A theory of group interaction with a focus on the trajectories of relevant variables as they change over time is developed in this paper. The four major components of the group interaction process (communication, conflict, involvement, and centralization) are presented and conceptually defined, and the nature of their interdependence is discussed.…

Based on a pattern of interaction, in which the interactants fulfill the roles of victim, persecutor, or rescuer, a study of ten Harlequin romantic novels was undertaken to determine what factors provided for the readers' identification with the Harlequin characters. It was found that Harlequin heroines manifested their status as victims by…

THIS PROJECT WAS DESIGNED TO (1) ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF A COOPERATIVE EFFORT IN THE USE OF VIDEO TAPE RECORDINGS BETWEEN A STATE INSTITUTION AND PRIVATE LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES, (2) TO EVALUATE VIDEO TAPE RECORDINGS AS A TOOL IN TEACHER EDUCATION, AND (3) TO EVALUATE INTERACTION ANALYSIS AS AN OBSERVATIONAL TOOL IN VIEWING VIDEO TAPE RECORDINGS…

Twenty-eight senior staff members at the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) and 60 senior staff members at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) were surveyed regarding the frequency and importance of their work-related face-to-face, telephone, and written communication. Analyses of the communication networks showed…

The activities involved in coding conversation sequences and the lack of attention given to their systematic validation within the field of speech communication are discussed in this paper. The paper first reviews briefly the assumptions underlying relational coding and the implications of viewing these activities as practical accomplishments. It…

THIS STUDY TESTS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT BIRACIAL GROUPS IN WHICH RACEMATES WERE PAIRED FOR DIRECT CONTACT WOULD PERFORM BETTER THAN THOSE IN WHICH RACEMATES WERE ISOLATED. IT ALSO ASSUMED THAT ETHNOCENTRIC SUBJECTS WOULD PERFORM BETTER WITH CONTACT WITH A RACEMATE, AND THAT AGGRESSIVE SUBJECTS WOULD GET ALONG WELL WITHOUT IT. THE SUBJECTS WERE BOYS…

Stereotypic statements about social groups are correlational in nature. That is, they express the speaker's belief in the relationship between two variables, one having to do with group membership and the other being a psychological attribute. This paper describes research directed toward determining cognitive biases influencing the development of…

This paper reports an observational study of the effects of handling on the social behavior of squirrel monkeys who received a protein deficient diet. After birth, experimental animals received a low-protein diet for a 6-week period. A subgroup of these animals were handled between 3 and 12 weeks of age. All of the animals interacted (in four…

This investigation tested the hypothesis that the probabilistic structure underlying psychotherapy interviews is Markovian. The "goodness of fit" of a first-order Markov chain model to actual therapy interviews was assessed using a x squared test of homogeneity, and by generating by Monte Carlo methods empirical sampling distributions of…

Behaviors described by the instrument were grouped into categories related to developing text material, pre-lab, laboratory, and post-lab discussion. Judges' ratings were used to select behaviors which could be designated as (1) consistent with ESCP, (2) neutral, or (3) inconsistent with ESCP. Classroom observations based on the instrument were…

Described are the procedures whereby data from teachers and children may be collected in classrooms. The techniques of interaction analysis (including matrix analysis) are applied to the collection and analysis of these data. The categories applied to the classroom behaviors of teachers and students have been developed specifically for the Science…

Twelve experimental groups were organized using ability and mutually positive attitudes among the three members of each group as criteria. Mutually positive attitudes were defined as group cohesiveness. Three different interaction patterns--competitive, competitive-supportive, and supportive--were established through instructions read to the…

Investigated were whether differences exist in the verbal behavior of effective and less effective secondary school biology teachers. From a population of 29 biology teachers a sample of five effective and five less effective biology teachers was selected. Effectiveness was determined by a teacher's combined score on the Teacher Rating Scale,…

This paper discusses the concept and definition of social power as it relates to an understanding of social behavior at all levels. The author attempts to differentiate power situations in which the flow of influence is primarily unilateral from an identifiable source to a target, from those in which there is a more dynamic give-and-take between…