Focusing on the increasing attention of communication scholars to the production of conversation, this paper outlines three broad perspectives on discourse analysis: (1) codification, which involves discrete categorizing of discourse and includes work in speech act theory, traditional interaction analysis, and message strategies; (2) coordination,…

A study examined the effect of communication style on use of different persuasive strategies. Subjects responded to a rhetorical sensitivity scale (RHETSEN) to determine their communication style: noble self, rhetorically sensitive, and rhetorical reflector. The persuasive style of the noble self can be characterized as straightforward and direct;…

Focusing on the consideration of societal and developmental contexts in interpersonal communication research, this essay addresses two common problems: (1) that studies of dyadic communicative interaction do not refer to the larger issues of social change and stability, as if the macro- and micro-levels of analysis can be treated in isolation; and…

A study explored the social uses of computer-mediated communication, identifying primary users and amounts of time spent using two related systems. Interviews and observations of computer users suggest that a large, socially active computing subculture is based at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst campus. It was hypothesized that members of…

Drawing from political science, sociology, and communication literature, this paper provides a review of research dealing with political candidate image to show the various ways this concept has been treated by scholars. The paper begins with an examination of the rationales offered by researchers for the study of image, then addresses the…

A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that for an "uninvolving topic" the persuasiveness of a highly credible communicator would be mediated by the favorability of the communicator-related thoughts generated, while for an "involving topic" the effect of the communicator's credibility would be mediated by the favorability…

A study tested the uses and gratifications theoretical perspective--that motivations affect media use which in turn influences the effects of that use. The American Student Dental Association targeted its publications to different subaudiences and provided a grant to the University of Texas at Austin to study (1) whether the differentiation…

Since attraction and close proxemic distances have been found to be associated throughout the study of nonverbal communication, a study was conducted that hypothesized that attraction would be a more important predictor of seat selection than any other variables. Subjects included students enrolled in introductory speech communication classes who…

A questionnaire was administered to 94 first- and middle-level managers from 19 different state agencies in Texas in an effort to analyze conditions under which managers were most likely to disclose task-relevant confidential information to their subordinates. The open-ended items on the questionnaire investigated the types of confidential…

No theories of communication can minimize the crisis of dying. But those who study commmunication can suggest ways of offering comfort and dignity to the dying person. Many of these ways go beyond words, for death cannot be addressed with verbal cliches. The theoretical work from which a communication scholar draws can help hospice volunteers and…

Literature concerning human information processing is examined for its implications and extensions into the realm of input processing during second language learning. It is argued that learners can process input solely for meaning, and that once meaning can be accessed automatically, attention can be directed to certain "non-important" structures…

Noting that one way to tap into organizational life involves examining the symbolic discourse occurring in the context, a study examined stories and metaphors, forms of symbolic discourse, in two Christian denominations in Southern Appalachia. Transcriptions from audiotapes of sermons and lay talks (e.g., Sunday School lessons) from Church of God…

The goal of this paper is to describe how one classroom teacher uses the Sender-Receiver Communications Model to illustrate for students in a lively and memorable way the process of "targeting your audience" with medium and message. Students are used as examples of Receivers, or target audience, illustrating the potential range of…

In the present decade, many management and organizational communication scholars have explored a guiding metaphor--organizational culture. Japanese industry has developed a corporate model that may have provided the concepts involved in organizational culture: ideology, beliefs, rituals, myths, and symbols. Organizational culture is inextricably…

A study examined parent-child differences in the Family Communication Patterns (FCP) model using the FCP's socio- and concept orientation measures extended to include measures of structure of control and involvement with the expectation that developmental differences in interpretation by parents and children will be demonstrated via differing…