A study was conducted to address the communication concerns of health care professionals. To identify the communication activities and problems of health care communication situations, the Communication Activity Questionnaire (CAQ) was administered to the personnel of 18 human service agencies involved with care of the physically and mentally ill…

Drawn from a 1978 Speech Communication Association seminar, this collection of papers and other materials explores the subject of argumentation as epistemology. The first paper reviews several critiques of traditional argumentation theories and offers directions for new theories, and the remaining eight papers offer responses to the ideas and…

Developmental differences in categorization in a communication situation were investigated among 16 adult women and 16 nine-year-old children who instructed 7-year-old children in either the organization of groceries in a mock kitchen (home task) or the sorting of photographs of common objects into compartments (school task). In both tasks, the 18…

The best way to get started in conducting measurement research in creative drama is to understand creative drama as fully as possible in order to discover significant issues that need the kind of clarification that measurement research can provide. A few basic research questions that will help people focus on particular projects in creative drama…

To assess the impact of rhetorical research within the field of speech communication as it contributes to the arts and humanities, a study analyzed major articles that appeared in the "Quarterly Journal of Speech" from 1970-1980. Citation measurement was made possible through the use of the "Arts and Humanities Index," a…

A study examined whether rhetorical sensitivity--a goal-directed way of thinking about communication, emphasizing rhetorical invention adapted to both audience and situation--was practiced and useful in supervisory communication. Data were collected from two manufacturing plants, three libraries, and two hospital nursing departments. The…

Noting that despite increasing research into ethnic minority media and audience analysis, specific Asian American populations and the media serving them have been largely ignored, this paper identifies and examines the media organizations serving various Asian American populations. The first part of the paper reviews the growth of Asian American…

Defining intersubjectivity as the accomplishment of consensus between two independently existing persons, this paper posits that concept as intrinsic to the study of interpersonal communication. The paper isolates basic assumptions underlying current approaches to conceptualizing intersubjectivity in the interpersonal communication literature. It…

Noting a consensus among intercultural communication researchers regarding the present lack of theory and methodology, this paper discusses how to develop a theory that simultaneously provides explanation, direction, and practical information. It first discusses criticisms of intercultural communication and identifies the most important issues,…

This paper discusses ways in which the field of speech communication can be advanced. The first half of the paper characterizes the objectivist and subjectivist views of how knowledge is acquired and the forms of inquiry to which these views have led. The remainder of the paper demonstrates the role that the "interesting question" (one for which…

Recent developments in telecommunications technology have made possible local information networks that can connect individuals within organizations of any size, configuration, or purpose. To better understand the impact of such technology, a study of a recently implemented computer based messaging system (CBMS) was undertaken at a large, private…

Eighteen conversations between patients and nurses or physicians were videotaped to examine patterns that the interactants followed to maintain dominant or recessive roles. Physicians/nurses were viewed as the dominant interactants because of their greater control in the hospital setting whereas patients were viewed as the recessive interactants…

Thirty-two speech anxious college students participated in a study that examined whether four treatments that have been effective when applied separately would be equally effective when applied in combination. The treatments were (1) systemic desensitization (SD), (2) speech skills training (SST), (3) SST combined with coping skills training (CST)…

In 1972 the Canadian government launched its first domestic communications satellite, Anik A, which relays direct broadcast television and telephone messages to northern communities. The impact of television on Inuit life has raised issues and concerns pertaining to native language broadcasting, media access and control, and cultural identity…

The ABC television network's "Monday Night Football" (MNF) series is a very successful example of the symbiotic relationship between advertising, television, and sports. Assuming that the athletic contests are packaged as slick entertainment to draw both fans and nonfans to the real programing--the commercials--a study was organized to examine…