Examines the soap opera world by analyzing the conversation and relationship to real-life conversation. Reveals that soap operas provide a subtle blending of the real and the not-real, but that part of the reality lies within the conversation: the relationships of conversants, their topics, and conversational styles. (PD)

Suggests that citizen band radio communication involving code names and coded language offers an opportunity for participation without personal commitment. (MH)

Assesses the types of conversational patterns--from cross-complaining to contracting--that characterize satisfied couples; suggests theoretical models that account for their success. Proposes the hypothesis that the underlying mechanism that maintains closeness in marriages is symmetry in emotional responsiveness, which relates to whether spouses…

Defines the transmission of gossip as an essential social process reflecting a shared group membership and discusses the ways in which gossip supports ideologies held by members of a specific occupation. (MH)

Focuses on the home office and video teleconferencing as the basis for developing a social psychological perspective on the use of telecommunications as a travel substitute. (MH)

Examines various measures such as intensity, frequency and reciprocity of hits used in a game fight between spouses and attempts to relate such actions to the amount of discord reported in the represented marriages. (MH)

Analyzes joke-telling trends from 1970-75 and emphasizes that such an analysis may yield a significant reflection of American life during this time period. (MH)