Considered whether modeling and the type of an adult's request influenced children's ability at age 1 year and 8 months and 2 years and 2 months to comprehend gestures and replica objects as symbols for familiar objects. Evaluated whether modeling and type of request influenced children's ability at 1 year and 8 months to understand familiar…

To become effective communicators, school leaders must acquire numerous skills, including understanding and practicing communication as a two-way process, aligning the three communication codes (language, paralanguage, and nonverbal messages) to ensure clarity of meaning, and selecting appropriate communication channels to enhance message impact.…

Argues that the intercultural communication field evolved from research performed at the United States Department of State's Foreign Service Institute between 1946 and 1956. Notes that the work of the Institute's linguists and anthropologists triggered research on nonverbal communication in social interaction. Argues that an understanding of…

Analyzes the nature of arousal, especially as it pertains to communication, and examines several nonverbal correlates of heightened arousal. Reviews several bodies of literature that implicitly or explicitly posit links between arousal and nonverbal behavior. (MM)

Studied 14 peer dyads at 16, 20, 24, 28, and 32 months to assess developmental changes in social coordinations. Results indicated a marked increase with age in acts coordinated with those of a peer. Imitations of the peer's nonverbal actions accounted for most of the developmental change. (RJC)

Investigated the distinctiveness and recognizability of taste-elicited facial expressions in 12 newborns two hours of age. Findings demonstrated that newborns differentiate sour and bitter from each other and from salty, and discriminate between sweet and nonsweet. Judges accurately identified newborns' responses to sucrose, but systematically…

Uses a semiotic reading of nonverbal communication as a way to comment on the ideologies of various cultural contexts. Suggests that the semiotic approach offers a method of "reading" the metatextual meanings surrounding nonverbal behavior. Finds that a reading of the political leaders of different cultures reveals the connection between…

Tests whether a set of nonverbal comforting strategies and their relationships with affective orientation and gender in previous research are generalizable to a broader sample. Concludes gender differences in affective orientation, diversity and number of strategies, and use of specific strategies were supported. Finds that females were more…

This longitudinal study found that 37 preschool children with Down's syndrome, compared to children with normal development, exhibited a disturbance in nonverbal requesting, and individual differences in nonverbal requesting were associated with subsequent development of expressive language in these children. Data indicate that acquisition of…

This multivariate study investigated nonverbal pragmatics in 96 students with and without mental retardation at 3 developmental levels. Data revealed an unexpected degree of commonality in the use of pragmatics, with differences related sometimes to the frequency and other times to the inappropriateness of nonverbal communicative functions.…

Proposes the use of semantic phonology, a simple method of sign phonology. Semantic phonology invites one to look at a sign--a word of a primary sign language--as a marriage of noun and verb. (GLR)

Uses the learning in modern dance as a model for considering the differences in learning in the arts that is process rather than product oriented and relies on intuitive rather than scientific method for obtaining knowledge. (JOW)

Surveys of 21 chief executive officers and 1,565 business communication students found strong agreement in both groups' opinions of the importance of verbal and nonverbal communication skills. They disagreed in two areas related to oral communication and social sensitivity. (SK)

Humor via the door motif in Native American Indian cultures can be pervasive and perverse. Helping professionals are alerted to down humor as a positive counseling intervention for this population. Background information, possible cautions, and illustrations are offered, with the need for additional empirical support strongly encouraged.…

Discusses a survey of 505 respondents from business organizations. Reports that self-described good decoders of nonverbal communication consider nonverbal communication more important than do other decoders. Notes that both men and women perceive women as both better decoders and encoders of nonverbal cues. Recommends paying more attention to…