A Replication of Xu & Burleson (2001) “Effects of Sex,Culture, and Support Type on Perceptions of Spousal Social Support: An Assessment of the ‘Support Gap’ Hypothesis in Early Marriage”

In response to recent calls regarding the social sciences’ “replication crisis,” we have endeavored to replicate Xu and Burleson’s (2001) research study, “Effects of Sex, Culture, and Support Type of Perceptions of Spousal Support: An Assessment.” This study, which examines the support gap hypothesis and its different manifestations among men and women from the United States of America and China, has contributed greatly to scholarly conversations on social support, sex, culture, and support gaps. Results from our study partially replicate Xu and Burleson’s (2001) original findings and provide general empirical evidence for the support gap hypothesis. Differences in findings between the two studies and their implications are discussed.     

Defining diabetes and assigning responsibility: how print media frame diabetes in New Zealand

Research has analyzed media framing of cause and solution responsibility attribution in diabetes discourse. Studies have not similarly engaged with how media frame diabetes ‘effects’, an integral framing component because it comprises the ‘problem definition’ of diabetes. Moreover, the combination of causal attribution and effects provides a ‘moral evaluation’ on who carries the burden of the disease. This paper asks ‘how does the New Zealand print media frame diabetes definition and responsibility attribution?’ We identify key frames used to discursively construct Gestational, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes discourse. Content and thematic analysis reveal that media predominantly discuss diabetes without type-specification and with a high reference to obesity and behavioral choices as causal factors. Diabetes is defined as an individual’s medical concern, which when mismanaged results in amputation, blindness, kidney disease and coronary disease. We consider the implications of media coverage on public response to diabetes as a societal concern.     

Reluctance to Talk About Politics in Face-to-Face and Facebook Settings: Examining the Impact of Fear of Isolation,Willingness to Self-Censor,and Peer Network Characteristics

This study examines citizens’ willingness to publicly express support for a political party or candidate face-to-face and on Facebook during an election. Findings from a survey showed that fear of social isolation (FSI) exhibited a negative indirect effect on public expression about the election through willingness to self-censor (WTSC) for both communication environments. The indirect effect through WTSC was contingent on perceived political disagreement within homophilous peer networks contributing to a hostile opinion climate. Moreover, in face-to-face interactions those with higher levels of FSI were less likely to express support in heterogeneous offline networks with high levels of disagreement but were more likely to do so in homophilous networks that share similar political views. The study demonstrates the utility of combining a dispositional approach and friendship-based reference groups to the examination of key spiral of silence mechanisms at the individual level.     

How do public libraries create social capital? An analysis of interactions between library staff and patrons

In this qualitative study exploring the content of social interactions between library staff and patrons, interviews were held with 15 library staff members in three neighborhood branch libraries in a large American midwestern city. An analysis of the interviews suggests that public libraries may contribute to social capital through the relationships and interactions that occur between staff and patrons. Some of the ways in which these relationships and interactions may contribute to social capital include: building patrons' trust in the library and its staff, connecting people to both community and library resources, providing social support for patrons, reducing social isolation, helping patrons gain skills to function in an increasingly online world, and providing a positive place for neighborhood residents to gather. The kinds of social interactions occurring in libraries that may help to build social capital are highlighted.     

The role played by government communication on the level of public fear in social media: An investigation into the Covid-19 crisis in Italy

In situations of crisis, governments must acknowledge that communication is a major weapon in their armoury, and can be used to convince the public to accept sometimes stringent measures, while preventing a worsening of the situation by curbing any spread of panic. Theoretically, during a pandemic, fear can be contained at reasonable levels by governments counterbalancing uncertainty with information. However, there is no empirical evidence on how the flow of information during a crisis can influence emotional states among the population. In this process, social media appears to be a valuable tool for governments to observe emotional response in a population. In the light of this and within the context of the Italian government's social media campaign #iorestoacasa (‘I'm staying at home’) launched during the Covid-19 crisis, the current study utilises text analytics to explore the relationship between government and press communication, and the level of fear expressed by citizens through more than 200 thousand #iorestoacasa tweets. The results highlight how the content of the messages evolved in the early part of the outbreak and during the social media campaign. They suggest that in Italy the discussion regarding the efforts made by the European Council to find common solutions for dealing with the emergency has prompted a positive influence on public mood. Conversely, messages about people's individual vulnerability and the associated sense of an external locus of control correlated positively with levels of fear. This study opens new ways to support government communication during a crisis by monitoring public emotional response through social media.     

“If I knew then what I know now”: Seropositive individuals' perceptions of partner trust,safety and risk prior to HIV infection

The purpose of this study was to examine personal and relational characteristics of HIV positive individuals. Forty HIV positive heterosexuals, who were infected through heterosexual sex, completed an on‐line questionnaire designed to assess perceived risk of HIV, perceived partner safety and trust, and reasons for these perceptions prior to HIV infection. Results indicated that prior to infection, HIV positive heterosexuals reported having similar sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to those not infected with the virus. Participants reported moderate to high levels of trust for their partners, low levels of perceived risk of infection, and high levels of perceived partner safety. A moderately strong, negative, linear relationship existed between perceived partner safety and partner trust and perceived risk. In addition, women perceived their partners as “safer”; than did men and those in serious relationships perceived their partners as safer than those in casual relationships. Results from this study shed light on the personal and relational characteristics of heterosexuals living with HIV and the utility of social comparison theory in raising awareness about HIV positive and negative individuals.     

风险认知视域下社交媒体用户健康信息规避行为生成机理研究

［目的/意义］ 探索风险认知视域下社交媒体用户健康信息规避行为的生成要素及内在机理,为社交媒体的健康信息服务和用户的健康管理决策提供科学指导。［方法/过程］ 基于刺激-反应-机体（S-O-R）理论和风险信息搜寻与加工模型（RISP）,对风险认知视域下社交媒体用户健康信息规避行为的感知过程及影响要素进行分析,从关注诱发、态势感知、情绪发酵、统觉控制4个阶段,构建社交媒体用户健康信息规避行为的生成机理模型。［结果/结论］ 阐释风险认知视域下社交媒体用户健康信息规避行为生成要素之间的逻辑关联,揭示要素与各阶段机理的内在关系,提出社交媒体用户健康信息规避行为管理策略。     

Continuing the tradition… advancing the boundaries

This study investigated the influence that social and emotional support have on attributional confidence in the brother‐brother relationship. Two‐hundred thirteen males reported on the relationship with their brother. Social support dimensions of relational support, interpersonal depth, relational conflict and emotional support were examined as a function of attributional confidence. Results indicated positive relationships between social support dimensions of relational support and interpersonal depth with attributional confidence. Relational conflict was negatively related to attributional confidence. No significant relationship between emotional support and attributional confidence was observed.     

Marital support giving as a function of attributional confidence

This study sought to investigate the relationship between attributional confidence and social and emotional support. Consistent with uncertainty reduction theory, it was hypothesized that as relationships develop, so too should relational partner ability to predict spousal behaviors, thoughts, and feelings as well as provide appropriate social and emotional support. Two hundred sixty‐nine married people completed several measures assessing perceived attributional confidence, emotional support and social support of their partner. Results indicated a positive relationship between attributional confidence and interpersonal depth, social and emotional support as well as a negative relationship between attributional confidence and interpersonal conflict. Results are discussed in terms of Uncertainty Reduction Theory.     

A Review and Meta-Analysis of Person-Centered Messages and Social Support Outcomes

Person-centered messages are a form of social support that has been theoretically and empirically linked to a variety of outcomes. Scholars would benefit by recognizing the influence of person-centered messages across a number of studies in the absence of statistical artifacts. This article reports a meta-analysis testing the association between person-centered messages and social support outcomes across 23 studies. Our results demonstrate a positive linear association between person-centeredness and actual effectiveness, and an even stronger linear relationship between person-centeredness and perceived effectiveness. The association between person-centeredness and support outcomes was attenuated in confederate-based methodologies. Moreover, the data suggest that scholars need to more precisely conceptualize and empirically assess the differences between the nine levels of the person-centered hierarchy.     

Social support and perceived understanding in the brother relationship

Social support is an important factor in peoples' physical and psychological well‐being. Pierce, Sarason, & Sarason (1991) identified three social support styles: relationship support, relationship conflict, and interpersonal depth. This study was interested in the relationship between these three styles with perceived understanding in the brother‐brother relationship. Ninety‐six sets of brothers completed a questionnaire reporting on the styles they use with their brothers and their feelings of being understood. Results showed overall positive relationships between the styles of relationship support and interpersonal depth with perceived understanding. The style of relationship conflict was negatively related to perceived understanding. Additionally, brothers reported using similar support styles with one another.     

“More alike than different”: learning about diversity from people with disabilities

Courses: Interpersonal Communication, Health Communication, Intercultural Communication

Objectives: After completing this semester-long activity students, should be able to (1) apply course concepts (i.e., stereotypes, identity, listening, language, and conflict) to diverse real-world scenarios; (2) explain the utility of intergroup contact theory in relationship to communication and social diversity; (3) critically reflect on social diversity explored through communication behaviors; and (4) develop communication competence toward diverse others, specifically persons with disabilities (PWDs).     

Anonymity and Interaction in an Online Breast Cancer Social Support Group

Despite the benefits of using online social support groups, prior research does not provide a solid understanding of the online factors related to an individual’s supportive interaction. Accordingly, this study aims to explore how various aspects of anonymity predict different levels of social support engagement. The current study uncovers that visually identifiable group members are more likely to get supportive responses than are visually anonymous members. Also, when support group members are visually and discursively identifiable, they are more likely to get supportive messages than those who are visually and discursively anonymous. Additionally, the more identifiable support group members are, the more they receive positive messages. Practical implications for the role of social support group members’ anonymity/identifiability on the overall social support process are presented.     

Media Freedom and Social Capital

This article examines the relationship between media freedom and social capital by using cross-country panel data. The hypothesis of the current study is the U-shaped relationship between media freedom and social capital, which is based on the claims that media freedom has a negative impact on bonding social capital and a positive effect on bridging social capital. To test the hypothesis, this study uses OLS and 2SLS regression methods, as well as panel data random effects regression. The empirical ?ndings support the hypothesis of the U-shaped relationship.     

Does Facebook Use Predict College Students’ Social Capital? A Replication of Ellison,Steinfield, and Lampe’s (2007) Study Using the Original and More Recent Measures of Facebook Use and Social Capital

In 2007 Ellison, Steinfield, and Lampe published an article on the positive association between Facebook use and social capital that started a decade of research on the social outcomes of social network site use. Although cited almost 9,000 times, it received critique on the conceptualization and operationalization of Facebook use and social capital. In this study we replicate Ellison et al.’s study with original and alternative measures of social capital and Facebook use, thereby shedding light on the robustness, stability, and ecological validity of the original findings. We found that Facebook intensity positively predicts the original social capital measures, lending support to the validity of the original findings. Its relationship with structural measures, however, was weak for bridging and absent for bonding social capital.     

An interactionist perspective on dominance‐submission: Interpersonal dominance as a dynamic,situationally contingent social skill

Dominance‐submission in interpersonal interaction typically has been conceptualized as largely a function of either highly stable characteristics of individual actors (e.g., basic termperament, genetic heritage, fixed social roles) or highly dynamic properties of situations (e.g., relational control sequences). Too, the dominance end of the continuum frequently has been infused with negative connotations. Here it is argued that a more balanced and comprehensive perspective is achieved by conceptualizing interpersonal dominance as influenced by a combination of person, situation, and relationship factors and as including positive qualities that also underwrite social competence. Experimental data relevant to this interactionist perspective were examined for the impacts of one traitlike actor variable (self‐reported social skills), two situational factors (communication format and message goal), and one relationship factor (acquaintanceship) on dominance displays during dyadic interactions. Sender and receiver perceptions were also triangulated with observational data from trained coders. Results support an interactionist conceptualization of dominance.     

A Social Cognitive Theory Approach to the Effects of Mediated Intergroup Contact on Intergroup Attitudes

This research applies a social cognitive theory perspective to the study of mediated intergroup contact. It was hypothesized that exposure to positive intergroup contact on television would be associated with more positive intergroup attitudes. Some support for this hypothesis was found for exposure to gay-straight and Black-White interactions. It was also hypothesized that identification with a character belonging to the viewer's ingroup and perceived typicality of a character from an outgroup would be associated with more positive intergroup attitudes. Some support for these hypotheses emerged with regard to associations between exposure to televised gay-straight interactions and homophobic attitudes.     

Cultural Differences of Social Network Influence on Romantic Relationships: A Comparison of the United States and South Korea

This study examined the association between social network support and relationship quality of romantic partners among American and Korean college students. As predicted, findings indicated that Americans involve their family and friends more in their romantic relationships and, accordingly, get more support from them for their relationships than Koreans do. However, the results did not support the hypothesis that Koreans would perceive social network support as more important for their romantic relationships. Instead, network importance negatively mediated the effects of social network on relationship quality only for Americans. The positive associations between network support and relationship quality were not differential between the two samples. Implications for culture and close relationships are discussed.     

Risk,affect, and policy support: public perception of air pollution in China

Air pollution is a critical environmental problem that has spurred great public concern in China. This study examines how issue salience, environmental value, risk perception, and affective response influence information seeking, objective knowledge, and policy support related to this issue. The recent release of a controversial environmental documentary on Chinese social media, Under the Dome, also prompted us to explore the impact of exposure to this documentary on Chinese social media users’ information seeking and policy support related to air pollution. Results showed that risk perception and negative affect influenced information seeking and policy support both directly and indirectly. Also, exposure to the documentary moderated the effects of key variables on information seeking and policy support. However, contrary to our expectations, no significant relationship was found between information seeking and objective knowledge. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.