Describes selected rules that may be abstracted from discussions in a given natural group, in this case, a nursing home admissions board. Suggested that to comprehend group structure, investigators must move beyond the internal units of conversation and consider conversational behavior in the larger context of an ethnographic present. (LLL)

Examines the nature of development of a self-analytic seminar through stages and its impact on sex-role stereotypes and gender interactions among participants and with the seminar leaders. Explores relationships between feminist thought and psychoanalysis and supports the positive influence on recognition of mutual needs among the sexes.…

Identifying clients is of prime importance to group leaders. Two variables which have proved useful in understanding therapeutic performance are social risk taking propensity and client expectancy. The present study was concerned with the prediction of group member performance following pretreatment assessment of these two variables. (Author)

Data show three patterns of response to the sensitivity training experience, an enhanced rate of change in some opposite sex relationships, more satisfaction with various types of elders, and dissatisfaction coupled with a possibly declining rate of change among same-sex work equals. (Author)

Rated selected sessions of two long-term psychotherapy groups (N=143) using Gottschalk-Gleser anxiety and hostility verbal content analysis scales. Found group judged to be clinically more successful demonstrated prolonged periods in various states and that affect dimensions of states were consistent with group developmental stage hypothesis…

Examines procedural messages and group work habits of 20 three-person groups, 10 who preferred a tightly structured work cliamte and 10 who preferred a free-associative work routine. Results revealed that structured groups used abstract headings that organized group talk, while free-associative groups used specific details on a content-related…

Time-limited and time-extended groups studied appeared to be similar in stage development with abnormalities in process accounted for by the amount of time the groups have continuously met. Support was given to the concept of stages as a series of cyclical movements characterized by clusterings of related behaviors. (Author)

President Carter's description of his negotiations with President Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Begin of Israel at Camp David in 1978 was coded to illustrate the extent to which levels of creativity and types of pressures toward conformity were involved. Two sets of categories were used. (Author/ABB)

Compared the effects of traditional group norming techniques with a method where suggested norms are explicitly outlined at the beginning of the group. Data were analyzed to discover if there were significant differences between traditional norm groups and suggested norm groups in amount of interaction. (Author)

Data show that giving information to members of a group is more important in determining the perception by others that the person is facilitating group performance. Asking for information and opinions is more important in actual facilitation of group learning. Social-emotional support becomes important after initial phases of group interaction.…

Confirms that leadership variables are the most potent determinants of group effectiveness. Anglo female leaders are most effective although sex is not the basic determinant. Language is an influential variable. Group effectiveness is not dependent on cultural matching of members and leaders. (Author/BEF)

Investigated reliability and dimensionality of Bales's Interpersonal Rating Forms (IRF) using volunteer subjects (N=266) enrolled in undergraduate communications course. Results documented shortcomings of IRF as a measuring instrument finding the subscales neither reliable nor dimensionally structured; only 2 of 18 items in each subscale are…

Findings suggest that peers' ratings of behavior of coparticipants in small, interpersonally oriented groups might yield valid data on how accepting the participants were of both others and self. An instrument designed to assess both self-acceptance and the acceptance of others in small groups was used to measure personality. (Author)

Provides an insight into the group process of therapy and compares and contrasts the T-group process with therapy group process. The here-and-now orientation was present in T-group and therapy-group interaction. Greater relational conflict was present in the T-group. Members of the therapy group were much more defensive than members of the…

Two social psychological theories--similarity theory and equity theory--are employed to elucidate the relationship between group members' abilities and group performance on tasks involving high levels of interdependence. Contrasting hypotheses are drawn regarding specific ability compositions that should evoke performance above or below the simple…