States that beliefs about the causes and responsibility for disease are central to cultural understandings of the human condition. Explores how public communication influences such beliefs. Argues that attributions of responsibility are better understood rhetorically, as influencing attitudes and behavior. Discusses a model of public communication…

Examines in three phases whether managerial communication processes differ in more and less successful mergers. Interviews employees of four financial institutions to develop hypotheses on managerial communication activities. Formulates hypotheses and identifies several contingencies that appeared to influence the communication needs of employees…

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is increasingly being advocated as the preferred approach to practice in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The EBP process involves multiple steps. The asking of a well-built question is the first step in the quest for answers. At the same time it is also often the first stumbling block for…

Extending past research, the present study provides an initial examination of the relationship between trait-like personality variables, communicator style, and individual listening preferences. A series of canonical correlations were run to ascertain to what degree certain communication preferences and trait-like personality variables are related…

Classroom observations are an important source of information about teaching and about the practice of particular teachers. The paper considers the value placed on talk as opposed to silence in this context and suggests that a cultural bias towards talk means that silence is commonly perceived negatively. The paper is based on a qualitative…

One of the goals for an undergraduate Communication Research Methods class is that students be able to read quantitative communication research from scholarly journals, identify the variables being studied, and understand the methodology employed. This sounds simple enough, but most students come into the class having never even seen a scholarly…

While not presuming to present a model of organizational socialization that is complete and totally accurate, this paper examines organizational socialization in a new way through the lenses of symbolic interactionism and culture theory. The first section of the paper describes the basic tenets of symbolic interactionism and how these have been…

Reports three studies suggesting that speech rate perception is influenced by vocal frequency and, to some extent, by intensity, and that these relationships are not materially altered by the speakers' gender. (JAD)

Employs Kenneth Burke's sociological criticism to study the discourse of the 1984 nominating conventions. Finds that the parties organized narratives that followed distinct assessments of political reality as the Democrats told a story following a "fear and fairness" theme, while the Republicans relied on a "prosperity and…

Contends that the trouble with communication research is fragmentation and too much low-quality and very little high-quality work. (PD)

Reviews the development of communication research in Hungary in the 1970s and the priorities for the 1980s. (PD)

Investigates significance of the index in the process of mapping and formatting sites, spaces, and words on the Internet as well as diagnosing, tracking, and soliciting users. Argues that indexical technologies are increasingly called upon by commercial interests to automate the solicitation process whereby entry into an Internet site triggers the…

Argues that in interpreting interaction, individuals focus on one dimension or another. Hypothesizes that the salience of dominance or affiliation is a function of the goal-defined context; involvement is also essential in studying relational communication. Rates the relevance of a series of word pairs that operationalized dominance, affiliation,…

Examines on-air television and radio newscasters' traitlike communication dispositions. Finds that television and radio personalities were less apprehensive, less shy, less responsive, more assertive, and more extroverted than the average individual. Indicates that higher-paid personalities were more willing to communicate than their lesser-paid…

Determines the characteristics of interactions that influence judgments of interruption behavior in naive observers. Asks subjects to decide whether an example of an interruption was an interruption and then rate it in terms of how "good" or "bad" it was. Finds that naive observers use some of the same features described in…