Recent reviews of the literature demonstrate that there is little research providing insight into the nature of hospital communication. Using the model of the sociology of communication, five specific research questions can be generated about hospital communication: (1) How is information processed? (2) What communication is satisfying? (3) What…

There are benefits to be gained by integrating social cognition research with communication research, especially with regard to the effects of television viewing on child development. Social cognition brings innovative theoretical and methodological approaches to the field of communication, permits a more complete characterization of the child in…

This research paper examines the relationship between individual differences in environmental perception, and variables which may be important in predicting, if not explaining those variations. The analyses reported were based upon an environmental perception research study previously conducted at the University of California at Berkeley during…

The purpose of this paper is to consider how two distinct research methodologies differently structure for study the inputs, transactions, and outcomes of adult literacy programs. It is suggested that the appropriateness of a methodology for the study of adult literacy programs be determined by assessing the extent to which the methodology speaks…

The opinions of 51 journal editors concerning the concept of a manuscript marketing newsletter for academicians were surveyed. The proposed monthly or quarterly newsletter would inform authors and researchers of editorial needs and requirements for publications. Editors of highly regarded journals in education, psychology, and sociology were…

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the television production components and to suggest the research hypotheses and designs that will yield a more systematic exploration of the importance of the use of facial closeups in television interviews. The first part of the paper discusses three potential factors that may influence a viewer's judgment…

The tendency to think of a literary work as an object or entity existing apart from author and reader has been the greatest stumbling block in literary criticism and the teaching of literature. The transaction between a reader and a text involves the reader in a highly complex, ongoing process of selection and organization. Keeping the reader's…

Research in law-related education has not led to cumulative knowledge that is of much use to curriculum developers or classroom teachers. Among the reasons for this state of affairs are that researchers concentrate on nonessential topics, educational research does not generally meet criteria for scientific research, educational research is too…

Noting that interaction between patients and health care providers is a critical factor in the delivery of medical care, this paper argues that an interpersonal perspective can and should provide the paradigm for the study of medical communication. It suggests that the relationship between the sociocultural context in health care and communication…

Besides identifying current problems in educational change research, this document describes the inadequate paradigm on which past research has been based and outlines a currently emerging paradigm of educational innovation. The author asserts that previous research findings have been inconsistent and not comparable. Basic to the research problems…

The relationship of racial group concepts (racial preference and racial attitudes) to general and specific self-esteem in black children was examined in this study. A secondary purpose of this study was to assess the validity of Nobles' (1973) theory that racial group attitudes influence the black American's concept of "self." The…

An understanding of the "situational" characteristics of the organizational forces that influence the relationships between environmental, management, and performance variables is now coming to be seen as a key to understanding the management process itself. This paper is a synthesis of the contingency theory literature drawn from the…

Problems of inquiry in intercultural communication are examined in this paper, and an inquiry process is presented that can be applied to the study of communication between people from different cultures. The first section of the paper outlines major, well-documented procedural problems in intercultural communication and considers additional…

Feminist social science and scholarship must create theory grounded in the actual experience and language of women. Throughout the history of social science, conceptions and theories of female sexuality, psychology, and social roles have derived from men's beliefs about women. The history of social science theory on women proves that science and…

Results are reported of a study to determine whether androgynous persons (characterized as lacking stereotypic concepts of maleness and femaleness) have more positive attitudes toward women than persons of other sex role orientations. Specifically, the study examines attitudes toward appropriate societal roles and the appropriate role of women in…