Science,Values, and Teleological Explanations of Human Action

Science has traditionally eschewed telic explanations as scientific accounts of human behavior. Given a telic nature of humans, psychology and related fields must learn how to incorporate teleology into their accounts. The article presents an initial step in that direction.     

The Binomial Expansion: Simplifying the Evaluation Process

Individual, small group, and program effectiveness can be evaluated quickly and painlessly using the binomial expansion. This powerful, but seldom used, nonparametric method is described and specific examples are used to illustrate its simplicity and elegance. An abbreviated table of probabilities is included.     

The Structure of Communication

The structure of the discipline of Communication is examined using the frequency of joint memberships in the International Communication Association's divisions and interest groups. The results suggest that the structure is more complex than previously suggested by bibliometric research. There are at least two dimensions that differentiate the divisions/interest groups. As reported in the bibliometric literature, one is a dimension that separates the mass media and the interpersonally oriented divisions. The second differentiates the humanistic from the scientific. One method found a third dimension: theoretical to applied. Cluster analysis based on the actual number of joint memberships found three clusters: humanistic, mediated, and interpersonal. A cluster analysis that controlled for the size of the divisions/interest groups found only two: humanistic and scientific. Blockmodeling of the joint memberships identified four: humanistic, mediated, interpersonal, and information technology.     

PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT ACTIVITIES: CONSTITUENCY PERSPECTIVES AND PREFERENCES

The multiple constituency approach is proposed as a meaningful framework for analyzing the activities of the personnel department. A basic hypothesis on the differences in constituency preferences was empirically tested in 150 organizational units of three large organizations. Four constituencies were found to desire significantly different activities from the department. Minor contextual effects on the pattern of differences were also observed across the three organizations. Future research agendas and implications for practice based on the multiple constituency approach are discussed.