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.     

THE EFFECTS OF COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION ON COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS1

This study investigated the following hypothesis: physiological, psychological, and verbal behavior indices of communication apprehension can predict comprehension, perception of speaker credibility, and ratings of speech effectiveness. The stimulus materials were videotapes of the first minute of 85 different students expressing their views on women's liberation. Measurement on all the indices of communication apprehension had been taken on these students as the videotapes were being prepared. Each of these one-minute videotapes was shown to a single receiver who then filled out forms measuring comprehension, perception of source credibility, and rating of speech effectiveness. Results supported the hypothesis that the indices of communication apprehension could predict all the communication effects save one, perception of character. The strongest relationship between the set of communication apprehension variables and the set of communication effectiveness variables indicated that individuals who reported high apprehension experienced much silence in their speech and received low ratings on language facility, vocal characteristics, and general effectiveness.     

Memory modulation in the classroom: selective enhancement of college examination performance by arousal induced after lecture

Laboratory studies examining moderate physiological or emotional arousal induced after learning indicate that it enhances memory consolidation. Yet, no studies have yet examined this effect in an applied context. As such, arousal was induced after a college lecture and its selective effects were examined on later exam performance. Participants were divided into two groups who either watched a neutral video clip (n=66) or an arousing video clip (n=70) after lecture in a psychology course. The final examination occurred two weeks after the experimental manipulation. Only performance on the group of final exam items that covered material from the manipulated lecture were significantly different between groups. Other metrics, such as the midterm examination and the total final examination score, did not differ between groups. The results indicate that post-lecture arousal selectively increased the later retrieval of lecture material, despite the availability of the material for study before and after the manipulation. The results reinforce the role of post-learning arousal on memory consolidation processes, expanding the literature to include a real-world learning context.     

AN EXPLORATION OF COMMUNICATION AND PRODUCTIVITY IN REAL BRAINSTORMING GROUPS

This study analyzed the performance of individuals in real brainstorming groups in an attempt to determine the relationship between individual ideational output, perceptions of status within the group, and communication apprehension. Results of a multiple discriminant analysis suggest that persons who are high producers of ideas perceive fewer status differences among group members, perceive themselves as high status group members and are less apprehensive as communicators than those persons low in productivity. The linear combination of discriminating variables was able to successfully classify over 75% of the subjects into their actual output group.     

不同学业成绩儿童的亲子沟通比较

以往研究表明亲子沟通可能影响儿童认知发展和学业成绩。本研究基于亲子沟通的三层次模型比较了学业成绩优秀、中等和较差儿童的亲子沟通状况。结果发现：（1）优生的表达主动性、清晰性、敏感性得分显著高于差生,其父母的清晰性、开放性得分也高于差生父母;（2）差生父子和母子沟通质量均显著低于优生;（3）优生父子沟通和母子沟通作用相对均衡,且两种沟通较一致,而差生母子沟通的地位显著高于父子沟通,且两种沟通不一致。     

Communication accuracy in lower and middle-SES children as a function of task abstraction

The communication encoding performance of lower-SES black, lower-SES white, and middle-SES white children was evaluated when the same familiar stimuli for eliciting communication were presented at three different levels of abstraction. No differences were found between social-class groups. Performance did not differ as a function of level of abstraction. The social group x level of abstraction interaction was not significant. Thus the level of abstraction of the stimuli does not impede the communication encoding performance of lower-SES children. Previous findings of social-class differences in communication accuracy may be an artifact of stimuli that are not equally familiar to all groups.     

Examination performance in lecture-discussion and personalized instruction courses

Students enrolled in a Psychology of Learning course were assigned to either a lecture section, one of two similar personalized instruction sections, or a fourth section that rotated across all three teaching procedures. All students took identical midterms and a final examination. After correcting test performance for differences in the cumulative grade point average of students in the four sections, examination performance of students in the personalized sections was found to be superior to that of students in the lecture section. An analysis of class section examination performance by item type revealed that students in the lecture section scored lower on all item types, but the greatest differences occurred on items that required written responses (essay and fill-in items) rather than recognition responses (multiple choice items). A gross analysis of student performance in the class rotated across the instructional procedures suggests that personalized instruction had its greatest impact on students with "average" to "poor" academic records.     

COMMUNICATION EFFICIENCY OF MIDDLE- AND LOWER-SES DYADS

This study investigated the efficiency of communication between children from different social-class backgrounds. Eight same-sex pairs of fifth graders—half boys and half girls—were formed into dyadic groupings by combining lower- and middle-SES children into the four possible speaker-listener combinations. Task success depended on the efficiency of the verbal communication between the pair. The listener was allowed to give feedback in one condition and not allowed to speak in the other condition. Significant SES-combination effects in communication efficiency were typically not found. Unexpected sex main effects showed general superiority of the girls in both conditions. The results suggest that lower-SES children's relative ability to communicate is highly dependent on the nature of the task.     

PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK INFORMATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION: EVIDENCE OF CONCEPTUAL CONVERGENCE

This study investigates the degree to which performance feedback information can be conceptually housed within an existing theoretical framework of organizational communication. If one's job can be conceptualized as a work information environment, then logically there should be some communality between organizational communication and performance feedback information. In this study 213 faculty members at Iowa State University completed a questionnaire addressing patterns of organizational communication within their respective academic departments and feedback on their own job performance provided them by multiple sources. In order to uncover any underlying congruence between the communication and feedback constructs, the data were subjected to canonical correlation analysis. The results revealed that the type of feedback, source of feedback, and perceived reliability of feedback sources were all found to interact in logical patterns with selected dimensions of organizational communication.     

COMMUNICATION SATISFACTION,JOB SATISFACTION,AND JOB PERFORMANCE

This field study of 327 hospital nurses investigated the relationship between perceived satisfaction with organizational communication and job satisfaction and job performance. The researcher developed a research model incorporating nine dimensions of communication satisfaction and hypothesized their varying relationships with job satisfaction and job performance. Correlation, multiple regression, and canonical correlation analyses revealed significant positive relationships between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction, and communication satisfaction and job performance. The communication satisfaction-job satisfaction link was stronger. The same facets of communication—supervisor communication, communication climate, and personal feedback—were found to be most strongly related to both job satisfaction and performance. Although the importance of the superior-subordinate communication relationship was confirmed, top management communication also was substantially related to job satisfaction and, to a lesser degree, job performance. Rank-order correlation results of this study were compared to several other studies and some congruent patterns were found.     

PHONEMIC PROCESSING OF CHILDREN WITH LANGUAGE DEFICITS; WHICH TASKS BEST DISCRIMINATE CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES FROM AVERAGE READERS?

ABSTRACT

This comparative study investigated the levels of phonemic awareness that accounted for differences between children with learning disabilities (LD) and children of average reading ability of the same chronological age level (CA) and younger children of average reading ability at the same reading age level (RA). Two planned comparisons were implemented. All three groups were assessed on three levels of phonemic awareness represented as a hierarchical set: awareness of onset and rime, simple phonemic awareness, and compound phonemic awareness. Compared to the RA group, the LD group performed significantly worse only on the first level of phonemic awareness, the awareness of onset and rime. Results of a stepdown analysis revealed that compared with the CA matched group, the LD group performed significantly worse on compound phonemic awareness with all preceding variables partialled from the analysis. Implications for diagnosis and remediation of learning disabilities is explicated.     

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AMONG EMPLOYEES,MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION STYLE,AND EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION: REPLICATION AND EXTENSION

Portions of three previous studies relating individual differences in employee satisfaction and one study relating Management Communication Style (MCS) to employee satisfaction were replicated across four organizational contexts. Major findings were supportive of the generalizability of the results observed in the previous studies. The interface of superior-subordinate relations and their impact on employee satisfaction were examined through perceptions of employees with regard to the MCS of upper management and the task behaviors (supervision and administration) of their immediate superiors. Results were supportive of the MCS conceptualization and indicated that MCS of immediate superior and MCS of upper management had their primary impact on different dimensions of employee satisfaction. Perceptions of superiors' task behaviors were found to have different impact on employees satisfaction for different organizational contexts. Variability in employee satisfaction predictable from individual employee differences and that predictable from superior-subordinate interface were found to have little overlap. It is recommended that both the individual differences (trait) and superior-subordinate interface (situational) approaches to the study of communication in organizational contexts be continued since the two generate independent predictions of unique variance.     

Feedback and performance expectancies in an academic setting

College students in two psychology courses estimated their confidence in passing and their anticipated score for three examinations. On the first examination the results from both courses supported the prediction that women, compared to men, would be less confident of passing, would predict lower scores, and would underestimate their obtained scores. These sex differences disappeared, as predicted, on the second and third examination for the course, in which the situation remained relatively constant over the term. However, contrary to predictions, the sex differences were maintained over all three examinations for the second course, which involved different instructors for each exam. Thus, the effects of feedback on performance expectancies seem to be vulnerable to situational changes.     

AN ASSIMILATION THEORY PERSPECTIVE OF COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION

In this study, both the dynamic and stable qualities of communication apprehension are examined from an assimilation theory perspective. Based upon assimilation theory, PRC A scores obtained after an intervening speech performance are predicted from initial levels of communication apprehension and discrepancies between those initial levels and the levels of state anxiety experienced during speech performance. The results of multiple regression analysis indicate that both initial apprehension levels and the discrepancy variable contributed significantly to the prediction of post-intervention PRCA scores, a finding that supports an assimilation theory perspective of communication apprehension.     

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.     

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.     

COORIENTATION ON COMMUNICATION RULES IN MANAGERIAL DYADS

This field study compared the effects of three dimensions of supervisor-subordinate coorientation regarding two communication rules (initiation and termination) on satisfaction with supervision and performance evaluations. For supervisors accuracy and perceived agreement on rules had positive effects on performance ratings of subordinates, even after controlling for frequency of contact. For subordinates, only perceived agreement on rules had an impact on satisfaction with supervision. For both supervisors and subordinates agreement on communication rules was not a significant predictor of evaluations.     

General knowledge monitoring as a predictor of in‐class exam performance

Background. Current theories of self‐regulated learning predict a positive link between student monitoring accuracy and performance: students who more accurately monitor their knowledge of a particular set of materials are expected to more effectively regulate their subsequent study of those materials, which in turn should lead to higher test performance. Aims. The present study further explored the link between monitoring accuracy and performance by investigating whether monitoring of one set of materials would predict performance on a different set of materials. Sample. The participants were college students (N= 379) enrolled in an educational psychology course. Method. Students’ monitoring accuracy was measured at the start of the semester; the monitoring task involved materials that were not related to class content (i.e., general knowledge vocabulary) and that were related to class content (i.e., terms from educational psychology). Target performance was students’ scores on the final exam. Results. Monitoring accuracy significantly predicted student performance on the final exam, even when the monitoring task and final test were based on materials from different content domains. Also, the class‐related (vs. unrelated) materials in the monitoring task did not improve the predictive validity of monitoring accuracy, suggesting a limited role for domain specificity in the relationship between monitoring skill and performance. Conclusions. This study establishes a critical link between general monitoring accuracy and exam performance within a classroom setting.     

Parent–adolescent communication in foster,inter‐country adoptive,and biological Italian families: Gender and generational differences

There is a paucity of studies aimed at comparing how parents and children in different family structures cope with the challenges posed by the adolescence transition; in particular, there are few studies aimed at comparing adoptive and foster families. In order to partially fill this gap, the principal aims of the present study were to verify whether there are differences in parent–child communication among foster, intercountry adoptive, and biological families according to the adolescents' gender, and to compare the perceptions of parents and adolescents concerning parent–child communication. Data were elaborated on two levels: a generational level (adolescent's and his/her parents' perceptions among the three family groups) and a dyadic level (mother–child and father–child perceptions). The sample was composed of 276 Italian families with adolescents aged between 11 and 17 (81 foster, 98 international adoptive, and 97 biological families). Subjects (mothers, fathers, and children) filled out a questionnaire including the Parent–Adolescent Communication Scale (Barnes & Olson, 1985 ). Results highlighted that in foster families, parent–child communication showed more difficulties from both the adolescent's and the parents' point of view. Adoptive adolescents, however, reported a more positive communication with both their parents than did their peers living in biological and foster families. At a dyadic level, some differences emerged among the three groups. In biological families, a more pronounced distance emerged between parents and children. In adoptive families, father and adolescent shared more similar perceptions, whereas a significant discrepancy emerged between mother and child. A higher level of perceptual congruence between adolescents and parents was found in foster families. Gender differences were also seen: Mothers experienced a more open communication with their children than did fathers, and adolescents, and above all females, communicated better with their mothers than with their fathers in all three family groups.     

EFFECTS OF CONTINGENCY CONTRACTING ON STUDY RATE AND TEST PERFORMANCE1

A contingency contracting program designed to increase study rate and subsequent test performance was implemented with a group of undergraduate psychology students. The function of the contingency contracting program in producing increased study rate was evaluated by individual experiments with each student in an experimental contracting group. The overall effect of the program on test performance was assessed by comparing the final scores for the course earned by the experimental group with those earned by two matched control groups. A reversal procedure established that contingency contracting did significantly increase the study rate of students of a wide range of ability. However, it was selectively effective in improving the test performance of below-average students only. Study rate gains in contracted courses did not generalize to noncontracted courses. Self-recording of study time in the absence of scheduled differential consequences did not improve test performance. Study rate under no-consequence conditions varied with test schedule. For both consequence and no-consequence groups, the correlation between study time and final score for the course was only moderate.