Investigates differences in comforting behavior that are associated with dimensions of empathy and exposure to film. Finds that fictional involvement and empathic concern were important predictors of comforting behavior and that, after accounting for the influence of these dimensions of empathy, film condition explained further differences in…

Provides an overview of work on cultural studies in Latin America, which is virtually unknown outside the continent and has only recently begun to be translated into English. Concludes that this new work often seems to be less politically engaged than Latin American critical communications research of the 1970s. (RS)

Finds that people with communication apprehension (CA) who were exposed to visualization reported lower trait and state CA as well as higher attraction levels than those in control or placebo conditions. (SR)

Outlines the elements of the human rhetorical potential, arguing for a psychologically plausible theory of meaning. Examines recent work in cognitive neural science to see if the human rhetorical potential is biologically, or neurologically, plausible. Suggests further research on the human rhetorical potential as it relates to discourse…

Finds that self-reported satisfaction as a member of a marital dyad was (1) positively related to the spouse's use of a more co-active style of communication and decision-making, and to the spouse's communication of referent power; and (2) negatively related to the spouse's communication of coercive power and use of reward power. (SR)

Notes that Priscilla Rogers suggests that convergence underlies a more fruitful way of doing research that requires familiarity with a number of related areas and with relevant disciplines and their methods. Comments further on the implications of convergence and commonality of purpose, and proposes the concept of partnership research as a useful…

Focuses on whether women and men have different perceptions about when simultaneous talk becomes interruptive. Asks participants to judge whether 20 overlaps are interruptive when presented with a conflictive interview between a high-power female and a low-power male. Suggests that verbal aggressiveness is a better predictor of recognition of…

Finds that a high, rather than a low, sense of humor facilitated the reduction of uncertainty and also served to reduce social distance between interactants. Supports the facilitative nature of humor in the development of interpersonal relations. (SR)

Argues that scholars who wish to produce substantive research in management communication ethics would be helped by a clear vision of what the term designates. States that management communication ethics should designate concerns that lie at the intersection of management, communication, and ethics. Concludes that this approach could help to…

Investigates the degree to which senders can vary discourse on demand along five fundamental dimensions and receivers (observers) can recognize such variations. Confirms that deceptive communication is less complete, honest, direct/relevant, clear, and personalized (attributable to the speaker) than truthful communication. (SR)

Presents reflections from a Portuguese representative on the 1997 ICEM (International Council for Educational Media) conference which was called "Education for Media." Highlights include market fragmentation in television audiences, the global market, multinational enterprises, universal access to television, and implications for media…

Finds that the subjective probability model continues to provide some degree of prediction for beliefs (of an individual for circumstances of a single event with multiple causes) prior to the exposure to a message, but that after exposure to a persuasive message, the model did not maintain the same level of accuracy of prediction. Offers several…

Purpose: To examine the extent to which sentences retain their levels of spoken intelligibility relative to other sentences in a set (the "sentence effect") across different types of signal distortion. Method: The Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) sentences were rendered difficult to understand through the addition of broadband noise. These…

Drawing on the everyday experience of collaborative design, and using ordinary language, I examine the nature of design practices and rules, how they come about, and how we use them. I offer some arguments to suggest that our conventional ways of thinking about rules are wrong. I conclude by arguing that the practice of designing and doing…

Content analysis is a powerful empirical method for analyzing text, a method that technical communicators can use on the job and in their research. Content analysis can expose hidden connections among concepts, reveal relationships among ideas that initially seem unconnected, and inform the decision-making processes associated with many technical…