While sequencing of speaking turns occurs in both adult and child systems, the adult system is elaborated by nonverbal signaling of speaker/listener roles and is constrained by expectations of speaking turns responsive to a shared topic. Children's speaking turns are not accompanied regularly by nonverbal signals; the speaker role does not require…

The principal objective of this study was to develop a classification system for the elements of student and teacher evaluative dialogue which would account for (1) the content area--task centered versus peripheral, and open versus closed; (2) psychological tone--accepting versus rejecting, and neutral versus judging; (3) possibility for…

A textbook called "Persuasion" was designed to provide discovery situations and a skills program to teach students to be aware of the ways in which they are influenced by various methods of communication, both public and private. The text focuses first on the persuader and the emotions he seeks to manipulate, then on the persuader and the image he…

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of peers in reducing the isolation of preschool children who exhibited very little or no interaction with peers. Selection of subjects was made on the basis of quantity of verbal behavior and amount and quality of classroom play. In a 15-minute dyad play situation which maximized the…

Two Masters' theses, by Andrea Weiss and Melinda Welles, pursuing related questions were synthesized into a final report, "Field Independence-Dependence, Reflection-Impulsivity, and Problem-Solving Styles of Preschool Children," of which this interim report is a summary. The major purposes of both investigations were to determine: (1)…

This research studies the effects of censoring a communication, overriding the censor, and the attractiveness of the censor on the potential audience's attitude and desire to hear the communication. The subjects, 144 undergraduate psychology students, were told that a speech which they were to have heard had been censored by a positively,…

The author reports on an investigation of the variations in total verbal output and in verbal variety noted from interview responses of eighteen persons, each involved with a specific issue or topic at one of three levels. He defines the levels as: (1) observer, or someone who is aware of the issue but passive about it; (2) participant, or one who…

The book represents oral communication as a wide spectrum of speech events ranging from daily perfunctory comments to highly structured, formal speeches. The introductory chapter summarizes various approaches to the study of the communication process. The subsequent chapters present: (1) elements of communication language structure, language…

This study focuses on the systematic study of verbal behavior patterns of college elementary education student teaching supervisors in dyadic conferences with student teachers and cooperating teachers. The major research problem of the study concerned the possible differences in the verbal behavior patterns of college supervisors while interacting…

This study investigated the effects of three gaze patterns-staring, normal looking, glancing and avoiding eye contact-and verbal insult on instrumental aggression. It was hypothesized that the experimental manipulation of verbal insult will: (1) not affect shock intensity or duration (2) not increase the subjects self-reported hostility, and (3)…

The underlying premise in this collection of readings is that persuasion exists in all communications. When people interact, persuasion is one of the catalysts--the communicator seeks to alter the probabilities of the receiver's responses in ways the communicator can predict and in ways that permit the communicator to reap rewards from his…

THE RELATIONSHIPS OPERATING AMONG COMMUNICATOR CREDIBILITY, PERSUASIVELY INDUCED ATTITUDE CHANGE, AND SUBSEQUENT OVERT BEHAVIOR WERE IDENTIFIED AND ANALYZED. COMMUNICATOR CREDIBILITY WAS DEFINED AS THE EFFECT OF THE IMAGE OF A SPEAKER IN THE MINDS OF A LISTENING AUDIENCE PRIOR TO THE TIME OF UTTERANCE (ARNOLD, 1965). A TOTAL OF 734 COLLEGE…

This study examined adult-child interaction during story readings, specifically the complexity and richness of extra-script dialogue as a function of how familiar the child and adult reader have become with a particular story through repeated readings. Subjects were approximately 50 children, ages 3 to 6 years. Two-minute segments were selected…

The informal communication between constituents and educational policy makers is analyzed in three school districts classified in terms of their social-political characteristics and decision-making style. As part of a larger study, data were obtained by recording in weekly sessions all informal constituent communication with school board members,…

Various aspects of nonverbal communication are discussed in this paper, and the questions of how and why to teach it are considered. It is suggested that the nonverbal field can be roughly divided into three domains, in terms of method and the nature of the questions asked. Albert Scheflen and several other "nonverbal structuralists" are…