The use of multivariate techniques in the study of human communication gives the researcher the opportunity to view man's behavior in greater totality than the univariate methods. Human behavior can then be viewed in terms of process. Smith, in discussing the idea of process in communication research, states that "more complete explanations will be developed through attempting to employ more wholistic perspectives rather than by accumulating the results of individual analytic studies." It is suggested that through this view the complexity and multidimensionality of man can be considered. One statistical multivariate technique that attempts to view the interrelationships of components is factor analysis. The use of principle axis factor analysis is common in data reduction to simple structure. Another use for factor analysis is hypothesis testing. It is also suggested that greater use of this tool in determining the strength of an attitude in relationship to other attitudes would be of great help in communication. (LL)