VERBAL BEHAVIOR AS A FUNCTION OF APPREHENSION AND SOCIAL CONTEXT

This study examined the effect of high and low communication apprehension in conjunction with social and personal settings upon verbal behavior. Step wise multiple discriminant analysis of the data indicated a linear combination of language indices (number of syllables, Noun-Verb/Adjective-Adverb ratio, and phrase repetitions) which discriminated between the high apprehensive-personal setting group and the remaining three groups. Results are discussed relative to theoretical projections and the potential for sensitivity toward communication behavior being operative within the communication apprehension framework.     

ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL TRAINING AND SUPPORT

The present study uses both objective and survey data to examine relations among retail sales training, organizational support, and store performance and to examine whether training interacts with organizational support to predict store performance. The study is unique in that it presents an example of the analysis of the relationship between organizational level measures of training and performance, as opposed to more traditional individual level measures. Archival data in a correlational design were analyzed for 62 stores belonging to the same international merchandising firm. Two measures of training and two measures of support were used to predict two measures of store performance. Results indicated that training and organizational support were significantly correlated with both measures of store performance, although the relationship between training and organizational performance was stronger. In contrast to predictions, there were no significant interactions between the training and support variables.     

THE RHETORICAL INTERROGATIVE: ANXIETY OR CONTROL?

Anxiety and floor control perspectives on speech disturbances were related specifically to rhetorical interrogatives (you know, you see, and okay) and tested in an experimental condition. Communication apprehension and situational stress conditions produced conflicting theoretical predictions. Both anxiety and the perceived potential for interruption increased rhetorical interrogative ratios with no interaction effect; thus partial support was found for both theoretical positions. Neither theory emerged as a major contributor to explain variance in rhetorical interrogative ratios. Additional analysis indicated low/high communication apprehension differences in rhetorical interrogative ratios were primarily a function of the amount of talk.     

LANGUAGE INDICES IN THE MEASUREMENT OF COGNITIVE COMPLEXITY: IS COMPLEXITY LOQUACITY?

Within an accepted measurement system of the construct termed cognitive complexity, an analysis of the relationship between cognitive complexity scores and such indices of verbal complexity as number of tokens, type-token ratio, and noun-verb/adjective-adverb ratio was conducted. Writing samples used to measure cognitive complexity were obtained and analyzed for verbal complexity. Results indicate that number of tokens account for 33 percent of the variance in cognitive complexity followed by noun-verb/adjective-ad verb ratio (8 percent) and the type-token ratio (1 percent). Results are discussed relative to the potential for loquacity to impact the measurement of cognitive complexity.     

COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION AND ACHIEVEMENT IN A PERFORMANCE-ORIENTED BASIC COMMUNICATION COURSE

The study of communication apprehension (CA) impact in the instructional environment is extended through examination of all three CA levels relative to various performance situations in a basic communication course. Results indicate significant differences in achievement indices between all three CA groups on final course grade and the first two of four performance assignments. Moderate and high CA groups were not significantly different from each other on the third and fourth performance tasks. Low and high CA groups were significantly different in all performance areas. No differences were indicated between CA groups on the final examination. Results are discussed relative to the naturalistic nature of the study.