Noting inadequacies in previous conceptualizations of gender, a study analyzed students' descriptions of persons they identify as masculine or feminine and of situations in which these persons and the students themselves seem more or less feminine or masculine. Subjects, 83 male and 100 female undergraduate students in communication or psychology…

"The specialized, annotated bibliography is prepared for students and teachers interested in the inter-religious communication among the adherents of different faiths and traditions living in an increasingly pluralistic culture." The bibliography consists of 33 citations of materials published between 1957 and 1993 (all are books or…

This paper offers a preliminary examination of literature reviewing sex and gender differences in the five prototypic emotions of fear, anger, sadness, joy, and love. The paper notes that within the literature on sex and gender differences, the terms "sex" and "gender" are often erroneously referred to interchangeably…

An experimental study compared celebrity evaluations of a treatment group exposed to a celebrity endorsed prosocial message and a control group shown a picture of the celebrity. Subjects, 88 young adults (younger than 25 years) enrolled in an introductory communications class at a mid-size university in the northeastern United States, were…

"Contrary-to-face-value" (CFV) messages, which can only be understood from a contextual instead of a text-based approach to communication, have caused many problems in communication between East Asians and North Americans. A typology of CFV communication, as identified in the Chinese culture, is proposed in this paper. Four forms of CFV…

This paper describes an assessment program utilized by the Center for Excellence in Oral Communication at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, that focuses on the assessment of communication competency in the interpersonal communication course. First, the paper provides a rationale for the course. Next, the paper describes the…

Humor, a communicative tactic used to engender support, is often used, but rarely understood. The literature in the field of humor has attempted to define situations where humor could be beneficial, although few definitive answers exist relating humor to effective leadership communicative behavior. This paper presents current research findings…

A study investigated the national status of graduate degree programs in Performance Studies in 1990. Of the 37 institutions offering master's of doctoral degrees in oral interpretation who were sent surveys, 22 (59%) responded. Results indicated (1) the loss of graduate programs was problematic; (2) some scholars had difficulty with securing…

This paper first addresses assumptions about teaching and scholarly research, drawing from feminist theory in communication and women's studies. Second, the paper discusses one scholar's commitments as ethnographer and teacher to students, research participants, colleagues and others, including ways to enact those commitments in the classroom and…

A study created and examined a new communication trait--the willingness to collaborate. The Willingness to Collaborate Trait Scale was created. Scale reliability was demonstrated through analysis of internal consistency of the 13-item scale. A communication trait model predictive of trait willingness to collaborate was tested using 401…

A study investigated how masters programs in communication departments which are members of the Central States Communication Association compare to other schools and masters programs. Questionnaires were answered by 28 Speech Communication departmental members of the 1988 Central States Communication Association. Findings included the following:…

One aspect of organizational work groups has been ignored by both group and organizational communication researchers. The concluding period or termination of an organizational work group is disregarded while research focuses on the assignment, development, and maintenance of groups. In the organizational context, how work groups process the…

This volume of an annual collection of essays relating to instruction in the basic communication course is presented in five sections: (1) Six Approaches to the Introductory Course: A Forum; (2) 1990 Basic Course Committee Award Winning Papers; (3) Instruction in the Introductory Communication Course; (4) Research on the Introductory Communication…

A study examined the distinctive communication phenomena which occur on computer bulletin boards, focusing on the Usenet bulletin board system which is estimated to have over half a million readers worldwide. Most universities and research organizations, all over the world, are capable of exchanging information over computer networks through the…

One of a series of semiannual reports, this publication contains 13 articles which report the status and progress of studies on the nature of speech, instrumentation for its investigation, and practical applications. Articles and their authors are as follows: "The Role of Contrast in Limiting Vowel-to-Vowel Coarticulation in Different…