Since 1969, the graduate school of business at the University of Michigan has been collecting data on newly promoted executives (chief executive officers, presidents, and vice presidents in business and industry). In 1980, the questionnaire was revised to include more questions concerning their academic preparation for a business career. Responses…

A study was conducted to determine the effects on reading comprehension of the use of the exclusive pronoun "he" and more or less contrived alternatives. Subjects, 358 students enrolled in an introduction to human communication at a large northeastern university, read three different forms of the same essay. One essay form exclusively…

A study of the lyrics of popular music was conducted to test the hypothesis that from the 1950s through the 1970s such songs placed a progressively greater emphasis upon physical as opposed to emotional love. Researchers analyzed the lyrics of the five most popular songs listed in "Billboard" magazine during every year from 1950 to 1980.…

Like legal language, medical language is a private language, a separate stratum containing some words specially defined for medical purposes, some existing only in the medical vocabulary, and some adding precision or solemnity. These characteristics often cause a breakdown in patient-doctor communication. Analysis of data obtained from prototype…

In recent years, a number of concepts have been introduced by communication researchers in an effort to transcend the limitations of the chronological age concept. Among these is the idea of contextual age, which asserts that social and environmental factors are better indicators of aging and communication behavior than is chronological age. A…

In everyday conversation, people sometimes laugh as they speak. A study was conducted to determine whether the content of statements occurring with laughter differed systematically from that of statements occurring without laughter. Tape recordings of 20 utterances taken from a conversation among a small group of college students were categorized…

This review of the literature on rate-controlled or compressed speech begins by tracing the historical development of compressed speech with emphasis on earlier approaches to the problem, e.g., changing speaking rate, simplifying text, changing tape speed, or using a sampling technique. An overview of research from 1917 to 1974 highlights the…

The results of a survey of college speech departments, conducted to gain information on the current status of voice/speech improvement training, department course offerings, and general approaches used by individual teachers are contained in this report. The report begins with a description of the survey and information on the respondents. The…

A study examined the manner in which conversants and observers of conversants attribute intent to messages in ongoing information-seeking conversations. College students were used to evolve and test three scenarios, in which evasion was more or less likely, and a system of classifying intention in information seeking conversations. Fifty-four…

A mathematical model that describes attitude change in human communication networks is developed in this paper. The parameters of the model are drawn from a review of the literature related to network analysis, small group influence, mass communication, and attitude change. The literature review identifies key variables that influence attitude…

Three methods of data collection (nomination technique, survey instruments, and interviews) were used in a study that examined the way power was perceived by men and women in an organization and how women acquired and manifested power in a male-dominated organization. A total of 86 teachers and administrators were interviewed with the following…

Results of an examination of research literature on performance-appraisal interviewing and its implications are presented in this report. The appraisal interview functions to (1) provide feedback on performance, (2) counsel and provide help, (3) discover what the employee is thinking, (4) teach the employee to solve problems, (5) help the employee…

A communication activities audit was completed by managers and technicians (N=213) from four high technology industries in a study conducted to examine the scope and kinds of communication activities of these professionals. Respondents' responsibilities ranged from lower middle-management/technical professional to senior-level management/technical…

A study was conducted to determine whether significant public speaking anxiety is present in an adult elective speech course and to determine whether speech anxiety can be lowered with the use of post-speech conferences. Subjects were 74 undergraduate students enrolled in four sections of a night elective course in public speaking. The Personal…

Data from five first-place orations from the earliest Interstate Oratorical contests (1874-1878) and five recent first-place orations (1978-1982) were analyzed to determine their subjects or prominent theme, the patterns of organization that were employed, and the types of evidence the speakers used. Following this, historical conclusions were…