To examine the effects of the contextual variables of relationship intimacy and time on communication satisfaction, a study was undertaken involving 252 college freshmen. The subjects participated in one of two treatments. In the first, they were randomly paired and participated in social conversation for 15 minutes. Following the conversation,…

Providing a systematic investigation of the dimensional nature of relationships, this paper focuses primarily upon the control dimension of interpersonal relationships. After establishing a conceptual foundation of the control dimension, the paper next enumerates the verbal and nonverbal indicants of control in regard to their manipulative…

Taking the viewpoint of the receiver, this paper explores some differences between interpersonal transactions people have with each other and with the mass media. After addressing an orientation held by many communication scholars that the process of mass communication and interpersonal communication differ only in degree, the paper focuses on a…

Little has been done to identify the communication needs of nurses. The development of a model to use in examining their communication behavior can be an important first step in identifying those needs. The proposed model identifies four members of the staff nurse's role-set: patients, doctors, family members, and other nursing personnel. Each…

In order to help in the analysis and evaluation of organizations, this paper presents a model that combines a functional perspective with a rules approach. An organization is viewed as an entity analogous to a culture that can be analyzed by identifying its collectively defined master contract; it may be critiqued by assessing the process by which…

This branching programmed instructional workbook focuses on how people behave when they hear messages. Included are materials on audience/receiver behavior and a self-instructional supplement to materials that are a part of other communication studies. Drawings and diagrams illustrate the discussions of self-analysis, selection of audiences and…

The purpose of this booklet is to provide a summary of perception research and to suggest practical applications which will improve students' and teachers' communication ability. The "theory" section of this work is devoted to the definition of perception as a selective process, dependent on such factors as acuity of sensory equipment,…

A paradigm of rehearsal interaction, based on the measurement and interpretation of behavioral transactions between actors and directors, is posited in this article. Verbal and nonverbal communication processes characteristic of actor/director interactions are operationally defined, and indexes of director/actor interaction, director/actor talk…

A theory of social face in bargaining is being developed. Results from three studies suggest that strategies that convey to the high-power bargainer that he appears weak and incapable are likely to increase his competition and his resistance to agreement. Ingratiation in the form of strong affirmation of the high-power person's social face may…

This report, the first of a series of three, describes a study of the structure and use of language in a defined type of communication situation. Following a review of psychological, sociological, and linguistic studies dealing with the structure of communication or the structure of discourse, a type of goal-directed (convergent) communication is…

The impact dolls have on children's formation of self-concepts is a relevant area for research by interpersonal communication theorists because dolls are admired objects, external expressions of internal convictions, and everyday objects that provide meaningful experiences for children. The more positive qualities of traditional dolls help…

The testing of proficiency in interpersonal communication is a challenging problem in an age in which people from all over the world, speaking different languages and speaking the same languages differently, must produce useful exchanges of cognitive, behavioral, and affective information. The beginnings of a system for testing and teaching…

The concepts of credibility, attraction, power, and "homophily" (degree to which source and receiver are similar in certain attributes) have been investigated as independent and unrelated variables in the communication process. The authors seek to establish the relationship of these variables as subdivisions of the overriding concept…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the independence-involvement approach to interpersonal communication as a method for assessing participant satisfaction in social interaction. The author provides definitions of satisfying social interactions in both empirical and value-oriented terms and further attempts to determine behaviors that both…

The author suggests that we are moving into an era where skills in persuasion are considered prerequisite to other management skills and discusses the emphasis on interpersonal communication as a continuing process that serves the purpose of making known and available to an industrial group the resources of individual human beings. He cites the…