Recent studies have investigated the transition of relationships from a more intimate to a less intimate state--the depenetration process. Various phases of interpersonal conflict in the dissolution of marital dyads have been described, and factors indicating that a marriage might be "in trouble" have been identified. Processes that are…

The classroom behavior of 92 black and white sixth graders was observed in a desegregated urban school. Observations were made once a week during a full semester. The sex and race of each student observed and of his or her interactants were noted. Observers also coded characteristics of observed students' interactive behaviors: the tone (positive,…

Situational studies comprised one part of a multiperspective approach to evaluation of the social studies curriculum in British Columbia, Canada. Situational studies were defined as settings in which daily interactions occurred among the subjects, and were based on two suppositions; that the interaction of students and educators created social…

Interaction theory has not been applied to interpersonal communication because the Western scientific model requires that variables be consciously apparent. A simple model of sending and receiving is not adequate to explain the complex nature of human communication, however. The dyadic pattern of interrelationship may be expanded to reflect the…

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 paper examines two main questions: what indicators of staff readiness are useful in planning an organizational consultation with a school staff, and how evidence of those indicators can be effectively gathered. Based on experience in past consultations with various school staffs, it is concluded that a school is likely to benefit from…

Communication between persons who trust each other differs from that between those who do not. A new conceptualization of trust is offered, drawing from game theory, credibility research, sensitivity/encounter groups, and studies of generalized expectations of trustworthiness, which makes an important distinction between the cognitive state of…

Designed to provide a comprehensive and broadly based introduction to the study of human communication, this book presents the concept of communication as interrelated constituent processes that operate at varying levels of complexity and acquire significance only in the context of larger intrapersonal, interpersonal, or socio-cultural systems of…

Found that increases in cognitive complexity and construct system abstractness significantly related to the use of (1) a greater number of persuasive strategies; (2) more listener-adaptive persuasive strategies; and (3) formation of more complex and abstract impressions of interaction partners. (PD)

The authors investigated the microlevel processes of collaborative reasoning in heterogeneous peer dyads working on an open-design task in elementary geometry. Special attention was paid to the nature of student social interaction, problem-solving strategies, and mathematical language and how they shape collaborative problem-solving processes.…

Research on attraction in an interpersonal context has strongly suggested that the more attracted two people are to one another, the more they tend to communicate. This study explored attraction and social interaction patterns at the perceptual level. Eighty male and female graduate students, 40 black and 40 white, completed a two part measure of…

This paper reports the first results of a three-year longitudinal study of the social maps of children beginning the transition to adolescence. This exploratory study is guided by Bronfenbrenner's conception of the ecology of human development stressing the importance of a phenomenological orientation to development in the context of ecological…

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…

Sixty half-hour family discussions generated by the "revealed differences technique" were analyzed to determine the emotional intensity and quality (friendliness/attacking) of messages between individuals in families with schizophrenic and "normal" sons. Thirty families in each situation (schizophrenic/normal) were matched for comparison. Both…

THROUGH UNIVERSITY LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS, FIELD OBSERVATIONS IN INDUSTRIAL, COMMUNITY, AND EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS, AND EXPERIENCES IN CLASSES IN GROUP DYNAMICS, THE PARTICIPATIVE ACTION METHOD OF GROUP TRAINING FOR MORE EFFECTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING WAS DEVELOPED. IT IS BASED ON 8 PRINCIPLES--PHYSICAL REGROUPING, REDUCTION OF…