Computer supported collaborative writing (CSCW), due to the potential to enhance online collaborative writing performance, has received more and more attention in educational settings in recent years. However, the lack of social presence results in learners not being able to construct group awareness to reduce participation rate and even appear…

This study explored whether an interaction analysis of ongoing communication can be useful in describing the process of self-disclosure. Eight women were assigned to dyads: two acquaintance dyads (subjects were acquainted through a small class in communication and had known each other for two months), and two friendship dyads (subjects had been…

This study examines the conversational behaviors of subjects with differing verbal abilities within a three-person group setting. According to a score on the Verbal Reticence Scale (Lustig, 1974), 108 subjects were rated as highly verbal, moderately verbal, or verbally reticent. From these classifications, smaller groups were selected at random to…

In a study to seek an alternative methodological approach to collective bargaining research, an interaction model based upon a systems approach to small group communication was used to observe, record, and quantify the communication behavior of teacher/school board negotiators. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether the interaction…

This paper presents a system designed to measure group role behavior and the direction and degree of subgroup interaction during small group meetings. The system utilizes file classifications of role behavior subdivided into 11 behavior categories. Data are collected in sample observations using live recorders or VTR equipment. Data analysis…

Students in speech classes at Northern Illinois University participated in tests to determine what assumption of roles in discussion groups impairs participation and prohibits consensus. Students were randomly assigned to one of twelve discussion groups of five members each. The topic and materials for discussion were excerpted from the local…

A transactional theory which views interpersonal behavior as being communicated simultaneously on 3 channels was tested. Forty dyadic groups were composed which ranged from compatibility to incompatibility through all possible combinations on the 3 channels. The groups tested the hypothesis that there would be a linear relationship between…

Consensus is important in the making of a policy decision. If a decision is reached without consensus, morale and unit satisfaction may both suffer. With genuine consensus, a unit tends to willingly support and implement the new policy. After analyzing how observed small groups had actually reached consensus, the following ten techniques were…

Using the coorientational framework developed by McLeod and Chaffee, this study tested Bem's theory that an individual performing a behavior (speaker) and an individual observing the behavior (listener) use the same evidence when evaluating the performer's attitudes. Participants included 96 undergraduate students at the University of…

The qualities of small group communication and interaction were tested in this study, which specifically measured group consensus and the quality of group decision making. Fifty groups of five members each were used. One member of each group was trained to exhibit either high or low "orientation," knowledge of the procedures the group…

Conceptualizing the subject matter of interpersonal behavior was the primary objective of this study. Researchers administered version three of Lorr and McNair's Interpersonal Behavior Inventory (IBI) to 507 undergraduates at Cleveland State University. The first group received three copies of the IBI and were asked to rate themselves, rate a…

Four dimensions that must be present for a group to function effectively are elaborated in this guide: (1) commitment of members to a common purpose; (2) leadership that facilitates organization and structuring to accomplish these purposes; (3) open communication among members; and (4) a climate of acceptance and trust. Defining a group as any…

"Pacification" as a technique of social control has a negative effect because of its destructive or disintegrative impact on behaviors of individuals in social or problem-solving situations. "Pacification" uses communication techniques which discount some aspect of the problem-solving process: the problem itself, its…

Those who wish to bring about positive communication between two groups with strongly polarized attitudes cannot do so merely by bringing the groups together for interaction. A study of inmates and officers at a women's prison revealed the potential of perception training for changing initially polarized conceptions. Analyses of subjects'…