this aspect of the spiral of silence process. (SG)

Uses multidimensional scaling and clustering analysis of the co-citation patterns of 58 authors to explore the intellectual organization of population genetics and related specialties. Concludes that co-cited author mapping, with the author as the unit of analysis, is likely to complement studies of informal communication networks. (SR)

Explores the potential utility of Bayesian statistical methods in determining the predictability of multiple polls. Compares Bayesian techniques to the classical statistical method employed by pollsters. Considers these questions in the context of the 1992 presidential elections. (HB)

Submits that interinstitutional research in mass communication exhibits complex, interrelated problems regarding tactics, sampling, data reliability, and causality. Confronts difficulties and suggests ways to deal with them. Draws on storytelling and cognitive aesthetics to broaden the criteria for judging research. Encourages ambitious…