This book ranges widely over the fields of communication theory, Freudian and Lacanian psychology, and Levi-Straussian anthropology. The primary goal of the book is an examination of the structural and analogic patterns within human communication and exchange. This examination involves discourses upon the computer compared to the human nervous…

Communication between persons who trust each other differs from that between those who do not. A new conceptualization of trust is offered, drawing from game theory, credibility research, sensitivity/encounter groups, and studies of generalized expectations of trustworthiness, which makes an important distinction between the cognitive state of…

The effectiveness of the Delphi Technique is evaluated in terms of immediate and delayed controlled information feedback (feedback within 5 seconds as compared with a 24-hour delay); and the relationships that exist among measures of integrative complexity, estimations about the time of occurrence of future events, and time delay between task…

This is the second volume in a series that documents the Youth in Transition project, a national longitudinal study of about 2,200 10th grade boys in public schools. This document deals with family background factors and abilities as they relate to a variety of personality characteristics, behaviors, and plans for the future. Major units include:…

Questions teachers use to elicit responses from students affect the kind of thought process the student will use and subsequently the type of answer he will suggest ways in which behavioral and educational objectives are reflected in teacher questions. Simplified interaction analysis techniques can be useful in diagnosing and assessing the…

The purposes of this study were (1) to provide an objective description of the supervisor-teacher conference behavior in a micro-teaching situation, (2) to determine the combinations of teacher and supervisor characteristics that predict conference behavior and conference effectiveness, and (3) to determine the supervisor characteristics that…

One hundred and ten college students, placed in 22 problem solving discussion groups, interacted for three fifty minute periods each. Three trained observers systematically recorded the interaction. Group members were classified as being task or socio-emotionally oriented and the functional leader in each group was identified by role category.…

The nature of on-going instructional processes and pupil experiences were studied in two classes of a British infant school. Using PROSE (Personal Record of School Experience) as the primary observation instrument, 24 children, aged five through seven years, equally divided as to sex, were observed during seven days. A total of 9 cycles and 45…

This paper explores the power of the group to influence the initiation, maintenance, and termination of a given episode of group drinking by alcoholics. The study was undertaken to establish the parameters, within a controlled laboratory setting, of the various effects of group decision making on the social, affective, and drinking behavior of the…

This article reports a study investigating deviant behavior in normal families. It examines nonproblem children and their families in their homes. It provides information on rates of deviant behavior for children without identified behavioral difficulties and the interaction patterns of family members who deal with these children. It analyzes: (1)…

This was a study of the influence of unintended interracial contact and characteristics of the contact situation on attitude-related action and attitude change. It was designed to determine if persons with initially negative racial attitudes would change these attitudes by an experimental experience. The research subjects were white students from…

Designed to provide a comprehensive and broadly based introduction to the study of human communication, this book presents the concept of communication as interrelated constituent processes that operate at varying levels of complexity and acquire significance only in the context of larger intrapersonal, interpersonal, or socio-cultural systems of…

To determine if there are discernable effects on children of a group child-care program, the performance of 20 children, 3 to 4 years 10 months of age, who had been cared for in a day-care center from the age of 6 months is compared with that of 20 matched children with no prior day-care program experience. The 40 children participated in…

Instruments, not previously reported in the literature, for observational techniques that can be used in early childhood classrooms are described. Excluded are those instruments which the Research for Better Schools, Inc., a regional laboratory, will report. Section I of this report is an introduction to observational procedures and especially to…

The essence of interpersonal communication in negotiation is the achievement of consensus. This paper discusses the many variables which affect negotiation situations, in small groups or in large institutions like the university. Specifically, will proper orientation in the bargaining process increase the chances of reaching consensus? What…