An example of how the quality of research on small groups could be enhanced is to develop a framework of scholarship around a series of hierarchical guiding questions concerning the functions of communication in the small group, the characteristics of the behavior and of the producers of that behavior that determine the extent to which particular…

Tutorial dialogues can be analyzed as an interaction in which a tutor "debugs" a student's knowledge representation by diagnosing and correcting conceptual misunderstandings. Some tentative steps toward a theory which describes tutorial interactions are outlined. The goal structure of a tutor, types of conceptual bugs that students have…

Using data drawn from ten initial physician/patient interviews, an original category system was employed to analyze patterns of physician/patient communication. Static analysis, interaction analysis, and Markov chain analysis were used to discover the underlying communication patterns associated with patient satisfaction. Results revealed that…

This investigation, utilizing behavioral, sociometric, teacher-completed, child self-report, and academic measures, extends previous research (Gottman, 1977) on preschool children's social skills to a sample of school-age children. One hundred and nine third grade children served as subjects. A correlational matrix and a factor analysis were…

The process by which preschoolers generate cohesive oral text was investigated in two fields of discourse: social dramatic and constructive play. Four preschoolers, 2 boys and 2 girls, ranging in age from 51 to 60 months were observed and videotaped in their regular preschool classroom on 2 successive days during free play periods. Each child was…

SELF-REPORTS OF INTERACTION AMONG 100 GRADUATE STUDENTS IN TWO SECTIONS OF A FIVE-WEEK SUMMER SESSION COURSE IN ELEMENTARY STATISTICS WERE ANALYZED IN AN ATTEMPT TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIAL ASSOCIATION AMONG HIGHLY SPECIALIZED PERSONS. SUMMARIES WERE COMPILED FOR 1203 INSTANCES OF INTERACTION--408 OF MUTUAL STUDY-HELP, 388 OF HELP GIVEN TO…

Effects of sex of speaker and sex of dyad partner on selected linguistic variables were examined in four-minute segments of 20 conversations between previously unacquainted college students. Five male dyads, five female dyads, and ten mixed dyads were studied. Three significant interaction effects were found. Males and females produced about the…

Intended for those who teach dyadic communication, this paper argues that each partner in an intimate relationship has two primary communication needs: (1) to listen, look at, and pay attention to the "self" in order to attain clear awareness as a source of information for self-disclosure; and (2) to listen, look at, and pay attention to…

Participant observation and author introspection were used to collect data in this study of nonverbal communication among Italian Americans in three large American cities. Discussion is given to kinesics (gestures and signs), haptics (touch), proxemics (interiors of homes, exteriors of homes, and spatial arrangements at a wedding dinner), and…

Data collected from 161 married couples were analyzed for communication patterns indicative of "domineeringness" and "transactional redundancy" (the degree of randomness contained within a couple's communicative behavior). From this data came the following observations: There is a negative correlation between domineeringness, particularly by the…

Results from a previous experiment relating sex role typing to verbal nonassertiveness are reviewed in this paper in light of other findings in the sex role literature. The first conclusion offered by the review suggests that, with respect to speech behavior, the expected correspondence between androgynous behavior and sex role typing requires…

The role of a group facilitator implies observation of the group's interaction and intervention based on these observations within the group. This paper discusses the need for a facilitator to operate from a theoretical frame of reference in group settings that also provides a systematic method of observation. The author discusses category systems…

A study was conducted to explore user attitudes in public library listening areas and potential interaction problems between librarians and patrons in these areas. A questionnaire, sent to audiovisual department heads and their assistants in a random sample of 80 public libraries in cities with populations over 100,000, provided data for…

This study investigates the relationship between the degree of individuation in families and the personality development of adolescent family members. A subsample of 30 white, middle-class families were chosen for analysis from a larger sample of 99 families. Fifteen families from the subsample had adolescent girls who scored high, and fifteen had…

Noting that speech communication educators have developed a unique interpretation of the nature and role of self-disclosure in interpersonal communication--that it is essential in enhancing interpersonal relations and in bringing about improved mental adjustment--this paper contends that such an approach to communication overemphasizes the…