Validity of the verbal immediacy scale

The development and use of the verbal immediacy scale (Gorham, 1988) are outlined and discussed. Data are presented which bring into question the validity of the measure. It is concluded that the scale may not be a valid operationalization of the immediacy construct as outlined by Mehrabian (1971) and, even if it is, it generates a response set such that the meaning of the responses obtained is unknown. The scale is not recommended for continued use in communication research prior to its reformulation and additional testing for validity.     

Reviews

Comics: Ideology, Power and the Critics. By Martin Barker. Manchester: Manchester University Press. 1989. 320 pp. £40 hb, £10.95 pb

David Astor and the Observer. By Richard Cockett. London: Andre Deutsch. 1991. 315 pp. £17.99.

Medical Journals and Medical Knowledge. Historical Essays. By W. F. Bynum, S. Lock and R. Porter. London: Routledge. 1992. 272 pp.

The Magazine in America, 1741–1990. By John Tebbel and Mary Ellen Zuckerman. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. 1991. 433 pp. $49.00 (Cdn)

Killing the Messenger: 100 Years of Media Criticism. Edited by Tom Goldstein. New York and Oxford: Columbia University Press. 1991. 272 pp. $17.50 (paperback)

Preserving the Press: How Daily Newspapers Mobilized to Keep Their Readers. By Leo Bogart. New York and Oxford: Columbia University Press. 1991. 327 pp. $46.00 (cloth)

Dictionnaire des journaux 1600–1789, Edited by Jean Sgard. Paris: Universitas, and Oxford: Voltaire Foundation. 2 vols., 1209 pp. 1991.

Politics and Reviewers: The Edinburgh and the Quarterly in the Early Victorian Age. By Joanne Shattock. Leicester: Leicester University Press. 1989. 220 pp.

Crowds and History: Mass Phenomena in English Towns 1790–1835. By M. Harrison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1988. 373 pp. £25.

The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion. By J. R. Zaller. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1992. 367 pp.

Le nuove di Francia, L'Immagine delta rivoluzione francese nella stampa periodica italiana (1789–1795). By Marco Cuaz. Turin: Albert Meynier. 1990. Lira 20,000.     

Meta‐Analysis of Theory of Mind and Peer Popularity in the Preschool and Early School Years

It has been argued that children who possess an advanced theory of mind (ToM) are viewed positively by their peers, but the empirical findings are mixed. This meta‐analysis of 20 studies including 2,096 children (aged from 2 years, 8 months to 10 years) revealed a significant overall association (r = .19) indicating that children with higher ToM scores were also more popular in their peer group. The effect did not vary with age. The effect was weaker for boys (r = .12) compared to girls (r = .30). ToM was more strongly associated with popularity (r = .23) than with rejection (r = .13). These findings confirm that ToM development has significant implications for children's peer relationships.     

Recreating blood-brain barrier physiology and structure on chip: A novel neurovascular microfluidic bioreactor

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a critical structure that serves as the gatekeeper between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. It is the responsibility of the BBB to facilitate the entry of required nutrients into the brain and to exclude potentially harmful compounds; however, this complex structure has remained difficult to model faithfully in vitro. Accurate in vitro models are necessary for understanding how the BBB forms and functions, as well as for evaluating drug and toxin penetration across the barrier. Many previous models have failed to support all the cell types involved in the BBB formation and/or lacked the flow-created shear forces needed for mature tight junction formation. To address these issues and to help establish a more faithful in vitro model of the BBB, we have designed and fabricated a microfluidic device that is comprised of both a vascular chamber and a brain chamber separated by a porous membrane. This design allows for cell-to-cell communication between endothelial cells, astrocytes, and pericytes and independent perfusion of both compartments separated by the membrane. This NeuroVascular Unit (NVU) represents approximately one-millionth of the human brain, and hence, has sufficient cell mass to support a breadth of analytical measurements. The NVU has been validated with both fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran diffusion and transendothelial electrical resistance. The NVU has enabled in vitro modeling of the BBB using all human cell types and sampling effluent from both sides of the barrier.