Examines how people use "accounts," (communicate their own preferred meaning to explain a failure or problem in a more acceptable way). Illustrates the use of accounts in a teacher-student conference. (PD)

Found that the discussions of "effective" and "ineffective" groups were distinguished by (1) how the groups examined opinions and assumptions advanced by group members; (2) how the groups evaluated alternative choices; (3) the nature of decisional premises; and (4) the nature of influence exerted by influential members of the group. (PD)

Analyzed the complete interaction of high and low consensus groups in a basic small group course. Interaction analysis indicated that both the relational and content levels of communication are significantly different for high versus low consensus groups. The conclusion that increased feedback leads to decision satisfaction was confirmed. (JAC)

Develops a model of negotiation rule use that incorporates both content and relational dimensions and focuses upon interaction as the dependent variable. Assesses how winners and losers in mock negotiations differ in their use of communication rules. (PD)

Discusses how assumptions of methodology rigidly restrict theory testing in the area of sequential analysis of social interaction. Assumptions explored center on three aspects of process: coding schemes, the nature of time, and the quality of explanations engendered by sequential analysis methodologies. (JMF)

Argues that the study of discourse and the larger context of social interaction requires explicit reference to a broader organizational setting and aspects of cultural beliefs often ignored by students of discourse, conversational analysis, and paralinguistic and nonverbal activities. (FL)

Sex differences, personal consistency, and development of reciprocity in the pattern of self-disclosure exchange and the amount of disclosures expressed were expected in opposite-sex interaction dyads. Time analysis of transcripts of conversations between 59 dyadic partners demonstrated no sex differences, a moderate degree of personal consistency…

This research examined the degree of correspondence between children's perceptions of their parents' caregiving behavior, those parents' self-perceptions, and the parents' inferences about how their behavior would be perceived by their child. Eighty child (seven-year-olds) parent pairs completed modified Bronfenbrenner Parent Behavior…

A great need exists for increased attention to standards of rigor in collecting sequential interaction data. As in any other research strategy, powerful statistics are not sufficient to organize data meaningfully. A knowledge of individuals, their relational histories, and communication are all necessary to insure proper conclusions about the…