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 development of self-disclosure within an acquaintance exercise was examined. A sample of 80 subjects was assigned to same-sex or mixed-sex dyads. In half of the dyads, one member was asked, through a short statement in the written instructions, to encourage maximal disclosure in his/her partner. Dyad partners took turns discussing…

This booklet, a discovery/work text, asks learners to take a careful look at the ways they participate in communication situations, at the form their participation in communication takes, and at the personal and societal consequences of communication. Laboratory activities focus on techniques of communication and on strategies for dealing with…

Data from an ethnographic study of an integrated kindergarten suggests that children's disputes are strongly influenced by the activity and role structure of a given event and that variations in how an event is contextualized are linked to the classroom's social structure. (Author/CB)

A study assessed the validity of applying the Spitzberg and Cupach dyadic model of communication competence to small group interaction. Twenty-four students, in five task-oriented work groups, completed questionnaires concerning self-competence, alter competence, interaction effectiveness, and other group members' interaction appropriateness. They…

Emanuel M. Berger's scale for testing the expressed acceptance of others is based on statements describing behavior, particularly verbal communicative behavior, of others, in a study of 561 subjects, Berger's scale evidenced need of modification in explaining small group interaction and especially the differing attitudinal responses of males' and…