The effects of power and message variables on compliance

It has long been recognized in the nonverbal communication literature that individual differences in extraversion are expected to be most clearly evident in expressive forms of nonverbal behavior. Although several studies designed to examine the correlation between extraversion and nonverbal behavior have been conducted, most attempts to summarize these studies reflect the inconsistent nature of the research findings. Indeed, correlations range from ?.36 to .73. The extant literature summaries are limited to narrative reviews, however, which tend to be highly selective. The purpose of this study was to meta‐analyze the relevant studies. Results indicated that the mean correlation coefficient weighted for sample size was .13 for the entire sample of studies. Although 63% of the variance was attributable to sampling error, the distribution of correlations was heterogeneous. The remaining variance was due to two methodological artifacts: sample size and the number of nonverbal behaviors coded. For example, hierarchical breakdowns by moderator indicated that the mean correlation was .50 for highly focused studies—those in which researchers concentrated on a few behaviors and limited coding to 40 or fewer subjects. A cognitive‐overload model for these findings is offered and corroborated by findings from other research domains. Implications for communication research and theory are discussed. In addition to clarifying the empirical relationship between extraversion and nonverbal behavior, the contributions of this study reside, in part, in its implications for large samples and large numbers of nonverbal behaviors coded in research and for meta‐analyses of such research literatures.     

Supportive communication from bystanders of cyberbullying: indirect effects and interactions between source and message characteristics

Cyberbullying is an increasingly common experience that produces psychosocial consequences for targets. Interventions encouraging bystanders to support targets of cyberbullying are limited by a lack of focus on what to communicate. This study considers supportive messages that emphasize emotional comfort, attributions of responsibility, and beliefs that people can change as relevant to this context, and it examines how perceptions of messages differ based on whether support providers have or lack experience with cyberbullying. We extend research on the indirect effects model of supportive communication by randomly assigning participants (N?=?304), who self-identify as targets of cyberbullying, to message and source conditions and assessing their perceptions of messages, providers, and outcomes. Impressions of messages mediate their influence on outcomes, and the experiential similarity of support providers moderates these effects. Certain messages, notably those contending that bullies can change, are less effective when delivered by sources who lack experience with bullying.     

The paradox and promise of small group research

This study examined the experiential attitude function--an attitude based on past experience(s)-and tested whether a message targeted at this function would elicit attitude change. Each of 139 undergraduates was assigned randomly to one of four conditions in which a fictitious Executive Committee for Academic Integrity (ECAI) report, written for a university president, supplied strong or weak arguments. Furthermore, these messages either argued that tenure should be abolished (anti-tenure) or that tenure should continue (pro-tenure). Results indicated that, although the functional target of the message was not related to posttest attitudes, conformity to message recommendations was contingent upon the discrepancy between the respondent's initial attitude and the position advocated in the message. Interestingly, the mean attitude change in every experimental condition was negative, indicating that regardless of the position advocated in the message, respondents' attitudes became increasingly antitenure.     

An experimental study of the effects of orientation behavior on small group consensus

This study investigated the relationship between orienting behavior and small group consensus. Employing a confederate to manipulate orientation behavior in three experimental conditions, thirty small group discussions were used to assess the effects of orientation on distance from consensus. Groups assigned to the High Orientation condition were significantly closer to consensus after discussion than groups in either the Low or No Orientation conditions. There was no significant difference between the Low and the No Orientation conditions. When total orientation behavior (manipulated and natural) was considered, an identical amount of perceived orientation behavior was found in the No and Low Orientation conditions. This finding paralleled the results obtained on distance from consensus.     

The effects of skills training on communication satisfaction and communication anxiety in the basic speech course

This study was designed to test the effects of skills training and experience on communication satisfaction and communication anxiety in the basic speech course. Skills training was operationalized as completion of COMM 15000, Theory and Practice of Oral Discourse, and experience was operationalized as multiple rhetorical performances. The results showed that students of the basic speech course experienced an increase in communication satisfaction and a decrease in communication anxiety following skills training for this sample. Moreover, highly apprehensive students reported being more satisfied with their communication interchanges following completion of the basic speech course.     

The relative effects of timing of suspicion and outcome involvement on biased message processing

The propensity to believe information to be predominately truthful has been called the truth-bias (e.g., McCornack & Levine, 1990), although the lie-bias is the tendency to believe that information is mostly false. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the effect that timing of suspicion and outcome involvement has on biased message processing. A two-way interaction between timing of suspicion and outcome involvement is hypothesized. Specifically, suspicion induced prior to communication will make receivers more suspicious of the communicator and therefore encode more of their nonverbal cues as “suspicious” or “fishy.” This effect is predicted to be magnified in conditions of high outcome involvement. If receivers are already suspicious, and carefully scrutinizing the message, it will be likely that they will note more “fishy behaviors” and demonstrate a heightened lie-bias. In two studies, Participants (Ps) were asked to view videotaped segments of a confederate making true or false statements. The Ps were induced to feel suspicious before or after viewing the videotaped interview. They were also induced to perceive high or low levels of outcome involvement. Results of Study 1 indicated that timing of suspicion has little effect on biased processing, but perceived suspicion did influence biased processing. Results of Study 2 indicated that the timing of suspicion did influence the strength of the truth-bias but did not create a lie-bias. Both studies demonstrated the strong effect of perceived outcome involvement on honesty perceptions.     

The effects of source credibility and message information quantity on the attitude change of apathetics

The paper develops and tests a theoretical rationale for treating the attitude change of apathetic receivers as a function of their capacities to process the quantities of information contained in a message within an environmental constraint established via source credibility inductions.     

Interpersonal communication motives and message design logic: exploring their interaction on perceptions of competence

Message design logic and interpersonal communication motives were conjointly studied to assess their interaction on receivers' perceptions of senders' competence. Two 8 (motive)×3 (message design logic) repeated measures ANOVAs indicated significant interaction effects for both effectiveness and appropriateness. Nevertheless, the effects of design logic and motive on perceptions of competence were not as expected for some situations. The results of the study fail to support past research suggesting that perceived effectiveness and appropriateness will be enhanced by using a more complex message design. In addition, no pattern emerged for the instrumental versus the ritualistic motivations in terms of the most competent message design.     

论网络传播对国际传播秩序均衡化影响

本文解析在信息社会国际传播秩序的新内涵 ,并由网络传播的特点切入 ,探讨网络传播对国际传播秩序的影响和机理 ,得出网络传播对国际传播秩序的消极影响将长期存在 ,以及在理论上可能出现转折点的结论。     

Gladwell and group communication: Using The Tipping Point as a supplemental text

Objectives: Students will apply group communication concepts, terms, and theories to their reading of The Tipping Point through short quizzes, presentations, and papers.

Courses: Undergraduate Group Communication courses (could also be adapted for Organizational, Leadership, or Interpersonal classes)     

Examining the quality of social support messages produced face-to-face and in computer-mediated communication: The effects of hyperpersonal communication

ABSTRACT

The hyperpersonal communication model was used to investigate the implications of the reduced social cues in computer-mediated communication (CMC) for the production of social support messages. Participants were randomly assigned to interact with a confederate seeking help about a problem for which the confederate was or was not responsible. The interactions took place either face-to-face or in one of two CMC conditions. The results were partially consistent with the intensification effect proposed in the hyperpersonal model. Participants evaluated the confederate most negatively, but produced the highest quality support messages, in the CMC condition with visual anonymity followed by the CMC condition and face-to-face condition. Participants’ evaluations of the confederate were also influenced by the confederate’s responsibility for their problem.     

The effects of threats to attitudinal freedom as a function of message quality and initial receiver attitude

This study measured the effects of message threat level, message quality, and initial receiver attitude on attitude change and evaluations of source credibility. Significant positive attitude change occurred as the main effect of message quality, with no main or interaction effects for threat or receiver attitude. Significant source derogation on the dimensions of trustworthiness, objectivity, and expertness occurred as primary effects of message threat level and initial receiver attitude, with the greatest derogation occurring among disagreeing receivers exposed to high threat messages. The implications of these results for the theory of psychological reactance is discussed.     

The persuasive effects of statistical evidence in the presence of exemplars

This paper explores the impact of statistical evidence by varying it while pairing it with a constant set of exemplars. The resulting design includes a condition in which the statistical information and the exemplars advocate the same position (consistent condition), one in which statistical information and the exemplars advocate different positions (inconsistent condition), and a third condition in which only exemplars are presented (control condition). The data indicate that statistical evidence has a substantial effect on judgments, and that the impact of statistical evidence on attitudes is indirect. Specifically, it is mediated by judgments.     

The effect of responsibility attributions on message source evaluation

Concepts from Heider's “Attribution of Responsibility” theory were used to investigate the process of message source evaluation. The results of a role‐playing experiment indicate that: (1) When a message source's previous behavior has had favorable consequences for a receiver, the source will be rated more “safe,” “qualified,” and “dynamic” to the extent that responsibility for those consequences are attributed to the source; and (2) when the source's previous behavior has had unfavorable consequences for the receiver, the source will be judged less “safe” but more “qualified” and “dynamic” to the extent that responsibility for those consequences are attributed to the source.     

Risk,threat, and information seeking about genital herpes: The effects of mood and message framing

This paper examines the effect that mood and message frame has on perceived threat, efficacy, attitude, intention and, ultimately, behavior regarding genital herpes information seeking. A 2 (message frame: negative/positive) X 2 (mood: happy/sad) independent groups experiment examining the interaction between mood and message framing was conducted. A two‐way interaction between mood and message framing on the dependent variable(s) was hypothesized such that persons in a sad mood will be more persuaded (as evidenced by heightened threat, efficacy, attitude, intention and behavior) by a negatively framed message given its mood congruent qualities. And, persons in a happy mood were posited to be more persuaded by a positively framed message given its mood congruent qualities. A main effect for mood was also proposed, given that sad persons are expected to pay closer attention to the message(s) overall. These data were partially consistent with the hypotheses. In the main, frame and mood elicited separate effects. Sadness is positively correlated with severity and susceptibility of genital herpes. Frame increases response efficacy. A path model articulating the relationships among all variables is proposed.     

The effects of electronic communication and the World Wide Web on US academic documents librarians' relationships

This article examines the impact of computer-mediated communication — specifically the use of e-mail and GOVDOC-L — and the use of and design of Web pages on academic documents librarians' professional relationships. Twenty-six semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with academic documents librarians throughout the US to enhance and help clarify previous quantitative research data from a national survey conducted on the same topic by the author. Findings from the interviews suggest that computer-mediated communication is not only important for passing information, but also in terms of professional support and community building. Computer-mediated communication also appears to be reducing the use of some other modes of communication by documents librarians. In addition, the interviews provide anecdotal evidence that internal and external relationships have been modified or created anew because of work related to the World Wide Web (WWW). The article concludes with a discussion on the impact that the altering of professional relationships may have on the documents librarians' profession.     

The impact of multichannel message inconsistency on verbal and nonverbal decoding behaviors

This study examines the relative importance and specific nature of the nonverbal and verbal decoding behaviors that subjects use to respond to inconsistent messages. The results indicate not only that inconsistent messages have a greater impact on nonverbal than verbal decoding behaviors but that individuals responding to such messages behave in ways predicted by the double‐bind theory of communication. Decoding behaviors appear to pass through a three‐step sequence which moves from confusion and uncertainty to a high degree of deliberation and interest to expressions of displeasure, hostility, and withdrawal. These decoding behaviors are illustrated and their theoretical implications discussed.     

体育传播对青少年的负面影响分析

本文分析了体育传播对青少年负面影响的表现形式和产生原因，提出相应对策，以进一步创造有利于青少年健康生活方式的良好体育传播环境。