Finds no support for cohort-centrism from a communication perspective, but finds that older persons viewed their conversational partners, whether young or old, to be more competent than did younger persons, and were more satisfied conversing with young persons. Finds that younger persons were less satisfied, regardless of the age of the…

Combines theoretical insights of communication accommodation theory and the communicative predicament model (CPM) of aging with methodological procedures of interethnic communication. Finds that older communicators in dissatisfying conversations were characterized as being underaccommodative and negatively expressive. Interprets data theoretically…

Reports a study comparing the nonverbal decoding ability (under auditory, visual, and audio-visual conditions) of college age females with elderly females, in order to identify preliminary nonverbal differences which may be related to aging. Finds that the elderly were significantly less skilled in decoding nonverbal behaviors across all…

Finds that self-reported loneliness was not related to depression or social anxiety for either young or older adults, and was not related to young or older adults' social skill as measured by partner attention. Indicates that social anxiety, however, was related to social skill during intergenerational conversations. (SR)

Considers age and sex differences on aggressive and responsive communication traits. States that participants reported their verbal aggressiveness, argumentativeness, communication apprehension, cognitive flexibility, and other characteristics. Finds significant interactions for argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness. Concludes that studying…

Presents an overview of cognitive psychology research on the effects of aging on literacy and suggests the additional complications facing older adults who consume and produce text within the frame of technology, particularly, on-line usage. Gives suggestions of possible ways of addressing concerns regarding aging. (SG)

A study determined the relationships among interpersonal communication competence, communicative flexibility, and rhetorical sensitivity and whether there are difference among gender groups, age groups, and class groups in rating these dependent measures. Subjects, 78 students enrolled in one of 4 sections of an upper-division undergraduate…

Suggests a "complexity effect" for overall message-production speed (in which undergraduate students exhibited superior performance relative to older adults) and for initial message-production-skills performance and rate of skill acquisition, with these differences not pronounced under complex-task conditions. Finds that older adults' learning…

Research was conducted on the age and sex differences in raters' evaluations of job applicants' nonverbal behaviors. A ten-minute videotape of five interviews was shown to 28 members (7 females and 21 males) of the Industrial Personnel Association who had varying years of experience in personnel work. The simulations depicted job applicants whose…

Suggests that the increase in older adults (as compared to young adults) of uses of ambiguous reference is not caused by age- or cohort-related differences in knowledge structures needed to determine coreference based on plausibility; availability or weighing of strategies for using anaphoric devices; or assumptions about the degree of specificity…

Teaching assistants (TAs) play a considerable role in undergraduate education. Adopting a developmental perspective could lead TA supervisors and other faculty members to facilitate the maturation of their graduate students/TAs into tomorrow's professors more successfully. According to J. Sprague and J. D. Nyquist (1989), there are 4 questions for…

A study examined developmental trends in the quality and outcomes of disagreements occurring in the conversation of small groups of acquainted peers. Specifically, the study focused on the relationship of disagreeing and arguing sequences to the general level of topical coherence achieved in the conversation as a whole. Five discussion groups,…

Investigates the degree and character of career burnout among mass communication educators, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory which conceptualizes burnout as a three-dimensional variable consisting of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced feelings of personal accomplishment. Discusses results in terms of rank and tenure, gender…

A study examined two factors thought to affect an individual's preference for confrontation or avoidance strategies when ending a relationship--communicator age and sex role orientation. Subjects were 29 fifth grade students, 64 high school sophomores, 43 college students, and 37 adults enrolled in a night class. All subjects read a scenario from…