Understanding how relationships between instructors and students develop is important for understanding the undergraduate student experience. We expect the development of positive relationships is related to the social practices (e.g., greetings, using names, sympathizing, or empathizing with students) that instructors use in the course of normal…

The authors review several case studies of children engaged in rule-governed play and conclude that the process of learning rules--and of breaking them and making new ones--promotes what they call gamesmanship. They link the development of gamesmanship to the theory of Machiavellian intelligence, which considers social interaction primary in the…

Three studies investigated the purposes of teasing and the reaction to it. The first study asked 26 college students to describe one instance when they were teased and one when they teased someone else. In addition, they were asked to explain why the teasing had occurred and why they categorized it as teasing. The second study, involving 24…

Children with mental retardation (n=32) and their younger nonretarded siblings were observed interacting in the home setting. Interactions were characterized by accentuated role asymmetries that favored the younger sibling. Competence of the mentally retarded child reliably predicted sibling role asymmetries. Gender differences in roles and…

Studies based on models of interpersonal coorientation have discovered regularities in communication behavior that coorientation theory cannot explain. On the other hand, rules-based theories of communication contain explanatory concepts seemingly applicable to these phenomena, but have not been articulated sufficiently to be applied to the…

Examines and explains relational control interaction patterns in two decision-making groups and two women's consciousness-raising groups. Analyzes the interaction data using a Markov model and tracking the control dimension of relationships over time. (JMF)

This study examined the effects of functional communication patterns on interpersonal attraction, using a ten-category system of interaction analysis. Eight undergraduates were randomly selected and assigned to four unacquainted male-female pairs. After completing a physical attraction measure of their partners in the pairs, members of two pairs…

This paper contains an examination of equity theory, which is based on the assumption that when a state of equity exists in an exchange situation, there is a perceived balance between the effort and reward ratios of the individuals involved in the exchange. The paper offers a rationale for examining equity theory in a communication context,…

Tested the hypothesis that distressed spouses are more reactive to immediate events than nondistressed couples. Couples recorded positive, negative and neutral events and satisfaction levels. Distressed couples reported lower rates of positive behavior and that marital satisfaction depended more on frequency of recent positive or negative events.…

Examined couples' punctuation of their own interactions. Punctuation was defined as a way of grouping sequences of interactions. Results suggested that the nature of relatedness, as defined by degree of distress, was associated with the punctuation of interactions by the communicators. (Author)

A study investigated whether the interactive behaviors of elderly individuals were significantly influenced by their environment. The key to the investigation was the notion that human interaction can function to aid elderly individuals as they adapt to aging. Subjects were individuals over 65 years of age living in one of three separate…

Among major results were that nonhandicapped preschoolers tend to select nonhandicapped friends of their same sex and age, and the same nonhandicapped preschoolers tend to select handicapped children who are older than themselves, who are more advanced cognitively than other handicapped children, and who are of the same sex. (Author/CL)

Studied interaction styles of premarital couples (N=148) and developed a typology of couple interaction at two points in time before marriage. Results showed only 7 percent of the couples had the same type of interaction at the two testings, supporting the hypothesis that premarital relationships are fluid. (WAS)

It has been a well-accepted axiom that the behavior of an individual is related closely to his perception. This research with children demonstrates the value of objective assessment of an individual's perception of social interactions in order to be able to predict more precisely some aspects of his interpersonal behavior. (Author)

The author contends that the capacity to be seductive can be utilized in constructive ways to enhance a loving relationship, or in neurotic ways to oversome doubts about one's capabilities. (Author)