One aspect of organizational work groups has been ignored by both group and organizational communication researchers. The concluding period or termination of an organizational work group is disregarded while research focuses on the assignment, development, and maintenance of groups. In the organizational context, how work groups process the…

This volume of an annual collection of essays relating to instruction in the basic communication course is presented in five sections: (1) Six Approaches to the Introductory Course: A Forum; (2) 1990 Basic Course Committee Award Winning Papers; (3) Instruction in the Introductory Communication Course; (4) Research on the Introductory Communication…

A study examined the distinctive communication phenomena which occur on computer bulletin boards, focusing on the Usenet bulletin board system which is estimated to have over half a million readers worldwide. Most universities and research organizations, all over the world, are capable of exchanging information over computer networks through the…

One of a series of semiannual reports, this publication contains 13 articles which report the status and progress of studies on the nature of speech, instrumentation for its investigation, and practical applications. Articles and their authors are as follows: "The Role of Contrast in Limiting Vowel-to-Vowel Coarticulation in Different…

The use of electronic mail has increased in organizations and other areas where computers are used. Researchers report that there are some major effects on the organization and organizational members in group and interpersonal communication. An extensive literature review examined the technology used in computer networks, electronic mail and…

Henry Ward Beecher was America's most prominent 19th century liberal preacher and a major spokesperson for New England Transcendentalism. His philosophy integrated four fundamental themes: the creation of a moral code based on the internalization of values and peer group pressures, the establishment of the reform ideal of the impartial nonpartisan…

Drawing upon the philosophical and technical frameworks of discourse analysis, this paper suggests the rules governing linguistic choices in constructing negotiation. First, it clarifies the philosophical assumptions underlying different approaches to analysis, specifying a conceptual focus, particularly with regard to the situation and the…

A study of 258 news personnel from 17 newspapers indicated that professional attitudes toward contemporary newspaper journalism fell into three distinct clusters: traditional, interpretative, and activist. Traditional journalists focused on local and spot news, downgraded interpretative and national/international material, and shared their…

Recommending that communication students be required to learn to use computers not merely as number crunchers, word processors, data bases, and graphics generators, but also as logical inference makers, this paper examines the recently developed technology of logical programing in computer languages. It presents two syllogisms and shows how they…

Researchers have put forth the idea that the mass media have an "agenda setting" function, that the more coverage an issue receives, the more important the public perceives that issue to be. A study tested the hypothesis that the campaign agenda presented by the media would have a stronger agenda setting effect than the aggregate media…

A study examined the communication patterns of the mentor-protege relationship and its impact on the organizational advancement of women. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 women representing two broad job classifications--professional (those in business for themselves) and corporate/organizational (those who were part of some business…

The purpose of this study was to identify relations between nurses' interaction styles and patient care interventions (PCI) that occurred after nurse-doctor interactions. A nonparticipant observer recorded interactions of 48 female registered nurses with physicians. Transcripts were coded and assigned to one of five theoretical nurse interaction…

An illustrative rather than an exhaustive bibliography on approaches to rhetorical criticism, this update of an earlier publication lists more than 150 selections. The bibliography is divided into sections on: (1) discussions of the Burkean approach; (2) applications of the Burkean approach; (3) discussions of the fantasy theme approach; (4)…

This study (the second of a 2-part project exploring the communication patterns of the elderly) examined whether the quantity and frequency of conversational talk affected how favorably an individual was viewed as a partner for activities within a small social network of elderly black persons. Subjects, 5 black women ranging in age from 65 to 78,…

The theoretical literature which has had an impact upon the teaching of composition and which has evolved into the language across the curriculum approach to education, focuses upon the interaction of language and learning. By teaching about speaking and writing, educators are potentially teaching students how to learn. Language functions to…