Shows that processing demand is an incomplete explanation of receiver apprehension because motivation (the desire to process a message) and the expectation that the receiver will have to reproduce some aspect of the message for inspection by others (evaluation) are also important factors in receiver apprehension. (SR)

Argues that evoking the maternal archetype as a unifying principle to motivate the protection and sustenance of the environment confounds womanhood with motherhood, and fails to honor the complexity of motherhood as an ideologically and socially constructed institution. Maintains that a gender-neutral metaphor may more effectively serve both the…

Finds that two primary archetypal metaphors--death and rebirth--emerged in the public debate concerning management of the 1988 Yellowstone forest fires. Argues that the crisis brought two competing views of public land management to the forefront: the ecological view, and the human-centered view. (SR)

Adds to an ongoing discussion in this journal about evidence, arguing that the ways communication scholars think about evidentiary criteria constrain and limit the purview of what they study as communication. Offers two observations on evidence that may serve as guides in generating and using evidence. (SR)

Finds that similarity in communication values among heterosexual dating partners did not contribute to whether people dated one another, but did contribute to how satisfied they were with their dating relationship and how attracted they were to their partners. (SR)

Finds that, in an interactional context involving bargaining, power accounted for over three times the amount of variance in threat use than did gender, and was the best predictor of the use of powerful language in this context. (SR)

Outlines the development and use of the Verbal Immediacy Scale. Presents data that indicate it lacks both face and construct validity. Concludes that the scale may not be a valid operationalization of the immediacy construct, and even if it is, it generates a response set such that the meaning of the responses obtained is unknown. (SR)

Investigates two models (the Elaboration Likelihood Model and the Heuristic-Systematic Model) of the cognitive processing of fear-arousing messages in undergraduate students. Finds in three of the four conditions (low fear, high fear, high trait anxiety) that cognitive processing appears to be antagonistic. Finds some evidence of concurrent…

Finds that relationship intimacy interacts with privacy violation types to affect the likelihood of using certain interaction control strategies. Shows that the need for not neighboring interacted with type of privacy invasion to affect the likelihood of using expression of negative arousal strategies. (SR)

Argues and empirically demonstrates that a model based on S. Feld's focus theory validly describes the activity structure of a local church, and that this activity structure is significantly related to communication links among the membership, organized by a latent hierarchy of activation. Finds relationships between activation and personal…

Suggests that newcomers need several types of information to reduce uncertainty surrounding organizational entry. Surveys 117 newcomers (recent college graduates) to assess perceived usefulness of 7 types of information and the extent to which they had passively and actively obtained them. Finds information was obtained actively through monitoring…

Introduces "virtual reality" (computer-enhanced environments in which the user feels present), and considers its possible implications for communication research and researchers. (SR)

Investigates the use of "vague quantifiers" (terms such as "often,""sometimes,""rarely," or "never") in communication research. Finds that these words do not always mean the same thing to different people, and thus may not constitute interval scales. Suggests that research outcomes based upon such…

Demonstrates that people examine an argument and determine whether to assent based on the quality of the justification provided. Shows that these justifications do not reside in the structure of the argument but in the content of the argument and the interaction of the content with the belief system of the message receiver. (SR)

Assess the expectedness, interpretations, and evaluations of touch and its influence on such communication outcomes as communicator attractiveness and credibility. Finds that brief touches among strangers may have positive consequences, especially when initiated by high-valence communicators, for whom they may qualify as positive violations. (SR)