The effects of message structure, required recall structure, and receiver apprehension on the recall of message information were studied in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial analysis of variance with fixed effects. Subjects were 238 college students who scored either high or low in communication apprehension. A category clustering scheme was used to…

This paper deals with two experiments whose purposes are to investigate the linguistic competence of young children and their receptivity to adult speech. In the free response experiment, imperative sentences were presented to 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-year-olds. The sentences were minimal (a single noun), telegraphic, or full adult sentences. The youngest…

This paper reports an investigation of the effects of two plans on children's listener behavior in a referential communication setting. The design systematically varied the presence and absence of instructions about a plan to engage in comparison activities (comparison plan), and instructions about a plan to request more information if the…

This three-part book, a collection of articles by some of the foremost researchers in language comprehension, examines the thought processes involved in listening to conversation or in reading a page of text. The first part of the book deals with what the reader stores from a page during and after comprehension; it investigates the reader's use of…

This study is a preliminary investigation of the relationship between measures of individual differences in perception and the way word components fuse when words such as "lanket" and "banket," both derived from "blanket," are presented one to each ear. Thirty-six native speakers of English participated in the experiment, receiving four dollars…

The comprehension of the Minimum Distance Principle was examined in three experiments, using the "tell/promise" sentence construction. Experiment one compared the listening and reading comprehension of singly presented sentences, e.g. "John tells Bill to bake the cake" and "John promises Bill to bake the cake." The…

The purposes of this study were to investigate whether a listening improvement program developed for business and industry would be successful in improving the listening skills of college students and whether a listening improvement program designed primarily for speakers of standard English would be successful with speakers of nonstandard…

Linguistic models, especially the derivational theory of complexity, partially explain human comprehension of isolated sentences but not connected discourse. Two versions of a message, one entirely active sentences, the other entirely passive were written to compare transformational complexity. Subjects heard the messages at normal (150 wpm) rates…

This manual deals with three areas of communication. The first section reviews problems of communication within an organization or task analysis team that can hinder effectiveness and gives suggestions for improving the quality of intra-organization communication. The second chapter stresses the importance of active listening, makes…

The Generic Skills Curriculum is based on studies and surveys conducted from 1972 to 1975 by the Training and Research and Development Station to determine certain generic skills used in some 76 occupations across Canada. Generic skills are defined as those behaviors which are fundamental to the performance of many tasks carried out in a wide…

The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of the Indian children in grades two and three of an integrated school in southern Saskatchewan with the performance of their non-Indian classmates on tests of listening comprehension, reading comprehension, auditory discrimination, and IQ. The Durrell Listening-Reading Series provided…

The comprehension of rate-altered recordings by 30 learning disabled children (7- to 10-years-old) was investigated in an attempt to determine whether providing instruction by way of an advantaged modality would result in more effective learning. Ss were divided into two groups, auditory and visual, on the basis of identified communication channel…

To assess a child's communicative ability, it is important to develop not only measures of his understanding of vocabulary, but of his understanding of the syntax of language: patterns of words, regularities, and relationships of words in a sentence. Controlled test situations should be established in which the child receives minimal cues from the…

As part of the compressed speech project, a research institute and laboratory were established. Research was completed concerning aural tests and the use, methods, and variables of compressed speech. Research in progress involved the same areas. In addition, a new speech compressor was utilized, and reports of a conference and various other…

Presented are the proceedings of the Institute held to provide public day school personnel (teachers, administrators, and materials center personnel) with an opportunity to study methods of locating, acquiring, and utilizing materials for visually handicapped students. Recent research, new materials, and information from materials centers and…