The cypher, a circle of MCs improvising rhymes in a collaborative jam session, is a relatively unexplored topic in hip hop. Through its focus on community and reciprocity, the cypher represents a crucial nexus of sociability that enables researchers to examine the shifting positionalities and communicative practices of audience members and…

The public expression of opinions (and related communicative activities) hinges upon the perception of opinion consensus. Current explanations for opinion consensus perceptions typically focus on egocentric and other biases, rather than functional cognitions. Using self-categorization theory we showed that opinion consensus perceptions flow from…

The purpose of this study was to describe and determine the prevalence of decision-making characteristics of recreational backcountry groups when making a decision of where to travel and ride in avalanche terrain from the perspective of individuals. Decision-making characteristics encompassed communication, decision-making processes, leadership,…

Operational definitions of two key variables in group communication can provide a theoretical perspective for considering communication behavior in group research: "risk taking," the tendency to prefer long shots with higher payoffs over sure things with lower payoffs; and the "risky-shift" phenomenon, the finding that after…

Argues importance of communication for group decision-making performance and its impact on such performance are function of three task characteristics: structure, information requirement, and evaluation demand. Identifies task circumstances in which group communication can be expected to play role in determining decision-making performance, as…

Several factors are included in judgment formation by a juror during a trial, including evaluating each piece of information received with respect to the judgment in question, weighting each piece of information according to its validity for the particular judgment and its reliability, and integrating the weighted scale values into a single…

Examined whether gender composition and task structure affect communicative behavior in small groups. Groups with different numbers of men and women were given a highly structured assignment and a human relations case study. Interaction process analysis supported the hypothesis only for dominance acts of giving suggestions. (BH)

In addition to the treatment effects of two anticonformity appeals, personality variables were also considered. The control group and the group presented with an emotional anticonformity lecture conformed more than the group presented with an intellectual anticonformity lecture. Ego defense theory is used to discuss other findings. (DB)

Describes four phases through which small groups' discussions pass in the decision-making process. (RD)

The purpose of this essay is to propose a different explanation of collective behavior and also to hypothesize how communication functions in this process. Using the experimental finding known as the "risky shift," this essay (1) summarizes the history of the risky shift, (2) presents two different theories which have been proposed to…

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…

The purpose of this book is to present information about communicating in terms of "if-then" propositions that are based on scientific study. The book consists of two sections--Communication Behavior and Communication Experiments. The chapters in the first section of this book consider relationships, messages, information diffusion, and achieving…

An instrument was developed and tested which would measure intermediate interaction behavior in small-group communication. The study was designed to uncover the several dimensions of such behavior and produce a reliable, valid measure for each dimension that would yield data amenable to parametric statistical analysis. Analysis of two experiments…

This is a position paper on the place of training in group process and participation in groups as part of teacher education. (Editor/RK)