Explains Joe McCarthy's rhetoric and its apparent resistance to exorcism by historical fact through the literary genre of fantasy. Argues that McCarthy could not be discredited or argued against because he took no positions but presented his audience with a sustained moment of hesitation in which every claim on credulity was offset by a denial of…

Identifies three aspects of intellectual identity that are routinely at stake for academic presenters in discussion periods: their knowledgeability, originality, and level of intellectual sophistication. Identifies and describes questioning practices that support and challenge these desired identities. Considers how this type of discourse analysis…

Investigates whether audio/video redundancy improves memory for television messages. Suggests a theoretical framework for classifying previous work and reinterpreting the results. Suggests general support for the notion that redundancy levels affect the capacity requirements of the message, which impact differentially on audio or visual…

Develops and demonstrates a theoretical framework and corresponding methodology to link variables at the culture level to the individual level and, then, to specific outcome variables. Tests a path-analytic model linking cultural collectivism with interdependent self-construals and high-context communication. Discusses implications for theory…

Reviews the forms and functions of narrative. Considers the influence of organizational narratives in academic settings from three perspectives: a developmental perspective (the transformative and transformable nature of organizational stories); a comparative perspective (the important distinction between macro-stories and micro-stories); and a…

Assesses the effectiveness of communication strategies designed to improve both initial and long-term medical adherence. Finds that male physicians were effective if they used either positive or negative regard strategies, whereas female physicians were limited to using positive regard strategies. Finds also that occasional use of non-rewarding…

Investigates the management of expertise in advice-giving in the calls to a radio advice line. Analyzes how the expert's talk handles the tension between the personal and public dimensions of advice-giving in such a public forum. (HB)

Reviews the existing literature on African American communication and evaluates its productivity at increasing interethnic communication. Discusses several limitations of existing literature as they contribute to the emergence of a "universal iconography" of African American communication. Concludes by presenting challenges for future…

Argues that anticipating communication has cognitive tuning effects such that individuals think descriptively and entertain a greater variety of thoughts when they anticipate receiving information, but think valuatively and avoid information searches when they perceive they will primarily convey rather than receive information in a forthcoming…

Examines levels of trait communication apprehension (CA) among students enrolled in college-level office administration (secretarial) programs. Posits that the CA level of these students would be higher than norms reported for other college students. Finds that office administration students are more anxious about communicating than are college…

Discusses an experiment to find the effects of "powerful" and "powerless" language on small computer-mediated groups. Explains that subjects were asked to communicate via computer in a decision-making context. Describes the three conditions. Finds that language style has significant impact on impression formation in computer…

Supports the hypothesis that literal and metaphorical interpretations can result from similar contextual constraints. Finds that a metaphorical interpretation may be selected because a literal interpretation would have been inappropriate and that likewise a literal interpretation may be selected because a metaphorical interpretation would have…

Finds that readers will not completely comprehend the sentences they read unless sufficiently motivated by situational demands. Shows that complete comprehension entails three separate yet interdependent processing tasks but that experimental participants had a strategy of minimal task satisfaction: they did not resolve anaphors, build structures,…

Investigates a visa interview process involving applicants from a West African country and interviewers from a Western culture to examine the effects of intercultural factors on communication distortion. Examines speech pattern, body posture, and eye contact, along with information disclosure and verbal aggression. Suggests that different cultures…

Analyzes negative letters from companies in response to customer complaints. Find striking differences between real letters and textbook examples and instruction. Discusses implications for teaching and research. (SR)