The literature and the employee and workforce surveys rank collaborative problem solving (CPS) among the top 5 most critical skills necessary for success in college and the workforce. This paper provides a review of the literature on CPS and related terms, including a discussion of their definitions, importance to higher education and workforce…

Finds little support for previous research that the use of persuasive strategy is dependent on situational variables, such as intimacy of the interpersonal relationship and duration of the consequences of compliance or noncompliance. Concludes, rather, that the use of a strategy may depend on unanalyzed aspects of the message content. (PD)

Describes how foreign language instructors can test oral communication skills by simulating real-life situations and how this testing format was adapted so it could be used in a multisection French course. (one reference) (GLR)

At the George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville, Tennessee, 50 male students responded to a questionnaire concerning their reactions to individuals having mental or physical disabilities, to persons of another race, and to gifted persons. The 20 questions (scale items) focused on association with 12 types of "disabled" persons (disability…

Tested, in five hypothetical paper-and-pencil experiments, subjects' use of disqualification (ambiguous, indirect, or evasive massages). Concluded that a disqualification is not a failed communication, but rather a reasonable response to an impossible situation, one that permits the communicator to leave the field gracefully. (PD)

Previous research has found that people are often so anxious about performing in public that they cannot recall what happened when they were next-in-line to perform. In the current research, 96 general psychology students at Texas Christian University, in four experimental groups of 24 subjects each, took turns reading words aloud. Later, they…

The relative efficiency and cost-effectiveness of three methods of producing and administering a worksample simulation test of interpersonal communication competence employing a multiple choice response format is explored. (Author/JKS)

Tested a seven-factor model of situation perception to develop a set of valid and reliable situation perception factors for use in compliance-gaining research. (Factors included personal benefits, intimacy, rights, resistance, dominance, situation apprehension, and relational consequences.) Found that the model fit the data well and was superior…

A study was undertaken to examine how the variables that comprise the construct social situation (interlocutor, setting, and topic) influenced which language variety--standard English (SE) or black English (BE)--was chosen as a means of communication within a black English-speaking community and how that language variety was used to elaborate…

Discusses the ACTFL/ETS Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) in relation to current models of communicative skills and argues that the OPI fails to measure important aspects of communicative ability. Two Situation Tests, one written and one oral, are described as alternative measures of communicative ability. Examples are given in Appendices.…

Medical students' performance on simulated patient practical examinations were compared to faculty ratings of the surgical clerks and awards of honor ratings. Faculty ratings were correlated with objective measures of the criteria on the exams. The performance of honor, versus non-honor students was higher on the practical exam. (Author/GDC)

The Ethical Reasoning Inventory (ERI) is an objective test derived from Kohlberg's Moral Judgment Interview. It correlated higher with Kohlberg , and has higher internal consistency than the Defining Issues Test and the Moral Judgment Scale. (CP)

The dimensionality was assessed of 20 problem score measures derived from a nationally standardized written clinical simulation examination--the National Board for Respiratory Care--for which prior evidence of validity exists. The stability and generalizability of the resulting factor structure across examinee groups and test forms (N=5,679…

This study assesses the viability of the rating approach compared to the forced choice approach by use of the Activity Preference Questionnaire. (DEP)

The use of simulation games is considered by which the college teacher addresses selected topics by having students engage in activities that approximate the realities of a social situation. Simulations offer a stimulus for examining theoretical models and their applicability to everyday social situations. The Prisoner's Dilemma is presented as an…