MULTIPLE-ACT CRITERIA IN THE VALIDATION OF COMMUNICATION TRAITS: WHAT DO WE GAIN AND WHAT DO WE LOSE?

Recent dissatisfaction with trait explanations of human communication has given rise to the use of multiple-act criteria in co-relational studies of trait/behavior relationships. In order to overcome the practical problems of gathering multiple-act data, researchers have relied on self-reports. It was hypothesized that the use of self-reports has led to biased estimates of the utility of the multiple-act approach. This hypothesis was generally supported and its implications examined.