Results suggest that, without competing motivational forces, students high in communication apprehension (CA) spend less time talking than do students in low CA. (PD)

Provides evidence that high and low self-monitors are distinguishable not only by their initial interactions but also by their cognitive summaries of these sequences. Found that students who are high self-monitors appear to be more linguistically competent, in part because their scripted understanding of appropriate conversation is more extensive.…

Argues against overemphasizing clarity in the research and teaching of organizational communication because clarity and openness are neither the norm nor sensible standards to gauge communication competence or organizational effectiveness. Defines strategic ambiguity and explores its use in organizations to accomplish goals. Presents suggestions…

Assesses the hazards of models of cognitive development and the positivist views of language that support them. Considers how alternative views of language and learning can help develop a method of teaching that views reading and writing as interpretation and the making of meaning. (RBW)

Applies an emotion-based theory of human response to resolve conceptual and measurement problems associated with anxiety. Supports the conceptualization of communication apprehension as a personality trait predisposing certain individuals to higher levels of anxiety in oral communication. (PD)

Investigated whether an association exists between quietness in children and rejection of these children by their peers. Collected data from 1,529 children in grades three through 12. Found a strong tendency on the part of children to reject shy or quiet peers. (PD)

Examines the taken-for-granted assumptions students make about selection interviews and how these assumptions affect the interview process. (PD)

Teachers and researchers of public speaking, rhetoric, small group, or interpersonal communication are all affected by research in communication competence. This essay discusses the consequences of applying a developmental-biological perspective to understanding the nature of communication competence. (PD)

Tested variables that affect how students rate speeches delivered by their classmates. Found, for example, that students who rate the speeches before giving their own are more positively lenient than they are when rating those speeches given after they deliver their own speeches. (PD)

Describes the structure and emergence of extended argument sequences produced by preschool children. Provides a system for analyzing turns that initiate, elaborate, and terminate argument sequences. Draws conclusions regarding the development of proficiency in producing argument and interaction. (PD)

Applied Syntactic Language Computer Analysis and counts of legal jargon and power speech to analyze the language styles of plaintiffs, defendants, and attorneys in 20 civil trials. Concluded that successful trial participants speak differently than those who fail and that the differences in language style are significant and consistent. (PD)

Students were given questionnaires asking their responses on public issues. Each questionnaire contained a bogus distribution of responses from other students. Results indicated that the students were influenced in the direction of the bogus consensus only on those issues to which they had a low commitment. (PD)

Investigated how majority and minority arguments are positively or negatively responded to by group members and the effects of such responses on the polarization process. Demonstrated that reactions to minority arguments, not the forwarding of minority arguments per se, were significantly correlated with the degree of group polarization. (PD)

Takes a backward glance at the state of communication research and outlines tasks for the future: (1) strengthen evidence, (2) synthesize findings, and (3) translate results into terms of policy relevance. (PD)

The present study uses an exemplar of contextual adolescent behavior theory, Jessor and Jessor's (1977) Problem Behavior Therapy (PBT), to review the current state of drug use prevention strategies. An overview of PBT theory and research are provided, and health communication programs, both academic and professional, are evaluated accordingly. It…