Not all pieces of information mentioned during an interaction are equally accessible in speakers' conversational memory. The current study sought to test whether 2 basic features of dialogue management (reference acceptance and reuse) affect reference recognition. Dyads of speakers were asked to discuss a route for an imaginary person, thus…

Approximately 200 employees of small and medium sized businesses participated in a study to determine if their task characteristics affected the communication network roles they enact. Specifically, the study investigated the effects of variety, autonomy, task identity, feedback, dealing with others, and friendship opportunities on the network…

Focuses on the relationship between storytelling and organizational socialization. Examines the form, subject matter, and functions of stories and concludes that stories serve as a means for members of an organization to express their knowledge, understanding, and commitment to the organization. (PD)

A study examined a contingency model involving the factors of task characteristics, structural characteristics, organizational relationships, and communication processes and their respective components in regard to their relationships to job performance and their ability to predict job performance. Data were gathered from approximately 190 members…

Examines the effects of communication distortion on the task perceptions of subordinates working in goal-setting programs. Concludes that (1) effective superiors who communicate openly, supportively, and with little distortion are better able to clarify their subordinates' work environment, and (2) distortion negates a goal-setting program. (PD)

Outlines principles underlying the theory of polyrepresentation as it applies to user cognitive space and information space of information retrieval (IR) systems. A discussion and diagram illustrate the interactive communication that takes place between users and IR systems in order to complete work tasks such as retrieving full text information.…

Examines the effect of leader and follower gender on leader communication behavior and follower satisfaction. Research suggests that group members can be equally satisfied with male and female leaders as long as they exhibit similar frequencies of task-oriented communication. (JMF)

A study examined and tested the knowledge sources individuals tap in the planning process and the process of plan modification. It is expected that contrary to plan-based theories, individuals will fail to remediate flaws in their plans if given the chance to develop a plan to pursue the same goal. It is also expected that differences exist…

Compared with other media, computer-mediated communication (CMC) is a relatively new mode of communication that has emerged in the past two decades. In the past decade, there has been a growing body of research on CMC. There are two dominant models of CMC: the task-oriented and the social-emotion-oriented. This review discusses, compares, and…

A review of the research on developing children's referential communication ability reveals two approaches: the role-taking approach and the task-analytic approach. In the role-taking approach, researchers attempt to improve children's communication accuracy by training them to be more sensitive to listener needs. In the task-analytic approach,…

Strategic communication scholars agree that planning is critical to human action. An investigation tested plan modification aspects of cognitive planning theory. Two experiments tested whether success and failure of a plan served as predictors of plan modification and whether individuals can accurately predict whether and how they will modify a…

Purpose: This article reports a study in which referential communication in 11 individuals with Asperger syndrome (AS) and 11 controls was compared between text chat and telephone, using a route-solving task. Method: Participants deduced routes by asking closed questions, and the dependent variables were (a) accuracy in working out the route, (b)…