Sixty undergraduate women interacted in dyads with female experimental confederates in a study of the interactive effects of social attributions and environmental controllability on interpersonal assertion. The environment was systematically varied on two dimensions of social power or control: (1) social responsiveness of the confederate, and (2)…

A study tested a method for teaching preservice teachers enrolled in a basic speech course how to lead classroom discussions. In addition, the study examined the effects of communication apprehension and size of audience on students' satisfaction with the assignment. The students were administered a measure of communication apprehension and…

A study investigated whether older persons as a group are generally more persuaded by high authority figures than are younger persons. The study employed a design that allowed for extensive comparisons among subjects of different ages in terms of their willingness to be persuaded by physicians in interpersonal situations. One hundred-twenty…

Two studies investigated the reliability and validity of a self-report instrument designed to measure the political opinion construct. The instrument, the Measure of Political Opinion Leadership (MOPOL), was tested against six criteria: (1) overall internal reliability, (2) reliability across varied populations, (3) face validity, (4) discriminant…

A longitudinal investigation of teacher-pupil directive interactions in kindergartens was designed to study stability, change, and structures underlying classroom directive exchanges. Three kindergarten classes were observed four times during a school year. Teacher directives were classified as to type and clarity, while concomitants of 748…

Intended for use by managers, consultants, and teachers of courses in organization behavior, organizational communication, and interviewing, this literature review brings together a great deal of what has been written concerning appraisal interviews. Based on the review, the paper offers 13 guidelines for preparing and conducting appraisal…

Part of a larger investigation of the rhetorical character of the presidencies of Harry Truman through Jimmy Carter, this report concentrates on the presidents' linguistic styles and their semantic choices. The first half of the report discusses the background of the study and the development of a computerized language analysis…

Two studies were conducted to develop and refine instruments for measuring nonverbal immediacy, defined as approach behaviors increasing sensory stimulation and producing interpersonal closeness. In the first study, three instruments were developed concurrently and were tested to establish their reliability and preliminary validity. These…

This index to journals in communication studies published through 1979 is divided into three sections. The first section lists the major articles appearing in 14 journals: (1) "The Quarterly Journal of Speech," (2) "Communication Monographs," (3) "Communication Education," (4) "Southern Speech Communication…

Describing cognitive science as a new discipline based upon the integration of elements of psychology, computer science, linguistics, philosophy, and education, this paper argues that such a discipline has important implications for the field of communication. Following an overview of the literature of cognitive science, the paper offers an…

E. Husserl's concept of intentionality provides a conceptual perspective of interpersonal communication that suggests a notion of face-to-face communication called "interaction involvement." Structured along dimensions of awareness and responsiveness, interaction involvement explains interpersonal communication as a transactional relationship…

A model of conversational distance violations that claims that these violations mediate communication outcomes such as source credibility, source attraction, and learning was examined in a study involving 136 undergraduate students. The students were tested in small group settings using eight confederates, four rated highly and four lowly in…

Assuming that radio listeners are more interested in programs where the pace is faster, two versions of a six-minute interview were devised and tested on 97 adult church choir members. Prior to the experiment, participants completed a questionnaire that requested information on their age, sex, education, radio station preference, and listening…

Noting that a review of communication competence literature focusing on instructional practice reveals an absence of attempts to apply this research to instruction in higher education, this paper provides a synthesis of the research and discusses its implications for instructional goals and practices in higher education. It presents a review of…

Recent research on the role of personal space has demonstrated the effects of violating or not violating a spatial norm on the perceived persuasiveness, credibility, and attractiveness of the message source. The persuasive impact of personal space violations has been difficult to interpret because of the failure to effectively manipulate source…