Examines the functional relationship of source and message by testing the hypothesis that the impact of a message is a function of the strength of the message multiplied by the strength of the source. (MH)

Investigates four directional hypotheses pertaining to the interactive effects of communicator and message type on attitude change and terminal perceptions of the communicator. (MH)

Contends that subjective or perceived homophily is more important than objective homophily in determining communication outcomes since it is communicator perceptions that influence communicator behavior. (MH)

Discusses a study designed to determine the amounts of attitude change experienced by apathetics under varying conditions of source credibility and quantity of information contained in a message. (MH)

Discusses a study designed to measure the effects of message threat level, message quality, and initial receiver attitude on attitude change and evaluations of source credibility. (MH)

In order to test whether constant eye contact, formal posture, and varied vocal inflection increase source credibility and listener comprehension, 144 college students in an introductory speech communication course were placed in groups of equal size that listened to the same informative speech. The speaker presented to each group a different…

This study examined the effects of high and low communication inhibition on small group interaction. Communication inhibition was identified in terms of a scale developed through the factor analysis of the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker--Short Form, the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension--College, and Unwillingness to…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 18 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: a comparison of mother/child and father/child interactions; state anxiety responses in high and low speech anxious subjects; variables that predict listening…