Communication Commons^™

Facial Nonverbal Communication And Deception Detection, Teresa Y. Collard

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Study Of The Relationship Between Moral Development And Communication In Small Groups, Beth Hartman Ellis

Masters Theses

This study explored the differences in communication between groups comprised of persons in different stages of moral development. Hypotheses were developed related to the task dimension and the process dimension of group discussions. These hypotheses were based on the appropriateness of the content of the communication in the groups to stages with in Kohlberg's theory of moral development. Trends in the direction of the hypotheses were found in analyses of utterances of the individuals in the group.

A Bormannean Fantasy Theme Analysis Of “The Big Book" Of Alcoholics Anonymous, Leigh Arden Ford

Masters Theses

Utilizing Bormannean fantasy theme analysis, this study examined the rhetoric of "The Big Book", the basic text of Alcoholics Anonymous. Three dominant rhetorical visions were found corresponding to Cragan and Shield's conception of rhetorical visions as social, pragmatic and righteous at the metalevel. These rhetorical visions were labeled The Rich Man, Poor Man Vision (social), The Greater Power Vision (righteous), and The Solution Vision (pragmatic). The accompanying fantasy themes of dramatis personae, setting, plotline and sanctioning agent were delineated. The implications of this study for substance abuse therapists and AA members were examined and further research was suggested.

Writing Apprehension And Writing Intensity In An Industrial Organization, Kaye P. Bennett

Masters Theses

This study hypothesized that high writing apprehensive subjects would differ significantly from low writing apprehensive subjects in regard to the writing intensity of their jobs. A random sample of 143 people employed in clerical, technical, secretarial, professional, supervisory, or administrative positions in one midwestern company was studied. Subjects completed the Writing Apprehension Test and the Writing Intensity Questionnaire. The latter was designed for this study to measure the amount and type of writing projects subjects produced, plus audience and deadline pressure. A significant difference (p = .004) was seen in the mean writing intensity scores between high apprehensives (n = …

Similarity/Dissimilarity Of Couples Communication Competence In Relationship To Their Marital Satisfaction, Thomas Kenne Worthen

Masters Theses

Research has shown that similar communicator styles leads to effective communication, and effective communication leads to relationship satisfaction. Using an extension of balance theory, this study analyzed the relationship between spouses similar/dissimilar communication competence ratings and their marital satisfaction.

Subjects consisted of 44 married couples from a midwestern university and the surrounding area. The Communication Adaptability Scale was used to measure communication competence. The Marital Adjustment Test was used to measure marital satisfaction. Using a t-test no significance was found.

The overall competence score of each spouse was broken down into six separate factors (appropriate disclosure, articulation, social experience, social …

The Effects Of Dogmatism, Rhetorical Sensitivity, And Attitude Valence On Selected Speech Ratings, Chris B. Geyerman

Masters Theses

This study empirically examined the demand characteristic construct and the information processing construct of the rating error paradigm. The findings of this study indicated that the position advocated by the speaker with respect to the attitude valence of the raters significantly influenced the speech evaluation process. This study provides support for the demand characteristic construct and the information processing construct of rating error theory. Implications in terms of pedagogy, theory, and future research are discussed.

Sex Differences, Intimacy, And Attractiveness In Reported Self-Disclosure: Same-Sex Dyads Vs Opposite-Sex Dyads, Edmund Forst Jr.

Masters Theses

This study empirically examined the effects of sex (gender), intimacy, and attractiveness on reported self-disclosure. The results were supportive of the attractiveness, intimacy, and gender of the self-disclosee variables in their relationship to self-disclosure. Results failed to support hypotheses involving the gender of the self-discloser variable.

The independent variables used in the study were: (1) Gender¹ of the self-discloser (male-female), (2) Intimacy (intimate friend, acquaintance, and stranger), (3) Gender² of the self-disclosee (male-female), and physical attractiveness (Attractive or Unattractive). The dependent variable used was the amount of perceived self-disclosure. A 2x3x2x2 analysis of variance used to test each …

The Effect Of The Nonverbal Cue Of Female Clothing On Perceived Leadership As Determined By Naive Judges, Julie Ann Larson

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to explore the role that nonverbal cue of clothing had in determining the perceived leadership potential of five women.

Given sketches of five females wearing five female swearing five specific categories of clothing appropriate to the business or professional setting, subjects were asked to choose one figure to sit at the head of the group. The study explored perceived leadership based only on the variable of clothing.

The Effects Of Rater Communication Apprehension On The Evaluation Of Speaker Anxiety, Vintcent Scott Smithson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Communication, The Missing Ingredient, Rex W. Eddy

Masters Theses

This writer feels that communication is a very significant aspect of the educational process. Upon assuming the principalship at Winchester High School, action was undertaken to aid the development of good lines of communication between the administration, faculty, student body and community. Basically, four distinct steps were pursued in an attempt to develop and improve upon the communication system at Winchester High School.

The first step concerned itself with the development of a comprehensive new "Student Handbook." It was immediately obvious to this writer that the rules and regulations for the daily operation of Winchester High School needed to be …

Development Of A Public Relations Program For The Newman Community Unit School District #303, Charles E. White

Masters Theses

Public relations is an important part of any school district's total program. To be most effective, a written, planned public relations program should be used. This field experience deals with the development of a written, planned public relations program for the Newman Community Unit School District #303 in Newman, Illinois.

The author attempts to provide information that could be used by other educators who wish to develop a public relations program for their school district. Reasons why educators must provide information about the schools to the public and involve the public with the schools are discussed. The reasons for developing …

Variables That Affect Success In Debate, Karen S. Shelton

Masters Theses

This study examines the effect of the six traditional categories of debate evaluation on the A.F.A. Form C and Form W ballots upon win/loss and gender. It also examines the effect of nonperformance variables, such as proximity, gender of the debaters, and gender of the judge, upon the outcome of intercollegiate debates. The data were gathered from the Owen L. Coon Memorial Debate Tournament hosted by Northwestern University in February, 1983. In all, the data pool consisted of 42 debates. The data were submitted to analysis to the SAS computer program at Eastern Illinois University.

The results of the discriminant …

An Investigation Of The Instructional Communicator Style Expectations Of Nontraditional And Traditional Male And Female Undergraduate Students, Chryl Irvine Snyder

Masters Theses

Increasing numbers of nontraditional students, many of them women, are enrolling in college and university classes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the instructional communicator style expectations of nontraditional and traditional male and female undergraduate students. Students were asked to rate their own preferences on a variety of items designed to reflect instructional communicator styles. The researcher looked for differences in student expectations of their "ideal teachers" based on age and sex.

Nontraditional students rated the precise style of instructional communication higher than the traditional students who gave higher ratings to the friendly, open, dominant, and contentious styles. …

An Analysis Of The Casey School District's School-Community Relations Program, Juanita E. Worden Fribley

Masters Theses

Communication with the public is an essential facet of any school-community relations program. This study examines both external and internal communication methods. Before a school district can have a purposeful school-community relations program, the internal communication of the school personnel needs to be working effectively.

The survey used for this field experience was developed by the writer to determine the effectiveness of the Casey School District's school-community relations program. This telephone survey consists of eleven questions concerning an awareness of school news. One hundred people were randomly called and asked to respond to the survey.

The Casey School District utilizes …

Analogic Communication As A Method Of Facilitating Change, Patricia Ann Tennery-Williams

Masters Theses

This thesis focused on nonverbal communication and the ways in which it may be employed to facilitate change in the context of psychotherapy. The anthropological, psychological, and medical literature was reviewed, and an overview presented of the relevant research on nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication forms a critical dimension in the overall communication in the psychotherapeutic interaction. The importance of the therapist’s recognition of nonverbal behaviors characteristic of particular personality structures as well as the functions of nonverbal messages was examined. The utilization of meaningful nonverbal behavior by the therapist can greatly facilitate the client's change into more healthy and constructive …

A Confusion Matrix Intelligibility Testing Procedure For Preschool Children, Jane C. Coe-Kruse

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to develop and examine a procedure for testing and analyzing the speech intelligibility of preschool children through the use of a phonetically balanced pictured word list, confusion matrices, and computer analysis. Four subjects and 15 listeners were used to obtain data on perception of sound production. The results indicate that use of this procedure differentiates varying speech intelligibilities and allows for effective analysis of sound production parameters as they pertain to speech intelligibility.

Internship With The Public Affairs Office, Illinois Arts Council, Ann Adele Dunn

Masters Theses

This paper reports on anticipated and actual experiences of an internship with the Public Affairs Office of the Illinois Arts Council. The internship, accompanied by this paper, was chosen in lieu of the traditional thesis to culminate the Master of Arts in Related Arts degree. In addition to the description, the paper includes a proposal for the internship, a daily log of internship activities, an appendix of the writings accomplished during the internship, and recommendations. The paper is 70 pages in length.

Being the first Related Arts graduate student to serve such an internship, it was inevitable that certain discrepancies …

An Intercultural Comparison Of Instrumental And Terminal Value Preferences Of American And Chinese Students, Ferne M. Rogers

Masters Theses

Robert Oliver has said, "Mankind is separated less by language barriers (grievous though they are) than it is by cultural differences." One effect of this separation can be denial of the rich experiences available through expansion of cultural perspectives. More serious effects in a thermo-nuclear world can be repeated conflict, war, even annihilation. Hence, it is in the interest of all to find a way to co-exist. The means for doing this begins with understanding the cultures of others through communication.

The first step in intercultural communication is acceptance of the worth of other systems. There are barriers, however, to …

Planning To Improve The Public Relations Program In The Mattoon Community Unit School District #2, Mattoon, Illinois, Howard Price Powell Jr.

Masters Theses

The purpose of the field experience was to improve the public relations program in the Mattoon Community Unit School District #2, Mattoon, Illinois. Since no one had been specifically assigned the responsibility for co-ordination of public relations, it was decided that a public relations committee would be established under the direction of the assistant superintendent of schools. I was in charge of the committee and was directed to report to the assistant superintendent of schools.

Since the Illinois Education Association had already set up a series of training sessions for Region 34, it was decided to take advantage of these …

Homiletics Courses In Five Major Protestant Denominations: A Rhetorical Analysis, Ricky W. Manwaring

Masters Theses

I. The Nature and Purpose of the Study. The hypothesis of this study was that the nature of the rhetorical training currently offered by major Protestant denominations could be discovered by analyzing the homiletic texts used by those denominations in their respective homiletics courses. It was the purpose of this study, through analyzing the homilectics textbooks used, to answer two questions: (1) What rhetorical canons are being included, or excluded from, the basic homiletics courses of the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians? and (2) What differences and similarities, if any, exist in the homiletics courses of the Baptists, Methodists, …

A Taxonomy Of Organizations For Assessing Research In Organizational Communication, Margaret E. Dennany

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Slide-Tape Presentation For Parent Orientation Of The Public Schools Of Hillsboro Unit District #3, Wayne C. Ford

Masters Theses

The Slide-Tape Presentation for Parent Orientation of the Public Schools of Hillsboro Unit District #3, Hillsboro, Illinois was created to show: 1) the location and type of building students attend in the district, 2) some of the activities provided for students in the elementary, middle and senior high school, 3) many of the ancillary services provided in the school district, and 4) the results of long-range facility planning done by the school board and citizens who reside in the school district.

Preparation of the multi-media package included the assembling of a slide bank of six hundred seventy-five slides. From this …

Teacher Union Influence On Local School Board Elections, Donald Rex Starwalt

Masters Theses

During the past decade there has been a concerted effort by teacher unions in this country to gain political power. This effort has not been limited to the arena of partisan politics at the state and national levels. There have also been attempts at the local level to gain political influence over boards of education. The purpose of this study was to determine if the political action efforts of a local teacher association resulted in the election of the union's endorsed candidates to the board of education.

In order to make this determination, this study examines five board of education …

A Study Following-Up On Master's Degree Graduates In The Department Of Communication Arts And Sciences At Western Michigan University, David Louis Lau

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Concepts Of Ethos In Classical And Modern Rhetoric, Corinne Thomley

Masters Theses

Statement of Purpose:

Ethos, or the character of the speaker, is a subject of interest to students of rhetoric. This study traces the concepts of ethos from classical to modern times, and identifies philosophical value systems on which these concepts are based.

Hypothesis:

The study explores the hypothesis that similarities and differences exist between classical and modern concepts of ethos and that the concepts can generally be identified with philosophical value systems.

Criteria and Procedure:

The study is focussed by the following seven questions:

1. What philosophical value systems provided the bases for the concepts of ethos set forth by classical …

A Survey Of Sex Typing On Prime Time Television, Patricia Sue Henry

Masters Theses

According to former FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson, the average child will spend nearly 25,000 hours in front of a television before he or she is eighteen years old. With this fact in mind, I wondered what America's children learn from watching prime time television regarding sex-typing, or the characteristics which are considered appropriately masculine or feminine.

A review of related literature showed that critics in the early 70s pointed out that women portrayed on television were less numerous than men, less intelligent, brave, and adventuresome. In short, women were stereotyped as supportive underlings.

To find out if women fared any …

Interpersonal Communication As A Function Of Subject Representational Mode, Joseph Adrian Williams

Masters Theses

The study investigated aspects of a communications model of psychotherapy advanced by Grinder and Bandler. Subjects were thirty male and female undergraduate introductory psychology students at Eastern Illinois University during the summer of 1977. The subjects ranked a set of tape recorded statements for "understandability". These statements were presented in visual, auditory, and kinesthetic representational modes. Subject ratings provided a measure of which representational modes communicated most effectively to them. Three independent judges rated transcripts of recorded samples of the subject's actual language usage to determine the representational modes utilized by the subjects. Analysis of the ratings resulted in a …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And The Use Of "I-Statements", Patricia Taglione

Masters Theses

Gestalt therapy theory considers speech to be a reflection of one's personality, and consequently psychological adjustment or maladjustment is expected to be manifested in one's speech habits (Levitsky & Perls, 1970; Passons, 1975). The use of personal pronouns is an indicator of the psychological distance taken from one's own feelings and actions. Healthy speech, or speech that is integrated with one's feelings and actions, involves the use of the first person singular when referring to self. Working with people to change speech patterns (changing "it-statements" and "you-statements" to "I-statements") may help an individual integrate his speech with his feelings and …

An Examination And Explanation Of Paranormal Phenomena As A Legitimate And Significant Area Of Communication Studies, Leonard O. Sowers

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Development Of Communication Strategies In Children, Judith Claire Pier

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.