The Auto-Com, a communication device developed by a multidisciplinary team of educators, therapists and engineering students, has made it possible for a 16-year-old severely handicapped boy with cerebral palsy to communicate quickly and efficiently through printed symbols. (Author/CL)

A 2X2X2X2 study tested the effect of a) nonverbal communication (NVC), b) verbal communication (VC), 3) race of communicator, and d) sex of perceiver on the perception of leadership. Results indicated that when one pits NVC against VC, NVC proved to be more potent in the perception of leadership. (Author/NQ)

The structure of speaker-auditor interaction was explored, using detailed language transcriptions and body-motion behavior. Three signals were hypothesized: a speaker within-turn signal, an auditor back-channel signal, and a speaker continuation signal. Signal sequences marked speaking turn units of interaction. (CK)

A two-part pilot study investigated and categorized the roles verbal and nonverbal communication play in the initiation of sexual intercourse. The study also explored the manner in which partners accept or reject sexual overtures, the contexts and antecedents of sexual initiation, and the changes in sexual behavior which occur as a consequence of…

Universals in nonverbal behavior represent an important issue in the study of the cross-cultural communication. Perhaps the most well-known research in nonverbal universals was conducted by Paul Ekman, who examined literate and preliterate cultures from various language groups and identified six universal facial expressions: happiness, sadness,…

A study examined gender differences in the uses of uncertainty reduction strategies (self-disclosure, interrogative strategies, nonverbal immediacy, and other's self-disclosure) and their interrelationships with attributional confidence (uncertainty reduction). The subjects, 853 students from three western universities, participated in a survey…

Experiences working with nonverbal severely and profoundly retarded and multiply handicapped children are discussed in this paper. Alternative communication systems are reviewed, including use of manual signs, pictures and symbols, photographs, realistic drawings, pictograms, and Bliss Symbols. A model for teaching basic understanding of…

The Target: Communication Skills program instituted in the Lincoln, Nebraska, public schools proposes that all students, K-12, in all subject areas be provided with opportunities to develop and improve their communication skills. The program emphasizes four basic skills: speaking, observing, listening, and nonverbal skills. In applying this…

Snyder's (1974) construct of self-monitoring in communication refers to the degree of self-observation and self-control, guided by situational cues to social appropriateness. To investigate the relationship of level of self-monitoring (high or low) to the ability to accurately discriminate varying levels of incongruent communication, 62 college…

This study describes nonverbal behaviors on the part of subjects asked to give five minutes of instruction to a ten-year-old student, described as either bright or slow or not described at all in terms of IQ. (JH)

Acting Style refers to the individual characteristics of appearance, voice, movement, and temperament that distinguish one actor from another. Based on the theory that the black actor tends to approach a role presentation on a visceral level of communication, in contrast to the white actor's intellectual approach, this study identified those…

While attraction research has repeatedly shown a strong similarity/attraction relationship between perceivers and others, it has not shown that perceivers are repulsed by dissimilar others--only that they seem to withhold judgment and wait for more information about the other before indicating either attraction or dislike. A study investigated the…

Noting that confrontation is a fundamental element of debate, a study examined the confrontational nature of a 1980 presidential debate between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan by analyzing its verbal and visual context as presented through television. By means of videotapes, still photographs, and a typed transcript, each instance of a verbal…

Proposing that most studies of nonverbal intimacy regulation have inadequately tested the compensation model (changes in any component of intimacy necessitate compensating changes in other components to maintain an equilibrium), this paper examines the nature of methodological problems in such studies and offers three suggestions for improved…