Tests several contrasting predictions from uncertainty reduction theory and predicted outcome value theory. Finds strong support for the predicted outcome value perspective and its claim that uncertainty reduction processes are subservient to outcome maximization goals in initial interactions. (SR)

Provides a contrastive test of three immediacy-exchange theories: expectancy violations theory; discrepancy arousal theory; and cognitive valence theory. States findings from opposite-sex friend dyads (one of whom was an undergraduate student) failed to find unequivocal support for a single theory. Suggests existing immediacy-exchange theories…

Defines and tests two gratifications sought and obtained models. Suggests the transactional model is more effective in predicting dependency on, while an expanded discrepancy model better predicts frequency of, viewing two kinds of television news programs. (MS)

Examines three cognitive theories which account for variations in verbal disagreement tactics. Finds that, of 40 dyadic interactions, planning measures strongly correlate with the use of integrative conflict tactics, and the individual difference measure is strongly associated with the quality of plans. Suggests that integrative models are needed…

Al Hester's communication model sees news flow as being primarily dependent upon national rank in the hierarchy of nations, dominance and weakness of nations, and economic and cultural factors. A sample of 37 newspapers was content analyzed in a study extending this international news flow concept to the intra-national level to determine whether…

Tests three rival measurement models of a common measure of trait communication apprehension, the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24). Finds that the second-order factor model better fits the data in terms of conceptual implications, psychometric properties, and empirical evidence than the linear, unidimensional model or the…

Examines the role of culture as a key variable in public relations research and practice. Finds (1) American practitioners continue to practice one-way models of public relations; and (2) public relations practitioners who have collectivistic values tend to practice two-way models of public relations. Discusses implications for theory and…

Experiment dealt with selecting political candidates. Results provide some limited support for the hypothesized importance of matching information presentation formats to decision-making strategies. However, the most effective pattern of matching turned out to be in the opposite direction of the prediction. Discusses methodological issues. (PD)

A study tested several different cognitive models of the way people use supporting arguments to arrive at belief in a claim. The models tested were (1) the model based on the assumption that human information processing is essentially logical; (2) R. S. Wyer's model; (3) the message-plus-context model; and (4) the weighted average model. One…

Although a large body of research exists regarding the construct of "socialization," scholars have no universally accepted definition of this construct. Additionally, scholars have used the term to describe several different components of both structural and communication dynamics without agreeing upon a metaphor or general acceptance of…

A content analysis model for assessing advertising themes and messages generated primarily for United States markets to overcome barriers in the cultural environment of international markets was developed and tested. The model is based on three primary categories for generating, evaluating, and executing advertisements: rational, emotional, and…

Tests the inferential approach to the study of competence evaluation and a series of complicating factors relevant to it by having participants with known implicit theories judge an observed communicator on a set of competence-relevant characteristics and on overall competence. Finds inferential models predicted these judgments well. (MS)

Examines 73 participants on the relationship between verbal recall and listening, using measures of listening behavior as a criterion. Considers three possible models: (1) isomorphic, (2) confounding, and (3) recall ability as antecedent to listening. Finds that a model stipulating verbal recall ability as antecedent to listening provides the best…

Compares the Group Valence Model (GVM) to several derived versions of the Valence Distribution Model (VDM), as they relate to the group problem-solving process. Suggests that, not withstanding predictive accuracy, the VDM seems generally inferior to the GVM, which consistently accounts for more of the decision-making phenomenon. Discusses…

Investigates the diffusion of information about the space shuttle Challenger explosion by comparing loglinear models of the diffusion process. Finds that the most parsimonious model with adequate goodness of fit was a linear one in which a person's location affected how the information was heard, which in turn affected when the information was…