ROLE-TAKING AND REFERENTIAL COMMUNICATION ABILITIES IN FIRST- AND THIRD-GRADE CHILDREN1

This study investigated role-taking and referential communication abilities in children. The effects of age, sex, and IQ on both abilities were tested, and the effect of age of receiver on referential communication ability was also examined. Multiple regression analyses were utilized to determine how well the independent variables predict the measures of role-taking and referential communication. Finally, the relationship between role-taking and referential communication was assessed. The participants were 32 first-graders and 32 third-graders. At each grade level, there were equal numbers of boys and girls. Age was found to affect performance on role-taking and communication tasks. Both sex of the child and IQ were found to affect referential communication performance. The relationship between role-taking and referential communication abilities was low. Interpretation of significant results is given, and testing procedures are discussed.     

SEQUENTIAL STRUCTURE IN HUMAN SOCIAL COMMUNICATION1

Interaction matrices showing two act sequences from studies of discussion groups, teacher classroom behavior, speech therapy sessions, and policecivilian telephone calls were analyzed using the information theory statistic to obtain estimates of distributional and sequential predictability. Data from 10 studies were analyzed, and the results showed the relative sequential structure ranging from 3.8 to 29.8 percent. Predictability due to distribution of acts ranged from 3.4 to 41.9 percent. Flow chart diagrams were developed showing the sequence generating processes for discussion groups and classroom interaction. The effects of category system design, interactant roles, task logic, and the number of actors on both sequential and distributional predictability are discussed.     

A REASSESSMENT OF STATISTICAL POWER ANALYSIS IN HUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

This study conducted a statistical power analysis of 64 articles appearing in the first four volumes of Human Communication Research, 1974–1978. Each article was examined, using Cohen's revised handbook, assuming nondirectional null hypotheses and an alpha level of .05. Statistical power, the probability of rejecting a false null hypothesis, was calculated for small, medium, and large experimental effect sizes and averaged by article and volume. Results indicated that the average probability of beta errors appears to have decreased over time, providing a greater chance of rejecting false null hypotheses, but this also raised several power-related issues relevant to communication research in general.     

COMMUNICATION ROLES AND COMMUNICATION NETWORKS IN A FORMAL ORGANIZATION

This study identified persons in two communication-based roles in a formal organization: liaisons and nonliaison group members. Reported member contacts were mapped onto a matrix so that communication groups could be identified. Separate networks were constructed for each of three message functions and liaisons were identified within networks. Liaisons and nonliaisons were compared on the basis of their perceptions of their own and their frequent contacts' behaviors and attributes. Eight hypotheses were tested regarding self- and other-perceptions of: range of contacts, influence, possession of particular information types, message control, satisfaction with management messages, system openness, and liaison occupancy of formal supervisory roles. Suggestions were made as to the utility of mapping communication networks, identifying communication-based roles, and examining the characteristics of role occupants.     

COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION AND ACHIEVEMENT IN A PERFORMANCE-ORIENTED BASIC COMMUNICATION COURSE

The study of communication apprehension (CA) impact in the instructional environment is extended through examination of all three CA levels relative to various performance situations in a basic communication course. Results indicate significant differences in achievement indices between all three CA groups on final course grade and the first two of four performance assignments. Moderate and high CA groups were not significantly different from each other on the third and fourth performance tasks. Low and high CA groups were significantly different in all performance areas. No differences were indicated between CA groups on the final examination. Results are discussed relative to the naturalistic nature of the study.     

AFFECTION AND RECIPROCITY IN SELF-DISCLOSING COMMUNICATION

Affection for and reciprocated disclosure by the other are generally thought to increase a person's willingness to engage in self-disclosing communication. The relationship between affection and disclosure is not consistently supported by the data, however, and the relationship between reciprocity and disclosure may well be an artifact of a confounded conceptualization of dyadic relations. Wright's model of same-sex friendships is proposed as more adequate than simple affection as a conceptualization of interpersonal relationships, and an adapted form of Chaffee and McLeod's coorientational paradigm is employed as a model of reciprocated disclosure. The hypotheses that affection accounts for less variance in disclosure than other criteria of friendship and that disclosure varies as a function of perceived rather than actual similarity were strongly supported. Although male and female subjects disclosed differently, hypotheses about sex differences in disclosure were not supported, failing to replicate previous findings. The implications of these data for further studies of self-disclosing communication are discussed.     

GENERALITY AND NECESSITY IN THREE TYPES OF THEORY ABOUT HUMAN COMMUNICATION,WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION TO RULES THEORY

An analysis is provided of the procedures involved in creating and certifying theories constructed within the laws, systems, and rules perspectives of human communication. A comparison of these methods of theory construction reveals two criteria for assessing the epistemological and metaphysical claims of all such theories. Each of these methods attempts to establish propositions which are general rather than particular and which are necessary rather than accidental. The manner in which each perspective establishes these claims is delimited with special attention being given to the procedures employed by rules theorists for establishing rigorous theories.     

PSYCHOLOGICAL SEX TYPE AND ANDROGYNY IN THE STUDY OF COMMUNICATION VARIABLES: SELF-DISCLOSURE AND COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION

This study extended the investigation of gender differences in two communication variables, self-disclosure and communication apprehension, by shifting the conceptual focus from the biological sex dichotomy to the more discriminating psychological sex-role designations: masculine, feminine, and androgynous. Using the Bern Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) as a measure of psychological sex type, the study showed that psychological sex type is superior to biological sex categories in identifying patterns of self-reported self-disclosure and communication apprehension. A number of hypotheses were considered with regard to total disclosure to same-sex friend or opposite-sex friend, and communication apprehension.     

THE ICA COMMUNICATION AUDIT AND PERCEIVED COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS CHANGES IN 16 AUDITED ORGANIZATIONS

This study brings to light evidence on the benefits of a methodology for evaluation of organizational communication processes and outcomes—the ICA Communication Audit. The audit procedure was developed and tested by ICA (International Communication Association) Division IV, between 1974–1974. Sixteen field tests of the audit have been conducted from 1974–1977. This study undertook an “after” survey of the 16 audited organizations to determine the degree to which the audit was perceived to improve organizational communication effectiveness as well as overall organizational effectiveness. The findings confirmed the ICA Communication Audit as a valid diagnostic methodology and organization development intervention technique which improved both communication awareness and processes in a majority of audited organizations.     

SOCIOMETRY AND COMMUNICATION NETWORK IN AN INDIAN VILLAGE

Sociométrie et réseau de communication dans un village indien. — On compare, dans un village indien, les données sociométriques aux communications interpersonnelles qui se produisent aux différentes étapes de l'adoption de trois nouvelles techniques agricoles. La distribution des données sociométriques et celle des communications présentent la même structure: elles révèlent qu'il y a beaucoup d'isolés ou “non-communiquants” et un petit nombre de membres influents. Les “étoiles” sociométriques se trouvent être des “communicateurs-clefs” ou, tout au moins, des personnes qui communiquent davantage. De même, la plupart des “non-communiquants” sont isolés. On constate que les communications interpersonnelles sont limitées au sous-groupe sociométrique (clique), bien que les communications hors-clique ne soient pas totalement absentes. Il semble que la popularité dans le village soit fondamentalement en liaison avec l'influence personnelle, ce qui témoigne du caractère charismatique de l'autorité.     

COGNITIVE TUNING AND DIFFERENTIATION OF ARGUMENTS IN COMMUNICATION

In an experiment examining the effects of cognitive tuning and attitudinal position upon individuals’ cognitive differentiation in generating arguments supporting and opposing an attitude issue, 162 undergraduate students were “tuned” either as potential sources (transmission tuning) or potential receivers (reception tuning) of a persuasive communication on one of two issues. They then prepared two lists of arguments, one positive and one negative for one of the attitude issues, after which they completed an attitude measure in both issues. As predicted, the subjects made salient and reported significantly more arguments consistent with than inconsistent with their attitudes toward the issues. More importantly, those persons prepared to function as communication sources generated significantly more arguments consistent with and fewer arguments inconsistent with their attitudes than did subjects expecting to receive persuasive communications on the issues.     

COALITION AND COMMUNICATION

Based on the premises that communication behavior varies as a function of social relationships and that coalitions in triads are a significant form of social structure, this study explored forms of communication behavior related to processes of coalition formation and termination. As expected, communication accessibility was greater within the coalition than between the excluded person and members of the coalition, but communication content differed only in the relative frequency of expressions of negative sentiment. Accessibility did not differ significantly between coalescing partners prior to, during, and subsequent to their coalition, but there were significantly more “pressure” statements in the negotiations prior to coalition. The utility of a three-person iterated matrix game was demonstrated for studies of communication and coalition, and the implications of the choice of a unit of analysis for the study of communication were discussed.