This article presents a brief overview of the literature pertaining to the use of objects of reference by people with deaf-blindness. It suggests that the establishment of nonsymbolic object use in appropriate routines may facilitate the acquisition of the symbolic use of objects. (MDM)

Finds, contrary to previous research on teacher nonverbal immediacy, that the variable has an inverted-U curvilinear relationship with cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning--in other words, moderately high teacher immediacy is more effective in helping students learn than either excessively high or low immediacy. (SR)

Examines communication competence behavior in four contexts for Hispanic Americans and non-Hispanic white Americans. Finds that both groups reported that language adaptability and cultural topics were more important in intercultural than intracultural contexts, but that there were contrasting patterns in nonverbal behaviors. (SR)

This study of 43 individuals (ages 9 to 26) with autism, autistic-like, or childhood-onset pervasive developmental delay found that the 8 subjects who experienced regression in their language development were perceived as using less well-developed oral communication skills. No relationship was found between a period of regression and the presence…

Scholars and teachers are increasingly realizing that language consists of more than the additive nature of learned morphological, syntactical, and lexical items. This paper describes the pragmatic implications of linguistic strings, based on research and interviews with native speakers of American English and standard German. (20 references)…

The communicative competence of 12 Afrikaans-speaking children (mean age 4 years), with severe to profound hearing, loss was evaluated. Among findings was that the subjects were resourceful in using the context effectively in conversational interactions and frequently used nonverbal cues such as gesture. (DB)

Discussion of reference question negotiation by librarians focuses on a study at the Orem (Utah) Public Library that was conducted to determine how frequently the reference staff negotiated questions, how frequently negotiated questions received correct answers, and what verbal and nonverbal communication skills led to correct answers. (five…

Reviews literature on music as a component of instructional materials. The relationship between music and emotion is examined; the use and effects of music are discussed; music as nonverbal communication is considered; effects on cognitive and attitudinal learning results are described; and emotional, cognitive, and structural needs are discussed.…

Two experiments were conducted in an effort to determine whether young children overestimate message quality because they evaluate their knowledge or assumptions about the intended meaning of the message rather than its literal meaning. (PCB)

Finds that teachers who perceived their students to be more nonverbally immediate with them in their classrooms expressed more positive affect for the students than did teachers who perceived their students as engaging in less nonverbally immediate behaviors. (SR)

College students (n=265) reported their impressions of business faculty's personal appearance, body language, behavior, and office appearance. Findings indicate that impression management is useful for professors who want to convey credibility, authority, and interest in students. (JOW)

Examines how physicians and patients interactionally accomplish the transition from the activity of history taking to that of physical examination. Finds implications for: the theoretic relationship between verbal and nonverbal behavior in social meaning; what it means to explain transitions and reduce patients' uncertainty; the organization of…

Focuses on nonverbal and extralinguistic activities as an aide to learning. Body language, movement, and action, simultaneously simple and omnipresent, are useful at the level of comprehension. These activities suggest images or result from verbal instigation. This visual imagery fills in the gaps between one's mother tongue and a foreign…

Three studies were carried out that tested sign theory, which predicts that nonverbal abilities should correlate positively with primary language abilities. The first examined the possible effects of bilingualism on cognitive ability; the second and third examined Korean adults learning English as a foreign language. (Author/VWL)

Discusses a general theory of signs showing that the relationship between acquired language proficiencies and nonverbal abilities must be closer than commonly supposed. Presents a general theory of signs showing why it is possible in principle to make linguistically and culturally unbiased judgments about intellectual abilities on the basis of…