This paper is a report of a training session conducted for a Special Weapons and Tactics Squad (SWAT Squad). SWAT Squad is a unit of police officers who are specially trained to handle situations involving armed and barricaded suspects. The goal was to better prepare the officers to talk with the suspects. The SWAT commander argued that ninety…

Three extrinsic factors were manipulated in a problem-solving task performed by 80 ten-year-old children of I Q 90-110. The factors were: the presence or absence of the name of the concept given in feedback, specific instructions, and whether the child was allowed to verbalize. The task was a modification of Vygotsky's experiment on concept…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between self concept and communicative behavior of Upward Bound students as shown through computer-assisted content analysis. Nineteen Upward Bound students at Bowling Green State University during the summer of 1971 composed the population for this study. The methodology used in this…

This paper reports on two studies that were designed to provide preliminary data on the psychometric properties of a new matrix test of referential communication and to explore the validity of the test as a predictor of both developmental level and socioemotional adjustment of normal and emotionally disturbed children. Referential communication is…

Based on the definition of closeness as the degree to which an individual perceives another as understanding him, this study examines some of the dimensions that appear to affect the perception of closeness in dyads. The modes of interpersonal communication which were examined are self-disclosure, touch, and metarelationship communication.…

This study examined the occurrence of high and low risk self-disclosure in 12 therapy groups. Eight groups were conducted for clients served by a community mental health center on an out-patient basis, and four groups were composed of extremely maladjusted in-patient clients at a state hospital. The Group Interaction Profile, an instrument which…

Radio rhetoric is set apart from traditional rhetoric by the efficacy it commands. This study focuses on rhetorical perspective in radio communication, noting 10 identifiable aspects of radio rhetoric noteworthy in undertaking rhetorical criticism: (1) the pressures of federal regulations which require balanced presentation affect preparation; (2)…

The purpose of the study was to: (1) compare achievement on selected units in audio-tutorial biology using tapes with high kinetic structure with those using tapes considered as being low, (2) determine if verbal ability has a significant effect, and (3) compare amount of time spent in the learning center by students of both groups. The degree of…

The use of standardized instruments has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of traditional educational programs in providing optimum learning situations for large numbers of children with diversified backgrounds. Consequently, many new innovative programs have been designed and implemented for preschool children. However, it has become apparent that…

This study compares the effects of Montessori methods of instruction and methods of direct verbal instruction. Montessori methods rely on the ability of the child to learn through physical interaction with inanimate objects and minimize verbal behavior by teacher and student, while the direct verbal method works mainly through language use, both…

A study was conducted to determine the teaching behaviors student teachers exhibited and through analysis and synthesis of the data to identify differences and determine relationships within and among behaviors. During the latter half of his student teaching, each subject (40 secondary and 22 elementary student teachers) was observed for a…

Speech specialists have developed a taxonomy of concepts and abilities related to verbal argument as used in ordinary discourse. This study represents one possible step in the validation of that taxonomy: an evaluation of the Wisconsin Tests of Testimony and Reasoning Assessment (WISTTRA) and the underlying abilities or dimensions measured by…

The purpose of this study was to develop and test an instrument for analyzing interpersonal responsiveness in small groups. A category system was constructed comprised of two "functional" response categories and five "dysfunctional" categories which identified certain behaviors as likely to foster or interfere with "effective" relationships. To…

This paper sets forth a comparative description of the constructs required to isolate and analyze language behavior central to the study of paraphrase--which is here considered central to an understanding of the process of idea sharing in the classroom. Findings are presented which suggest significant black/white differences in terms of these…

An investigation of response associations to 100 structural and lexical words was conducted in such a way as to observe commonalities of responses to the words, effects of sex differences on the commonalities, and effects of word learnability on the commonalities. Subjects were 80 white urban disadvantaged children, all 5 years old, divided into…