THE PALO ALTO GROUP: DIFFICULTIES AND DIRECTIONS OF THE INTERACTIONAL VIEW FOR HUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

During the past two decades the network of communication researchers known informally as the “Palo Alto Group” has published several hundred articles and more than 20 books on what has been variously termed the “New Communication” and the “Interactional View.” The work of this group, however, has been largely neglected in human communication research. The objectives of this essay are: (1) to summarize the theoretical and epistemological bases of the Interactional View, noting the pragmatic instances for which this framework is invoked as explanation and justification; (2) to introduce some of the conceptual and methodological difficulties which need be addressed in formulating appropriate research; and (3) to suggest several general and specific directions for research in human communication.     

A CONVERSATION WITH COLIN CHERRY

Born in 1914, Colin Cherry received his B.Sc. in engineering with First Class Honors in 1936. During the Second World War, he worked with the British Ministry of Aircraft Production on radar research and flying trials. In 1945 he joined the staff of the Manchester College of Technology for two years before moving to Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London. He was awarded the D.Sc. in engineering in 1956, and in 1968 received his present appointment as Henry Mark Pease Professor of Telecommunication at Imperial College. Colin Cherry has travelled widely, and lectured in more than 20 countries. He has published more than 100 papers in journals of engineering, psychology, linguistics, and other fields. In addition to his cornerstone work On Human Communication (John Wiley, 1957; MIT Press, 1966), Cherry has published several other books, including World Communication: Threat or Promise (John Wiley, 1971), and is currently at work on a third edition of On Human Communication to be published by MIT Press.     

The Child Development Specialist: A Prevention Program

The Child Development Specialist Program makes use of a new professional specialist and is designed to provide intervention before the child develops personal or learning problems.