THE CURRENT STATUS OF THEORY AND RESEARCH IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

This paper details four alternative perspectives for conceptualizing the interpersonal communication process, emphasizing their implications for the theorist and researcher of interpersonal communication. The four perspectives discussed are the situational approach, the developmental approach, the law-governed approach, and the rule-governed approach. The strengths and limitations of each perspective are examined, and some suggested priorities for future research are offered.     

THE USE AND ABUSE OF FACTOR ANALYSIS IN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

This paper discusses several decisions that researchers must make in their application of factor analysis to data related to communication phenomena. Several suggestions are provided to aid researchers in reaching appropriate decisions.     

THE FILE DRAWER EFFECT AND PUBLICATION RATES IN MENSTRUAL CYCLE RESEARCH

The file drawer problem refers to a publication bias for positive results, leading to studies which support the null hypothesis being relegated to the file drawer. The assumption is that researchers are unable to publish studies with nonsignificant findings. A survey of investigators studying the menstrual cycle showed this assumption to be unwarranted. Much of the research did not lend itself to a hypothesis-testing model. A more important contribution to the likelihood of publication was research productivity, and researchers whose first study was published were more likely to have continued their work.     

THE CONSTRUCT OF AROUSAL IN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

The construct of arousal is pivotal to those who investigate the relationship between emotions and communication. This study seeks to compare Zillmann's and Mehra-bian's concepts of arousal in order to identify common ground between the theorists. The goal is, through such commonalities, to provide a more complete and useful framework for understanding arousal's role in communication. This common framework is important to those researchers who find merit in both Zillmann's and Mehrabian 's theories, important to those in the field who look for an understanding of human communication from a variety of viewpoints.     

SYSTEMS THEORY AND RESEARCH IN THE STUDY OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION: THE CORRESPONDENCE PROBLEM

The principle of correspondence specifies that a necessary condition for the acquistion of valid scientific knowledge is that correctly applied analytic techniques be inherently capable of revealing the theoretical properties under examination. The problem raised in the present paper is whether traditional analytic techniques are capable of providing evidence for or against systems hypotheses, no matter how well they are employed. Traditional univariate as well as multivariate and structural equation analytic techniques are examined to determine the extent to which they are capable of revealing two selected properties: feedback and holism. The general problem of correspondence is discussed and recommendations are offered for correspondence analysis for (1) other conceptualizations of systems, (2) other systems properties, and (3) other analytical techniques.     

ILLUSORY CORRELATION IN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

The results of this investigation suggests that one memory-based measure of communication style (and perhaps other similar measures) tap conceptually related memory items that are not synonymous with actual communication behavior. In this study, a small number of respondents were able to replicate to a considerable extent, without regard to anyone's communication behavior in particular, the pattern of associations from a previously published investigation. Implications of this and related findings are also discussed.     

MEASUREMENT ERROR IN RESEARCH ON THE HUMAN RESOURCES AND FIRM PERFORMANCE RELATIONSHIP: FURTHER EVIDENCE AND ANALYSIS

Our earlier article in Personnel Psychology demonstrated how general-izability theory could be used to obtain improved reliability estimates in the human resource (HR) and firm performance literature and that correcting for unreliability using these estimates had important implications for the magnitude of the HR and firm performance relationship. In their comment, Huselid and Becker both raise criticisms specific to our study and broad issues for the field to consider. In our present article, we argue, using empirical evidence whenever possible, that the issues and criticisms raised by Huselid and Becker do not change our original conclusions. We also provide new evidence on how the reliability of HR-related measures may differ at different levels of analysis. Finally, we build on Huselid and Becker's helpful discussion of broad research design and strategy issues in the HR and firm performance literature in an effort to help researchers make better informed choices regarding their own research designs and strategies in the area.     

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.     

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.     

MEASUREMENT ERROR IN RESEARCH ON HUMAN RESOURCES AND FIRM PERFORMANCE: ADDITIONAL DATA AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

Gerhart and colleagues (2000) and Huselid and Becker (2000) recently debated the presence and implications of measurement error in measures of human resource practices. This paper presents data from 3 more studies, 1 of large organizations from different industries at the corporate level, 1 from commercial banks, and the other of autonomous business units at the level of the job. Results of all 3 studies provide additional evidence that single respondent measures of HR practices contain large amounts of measurement error. Implications for future research into the HR firm performance relationship are discussed.     

COMMUNICATION RESEARCH AND THE ATTITUDE-VERBAL REPORT-OVERT BEHAVIOR RELATIONSHIP: A CRITIQUE AND THEORETIC REFORMULATION1

Although communication theory provides a significant rationale for the relationship of messages to both attitudes and behaviors, relatively few researchers have examined systematically the effects of communication on attitude statements and related behaviors. Those studies which have assessed communication effects on both classes of behavior have yielded conflicting findings concerning verbal report-overt behavior correspondence, as well as the role of communication and mediating variables in underlying attitude-verbal report-overt act relationships. It is argued that inconclusive results have been the product of: (1) inadequate theoretical formulation of the relationship of attitudes to behaviors, and of communication to both attitudes and behaviors; (2) inadequate conceptual and operational definitions of these and other relevant variables; (3) inadequate control of factors influencing the relationships. Theoretical reformulations are suggested in each of these areas, hypotheses are offered concerning conditions for verbal report-overt behavior compliance correspondence, and a path analytic model is proposed for empirical test.     

CORRECTIONS TO LAG SEQUENTIAL RESULTS IN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

A number of communication researchers have used Sacketl's incorrect lag sequential program to analyze interactive data. This paper illustrates the potential seriousness of the programming error, and indicates which lag sequential analyses should be reexamined.