Factors in a Productive Environment: Colorado State University, 1964–1976

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Colorado State University was the site of significant innovations in the counseling field. Interviews with key participants highlight the contributions and identify factors in the environment that resulted in the productivity of individuals.     

Social-Cognitive and Situational Influences on the Use of Face-Saving Persuasive Strategies

This study investigated the influences of three situational variables and interpersonal construct differentiation on the use of face-saving strategies. Speakers carried out role-play persuasive tasks that were varied on the dimensions of speaker power, request magnitude, and familiarity. The resulting messages were coded for the dominant levels of autonomy granting and positive face support provided to the target. Speakers provided more face support when they had relatively little power. Furthermore, this effect was stronger for positive face support than for autonomy granting. Speakers also granted more autonomy when making large requests, especially when they had relatively little power. With respect to familiarity, speakers provided less face support to familiar targets when small requests were involved but provided more face support when making large requests. The study also found several interactions between construct differentiation and the situational factors. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Social Networks and the Development of Close Relationships

This study examines the linkage between dose heterosexual relationships and their social networks of dose friends and family members. The central proposition of this study states that relational development will be positively associated with each partner's involvement in the other's social network and the degree of overlap in the individual social networks of each partner. Generally, the findings were consistent with this proposition. Among the indicators of network involvement and overlap, the range of network involvement (i.e., number of known members in the partner's network) emerged as the most powerful predictor of relational development. Findings are reviewed in light of existing theories and research, and suggestions for future research are made.