Using Rhetorical/Relational Goal Theory to Examine College Students’ Impressions of Their Instructors

Guided by rhetorical/relational goal theory, the purpose of this study was to examine whether students’ impressions of their instructors’ credibility, attraction, and homophily are influenced by four specific rhetorical and relational communication behaviors that instructors use when communicating with their students in the classroom. Participants were 193 undergraduate students enrolled in a variety of introductory communication courses at a large mid-Atlantic university. Using a series of multiple regression analyses, it was found that (a) clarity emerged as the sole indicator of instructor competence, trustworthiness, and task attraction; (b) clarity and confirmation emerged as indicators of goodwill; and (c) humor and confirmation emerged as indicators of social attraction and attitude homophily.     

The relative effect on audience attitude of the first versus the second argumentative speech of a series∗

This research sought (a) to distinguish between the concepts of apathy and neutrality toward contemporary issues, (b) to model, via computer simulation, apathetic and neutral audiences in order to predict reactions to persuasive messages, and (c) to validate, by means of both attitude and behavioral measures, the efficacy of the model. A computer program was developed and modified by data gathered in the field. The program provides recommendations for messages which can be presented to audiences in order to test their effectiveness. Neutral individuals and apathetic individuals shifted attitudes significantly in this study. A measure of “commitment to action” revealed mixed responses.     

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.     

中国大众传播渠道的公信力评测——中国大众媒介公信力调查评测报告系列

本文对大众传播体系中各媒介渠道相对公信力、绝对公信力的调查发现,媒介渠道之间的公信力存在较大差异,并有明显的地域与城市类型差别。同时对整个传播体系中各传播渠道相对公信力的调查发现,国内电视依然是公信力最高的媒介渠道,各媒介渠道公信力有地域的差别。     

Part 2: The Determination of Web Credibility: A Theoretical Model Derived From Qualitative Data

Previous research uncovered 12 factors impacting Web credibility judgments: authority, page layout, site motive, URL, crosscheckability, user motive, content, date, professionalism, site familiarity, process, and personal beliefs. These factors are examined in terms of general trends as they pertain to the three groups that provided the data: undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty. A theoretical model is created from the data to describe the process through which web users make web credibility judgments.     

Does Watching Television Actually Make One Nicer? The Use of Conflict Management Message Styles

A telephone survey of 122 respondents was conducted to examine whether exposure to television predicted the use of certain conflict management message styles. Television exposure was not a significant predictor of using a “self-oriented” or “issue-oriented” approach. However, it was a significant predictor of using an “other-oriented” approach to conflict management. Viewers with greater exposure to television were more likely to report using positive message responses when dealing with conflict than their lighter-viewing counterparts.     

意识阈限下信息刺激的传播效果研究——基于ERP的实验研究

本文是中国人民大学舆论研究所传播心理实验工作室采用ERP方法测定的关于意识阈限下信息刺激的传播效果的研究分析报告。通过ERP实验,我们确定和描述了:1.阈下知觉是否对信息接收者评判后续信息是否存在影响(即是否存在启动效应);2.阈下信息加工和阈下启动效应在不同特质人群中会有怎样的效果。     

Memorable messages as guides to self-assessment of behavior: an initial investigation

An investigation of memorable messages as guides to behavior from a Control Theory perspective was conducted. Respondents were asked to recall behaviors that either exceeded or violated their personal expectations for themselves, then to recall the memorable messages that came to mind when self-assessing these behaviors. This method uses the self-assessment of prior behavior as the entry point to a feedback loop. Control Theory predicts that within the feedback loop behaviors should be compared with internal principles that come from memorable messages. This comparison should result in either a positively or negatively valenced evaluation of the behavior if it either exceeds or violates personal standards represented as internal principles. The findings include the categories of behaviors that exceeded or violated personal expectations, the co-participants and the site of the behaviors, the memorable messages, and the sources and the timing of the memorable messages that were recalled during the comparison process. In addition, significant relationships of association were found between the behaviors, their valence, and the memorable messages associated with the self-assessment of behaviors. Thus, it was possible to examine the comparison process of any of the seven classes of behaviors that were found in terms of the memorable messages that respondents recalled when self-assessing these behaviors.     

An instructor self‐disclosure scale

This ‐paper introduces the Instructor Self‐Disclosure Scale and reports on two initial studies that address the reliability and validity of the scale. The Instructor Self‐Disclosure Scale is an 18‐item measure of the amount of instructor self‐disclosure. In Study One, instructor self‐disclosure was positively related to the student motives of relational, excuse‐making, and sycophancy. In Study Two, instructor self‐disclosure was positively related to out‐of‐class communication, the student interest dimensions of meaningfulness and impact, and cognitive learning. Additionally, the Instructor Self‐Disclosure Scale appears to be a unidimensional, internally reliable measure.     

Point of Practice: Keeping “Health” in Health Communication Research and Practice

A review of my research in health communication leads to the presentation of eight insights that may be applied to the practice of health communication. The significance of collaboration and work in health communication practice settings, ranging from public health departments, to clinics, to participation in the Institute of Medicine guides the discussion of three broad principles that inform my health communication research. In both cases, a core emphasis is given to keeping “health” in health communication research and practice.