This paper points out that the available research on communication rules tends to be descriptive (or humanistic) in nature and characterized by a conspicuous absence of prediction along with experimental methods and parametric interpretations of social behavior. The paper first argues that current scientific methodology is consistent with a…

Discusses a survey of one hundred speech communication departments to determine practices and policies regarding selection and use of subjects in research. Looks at potential effects of generalizing research results from such a population and suggests methods for resolving generality problems in speech communication research. (MH)

This paper proposes the use of interaction process analysis to study negotiation behaviors. Following a review of current literature in the field, the paper presents a theoretical framework for the analysis of both labor/management and social negotiation processes. Central to the framework described are two systems of activities that together…

Reports two experiments designed to further understanding of the effects of systematic desensitization (SD) training on college students and presents experimental test results indicating that students in SD do not differ significantly from those who choose not to join SD. (MH)

Defines participant observation as a research methodology whereby investigation is conducted in the subjects' natural habitat over a long period of time in which the researcher shares as intimately as possible in the life and activities of the subjects being studied. (Available from the Journal of Applied Communications Research, Ed., Drawer NJ,…

Repeats an earlier study by the authors concerning informants' ability to report their communication accurately and confirms results indicating that people do not know those with whom they communicate. Expands the original experimental design and offers recommendations for future research. (MH)

In human communication research today, two fundamental issues must be addressed. The first issue concerns the need for study of communicative relationships as events that change over time. The second issue involves the nature of the data currently gathered in such research and its adequacy in providing information concerning change. In order for…

Departing from Baconian science which focuses on explanation of the occurrence of events, Chomsky's linguistics involves a different orientation--namely the explanation of form to account for linguistic behavior. The "knowledge" upon which linguistic judgements are based involves the premise of innate mechanisms. The assumption that speakers and…

This study tested two primary hypotheses concerning the effects of mispronunciation on the ratings of source credibility. First, as the number of mispronunciations presented by a speaker increases, audience ratings of source credibility will decrease. Second, the effects hypothesized in the first statement will be stronger for audiences at a more…

Accounting for verbal reports requires explication of the mechanisms by which the reports are generated and influenced by experimental factors. We discuss different cognitive processes underlying verbalization and present a model of how subjects, when asked to think aloud, verbalize information from their short-term memory. (Author/GDC)

This publication contains the proceedings of the 1970 Summer Conference of the Speech Communication Association which explored the practical implications of recent research in the field for classroom teachers. Included are (1) four papers by Barbara Wood, Frederick Williams, Gerald R. Miller, and Lawrence Rosenfield, who were commissioned to write…