In colleges and universities business students learn about organizational communication in order to function well in the business environment of which they will become a part. Although the organizational environment or culture is inextricably interwoven with the academic discipline of speech communication, the field of organizational communication…

A study examined students' perceptions of nonverbal cues as they affected the listening process during interviews with someone from a culture outside of the United States. Subjects were 129 American students in a senior level cross cultural communication course at a midwestern state university; they each interviewed an international person…

This research investigated how family communication patterns (FCP), based on conversation-orientation and conformity-orientation, were related to youngsters' self-disclosure to their parents. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey of youngsters in Hong Kong, aged 13-24. Questionnaires were distributed to students who were studying…

The objective of this paper is to review and analyze several aspects of computer mediated learning and how future communication research questions will be explored. Some of the questions addressed in the paper are: Does this format affect learning performance? Is there enough verbal interaction in a cyberspace class? How are communication…

This volume of an annual collection presents 13 essays relating to instruction in the basic communication course. Six of the essays are on the theme of cultural diversity in the basic course. The essays are: "The Differential Impact of a Basic Public Speaking Course on Perceived Communication Competencies in Class, Work, and Social…

A multimedia training concept was developed which aims at reducing misunderstandings and thus avoiding conflicts by fostering a more differentiated understanding of utterances. Based upon the principles of the cognitive apprenticeship approach, a tool--the multimedia learning environment "CaiMan"--presents video sequences of dyadic…

This experimental study examined the effects of multimedia on Internet news readers, in particular focusing on Web site design and its effect on comprehension and recall of news stories. Subjects (84 undergraduate students) viewed one of two versions of the same Web site--one with multimedia and one without. The Web site consisted of six stories…

Talk remains by far the most used medium of instruction and classroom action. Classroom talk is typically dominated by triadic dialogue or an I-R-E (Initiate-Response-Evaluation) pattern of talk noted in the literature as consistent across grades and subjects. Studies seem to indicate that teachers utilize traditional forms of talk, even though…

Drew conceptual distinctions between the constructs of communication apprehension and shyness. Examined, in two studies, measures of these constructs in terms of their relationship and independence. Found that communication apprehension and shyness measures are empirically distinct from each other. (PD)

Describes social processes accounting for variation in unacquainted children's progress toward friendship, presenting results of two studies of children's conversations with peers. The first study involved 26 dyads from three to six years of age, playing in their homes with either a best friend or stranger. The second involved 18 unacquainted…

Tested 54 college students who were rating videotaped speakers on trustworthiness and their tympanic temperature. Concluded that credibility operationalized as trustworthiness is related to physiological arousal, as measured by tympanic temperature. (PD)

Tested an expectations-based model of the cognitive processes leading to communication apprehension. Found that expectations are a significant predictor of communication apprehension as measured by self-reports. Also important were communicative goals and the interaction of expected outcome and goal importance. (PD)

Examined correlations among reticence constructs by factor-analyzing each of the following measures: Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, Unwillingness-to-Communicate Scale, and Writing Apprehension Test. Produced a seven-factor solution for factor analysis of all communication reticence. (PD)

Business letter-writers are advised to develop reader empathy and benefit before they ask a favor. The author analyzed two model 16th century letters of request to determine if similar advice was given in the past, and found that the request was subordinate to building a mutually beneficial relationship. (PD)

Journalism teachers share ideas about copywriting assignments, research in public relations, student involvement in a television production, and the use of journalism classes to monitor language skills. (HOD)