If language research is to arrive at valid analyses of speech behavior, both observation and elicitation methods of data collection will have to be used as necessary complements to one another. The advantages and disadvantages of different research methods are discussed. (CB)

Investigates differences in the language learning environments of six twin pairs and 12 singleton toddlers (all firstborn) with special reference to pragamatic factors that might be expected to differ in dyadic and triadic interactive situations. (HOD)

Explores the role of language in peer interaction and play of deaf children, taking into consideration the effect of hearing status, familiarity, and experience in playing with deaf children. (HOD)

Discusses the limitations of previous energy conservation programs in affecting the behavior of individual consumers. Suggests that the rational-economic model upon which they were based needs to be supplemented with alternative psychosociological models in developing future programs. (EVL)

Discusses a study of prelinguistic "referential" communication routines and their effects on infants' mastery of protoreferential communication. Reports that observations were made of interactions between infants and mothers. Concludes that infants' communicative skill development depends partly on how adults organize interactions to…

Discusses a technique for identifying the function of minimal responses in conversation. Describes a study in which subjects listened to one of two versions of a recorded conversation: one complete, one with minimal responses deleted. Concludes that minimal responses serve to denote agreement and suggest informality. (DK)

Although alcoholism is increasingly recognized as a family disease, most research looks solely at the alcoholic, or occasionally at the alcoholic's spouse. However, there are a multitude of potential studies regarding the alcoholic family system, parent-child communication, marital communication, and sibling communication in the alcoholic home. To…

Using a feminist and subversive perspective, a study examined the testimonies of five adult females each having experienced childhood sexual abuse. All the subjects--participants in a multi-medium art show sponsored by an urban mental health center--contacted the researcher voluntarily. Participants ranged in age from 39 to 54; sexual orientation…

Although business organizations consider the financial and strategic implications of "downsizing" (a euphemism for what used to be called "layoffs"), they often neglect to consider the communication and human resource implications. Not only does downsizing affect the operational aspects of the restructured company, but also the…

A study tested a causal model of job burnout from a communication perspective. Drawing from Linear Force Aggregation Theory, social structure theory, and current burnout literature, the study posited direct relationships between network integration, job-related stress, and cognitive distance between perceptions of self and job. It also…

The discipline of speech communication was established early in the twentieth century. After its subject matter was defined and separated from the field of English by Herbert Wichelns's "The Literary Criticism of Oratory," departments were established and a separate organization--The National Association of Teachers of Public Speaking--was formed.…

It is axiomatic that context influences interpersonal behaviors, yet communication researchers have had limited success in generating a set of conceptual or operational definitions for the situation variable. Two studies were conducted to examine emotion-eliciting qualities as the basis for such a typology and the relationship of situations…

A study was conducted to determine the place of cable in the lives of subscribers and its perception among nonsubscribers. Subjects, 251 subscribers and 246 nonsubscribers in a northeastern city midway in the process of cable diffusion, responded to a number of questions concerning their recreational activities, sources of information about cable,…

The "at-will" rule in American law is defined as the right of a private sector employer to dismiss an employee without a contract for virtually any reason. The rule has thrived since the nineteenth century and is still a major factor in the employer-employee relationship. However, recent court decisions have fashioned common law…

A comprehensive theory of instruction is needed that (1) acknowledges the centrality of communication to instruction; (2) recognizes that instruction involves changes in student knowledge, affect, and behavior; and (3) reflects a systematic orientation to instruction. The literature in diffusion, particularly in the area of the communication of…