Articulates a theoretical framework for understanding the fundamental functions of political advertising (acclaiming, attacking, defending) which occur on the twin grounds of policy considerations and character. Applies this theory of political discourse to presidential general election television spots from 1980-1996, finding that Democrats and…

Investigates how attributions of blame and control influenced evaluations by undergraduate students of comforting messages varying in level of person-centeredness. Finds messages low in person-centeredness were more appropriate with high-blame targets, whereas messages high in person-centeredness were more appropriate with low-blame targets;…

Finds that in low suspicion conditions, there was more truth bias when detectors (undergraduate students) had reduced cognitive capacity; but when detectors were in the high suspicion conditions, there was no significant difference between high and low capacity conditions. Suggests suspicion motivates people who have sufficient cognitive capacity…

Surveys 100 younger adults' satisfying/dissatisfying experiences with elders, comparing them with peers. Finds positivity of experiences and contact increased from nonfamily to family elders and to peers. (PA)

Reports on three studies which investigated whether patterns identified in the general communication apprehension (CA) literature would emerge with regard to employment interviews. Finds that high CAs avoid thinking about interviews, avoid preparing for them, and use a pattern of communicative minimization (few gestures, few words, etc.) in…

Investigates national media attention to Democratic and Republican women congressional candidates in 1990 and 1992. Finds media attention related to whether the candidates are running for the Senate or House, incumbency, and state population. Shows that party is a statistically significant factor associated with media attention, and that ethnic…

Tests empirically a model of the relationships between social accounts, appraisal of actions (perceptions of fairness and attributions of responsibility) and two reactions to untoward actions (anger and approval). Suggests that the influence of social accounts on employees' anger and disapproval is mediated by perceived fairness and…

Reveals the adversarial nature of joint participation in courtroom cross-examinations through analyzing methods for presenting and preserving alternative versions of past events. Examines three methods employed by witnesses and lawyers: "I don't know" and "I don't remember"; prior testimony to induce a witness to change an…

Uses a hypothetical example of an institutional review board's concerns about a speech communication faculty member's research project to illustrate current issues that speech communication administrators, departmental faculty, and graduate students need to consider as their human-subjects based research becomes increasingly overseen by external…

Links decoding ability to interpersonal cognitive complexity and to person-centered verbal adaptiveness. Finds females more likely than males to be higher in interpersonal cognitive complexity and person-centered verbal ability, and that the influence of sex washes out the relationship of nonverbal decoding ability and cognitive complexity with…

Investigates the relationship between the argumentativeness scale and judgments of its social desirability. Finds that when the variance in argumentativeness that can be attributed to social desirability is removed, the difference between the sexes diminishes. Analyzes sex differences in social desirability, and concludes that sex differences on…

Examines how to create organizational processes that allow communication professionals with a variety of expertise to support each other through coordination and integration. Studies eight of America's leading total quality management corporations, including AT&T, Federal Express, Saturn, and Xerox. Explores how various total quality…

Explores gossip's function as a social influence tool. Considers if gossip is untrustworthy, leading to relational demise, or whether gossip can lead to perceived liking, trust, and expertise. Indicates that for the undergraduate student subjects, both positive and negative gossip are perceived negatively for both friends and strangers. (SG)

Explains that Type I error is a risk undertaken whenever significance tests are conducted, and the chances of committing a Type I error increase as the number of significance tests increases. Notes that adjusting the alpha level because of the number of tests conducted in a given study has no principled basis, commits one to absurd beliefs and…

Tries to distinguish the key insights from some distortions by clarifying the goals of experiment-wise error control that D. O'Keefe correctly identifies as vague and open to misuse. Concludes that a better understanding of the goal of experiment-wise error correction erases many of these "absurdities," but the clarifications necessary…