Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, March, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-231).

Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2007. / Title from screen (viewed on June 27, 2007) Department of Communication Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-167)

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abstract: This thesis deals with the analysis of interpersonal communication dynamics in online social networks and social media. Our central hypothesis is that communication dynamics between individuals manifest themselves via three key aspects: the information that is the content of communication, the social engagement i.e. the sociological framework emergent of the communication process, and the channel i.e. the media via which communication takes place. Communication dynamics have been of interest to researchers from multi-faceted domains over the past several decades. However, today we are faced with several modern capabilities encompassing a host of social media websites. These sites feature variegated interactional affordances, ranging from blogging, micro-blogging, sharing media elements as well as a rich set of social actions such as tagging, voting, commenting and so on. Consequently, these communication tools have begun to redefine the ways in which we exchange information, our modes of social engagement, and mechanisms of how the media characteristics impact our interactional behavior. The outcomes of this research are manifold. We present our contributions in three parts, corresponding to the three key organizing ideas. First, we have observed that user context is key to characterizing communication between a pair of individuals. However interestingly, the probability of future communication seems to be more sensitive to the context compared to the delay, which appears to be rather habitual. Further, we observe that diffusion of social actions in a network can be indicative of future information cascades; that might be attributed to social influence or homophily depending on the nature of the social action. Second, we have observed that different modes of social engagement lead to evolution of groups that have considerable predictive capability in characterizing external-world temporal occurrences, such as stock market dynamics as well as collective political sentiments. Finally, characterization of communication on rich media sites have shown that conversations that are deemed "interesting" appear to have consequential impact on the properties of the social network they are associated with: in terms of degree of participation of the individuals in future conversations, thematic diffusion as well as emergent cohesiveness in activity among the concerned participants in the network. Based on all these outcomes, we believe that this research can make significant contribution into a better understanding of how we communicate online and how it is redefining our collective sociological behavior. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Computer Science 2011

From the beginning of internet, new ways of communicating with people around the world has developed in an expanding pace. Social media has taken over everyday life of regular citizens in Sweden, making us more accessible to each other than ever before. Bitmoji is a recently introduced add-on to the social media app Snapchat. A good example of the continuous development of mediated communication, since the name still rings unknown in science. This study aims investigate the basics of Bitmoji as a communicative phenomenon, using qualitative methods, and answer what functions it holds for its young users in Snapchat. The gathering of data is done through interviews with a target group of Swedish 12-15-year-old. Using previous research of similar communicative phenomenons and theories of mediated verbal and non-verbal interactions, the data is analyzed. This study comes to the conclusion that Bitmoji is a communication tool for young people to convey comical, as well as happy or neutral messages.

This research project is about infant-observation, that is looking at, observing, and studying parent-infant interactions and relationships within the first year of life. The principle intention of the study is to illustrate and shed light upon human infant development and how the newborn becomes a fully functioning member within the family. The study provides a context in which to consider parent-infant interaction beginning in utero, expanding to the birthing process, and continuing through the infant's first year. It focuses on specific themes of parent-infant interaction. The following situations are explored: the role of the mother; the mother as a container; the infant's experience of containment; the internalisation of experience; the symbolic meaning of food; dealing with distress and the development of concrete communication; the growth of a sense of ego; and, the infant's internal world. The study concludes by addressing various implications for further psychotherapy and compares the therapist-client relationship to the mother-infant relationship. The research outlines one particular psychoanalytic theoretical orientation of mental and emotional development. It is a model derived predominantly from The Developmental School Theorists and Object Relations Theorists, namely, Bowlby, Klein, Mahler and Winnicott. This model looks at the infant's earliest relationships and the processes these set up within the infant's developing mind. Infant observation, asa research method proposed by Bick and Sidoli, links method and theory, and serves as the methodological approach utilised in the present study. A video, based on the parent-infant interaction of three families, provides observational data and may be viewed in conjunction with this research. / KMBT_363 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

This dissertation explores one family's experience of a son's disclosure of homosexuality, through the use of a second-order cybernetic epistemology, and social constructionist theory. Second-order cybernetics enables a description of patterns and themes that recursively connect the family's ideas and behaviour. Social constructionism enables the family's reaction to disclosure to be recursively linked to their fit with wider society. By using semantic and political frames of reference to describe the family's narratives around disclosure, this study indicates that disclosure is a relational metaphor, dependent on the family's locally co-constructed and transgenerational meanings. It also shows that although the family change with disclosure, stability is regained in a way consistent with the family's rules and norms. This study therefore demystifies viewing disclosure in one way only and creates alternative ways of conceptualising it. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Thesis (MTech (Education))--Cape Technikon, 1998. / Adequate listening skills as an indispensable communication skill positively affect the learning process. Adequate listening skills are essential to lecturers' teaching and students' learning performance at technikons in the Western Cape. The standard of training/education in listening skills of lecturers teaching English at technikons in the Western Cape has raised concern, as it is considered a vital skill in the learning process. A questionnaire completed by lecturers teaching English at these technikons suggests a lack of adequate listening skills when assisting students in the learning process. As points of departure, information was collected on how lecturers can enhance appreciative and creative listening; what teaching strategies the lecturer can use to encourage students to listen constructively; whether workshops are conducted to improve listening skills; whether training is available for this purpose at certain technikons; and whether the use of audio-visual material in a listening programme will assist in more effective student listening. This information was then processed in terms of the aims formulated for this study.

Cette recherche propose d’examiner les marqueurs de l’anglais à la lumière du concept de polyphonie, abondamment utilisé en linguistique du français. Cette étude du cas de l’interro-négative en anglais questionne le caractère opératoire de ce concept : renseigne-t-il aussi le fonctionnement de la langue anglaise ?Pour répondre à cette question, nous proposons tout d’abord un retour sur les bases théoriques qui ont inspiré notre travail, pour les mettre ensuite à l’épreuve de nos occurrences d’interro-négatives extraites de notre corpus de nouvelles de Raymond Carver. Nous analysons ainsi, dans un premier temps, les interro-négatives sans pronom interrogatif, introduites par isn’t, don’t et didn’t. Dans un deuxième temps, nous portons notre attention sur la question ouverte introduite par le pronom interrogatif why. Enfin, les question-tags sont abordées : elles permettent d’asseoir notre thèse quant à la place importante qu’occupe l’interlocuteur dans la construction de message. A cet égard, nous réhabilitons son rôle dans le processus de construction de message en lui attribuant celui de co-constructeur / This research examines English linguistic markers using the concept of ‘polyphony’, i.e. intersubjectivity, a concept that is key to many studies in French linguistics. More precisely, we examine how negative interrogative constructions in English work, while also exploring the possibility that they may shed light on how the English linguistic system functions as a whole.To do so, we begin by reviewing the theoretical work that inspired our study. This earlier work is then applied to our corpus of negative interrogatives, which were sourced from a collection of short stories by Raymond Carver. Our analysis begins by looking at negative interrogatives that do not contain interrogative pronouns – more precisely, those introduced by isn’t, don’t and didn’t. Then, we focus our attention on wh-questions introduced by the interrogative pronoun why. Finally, we look at tag questions: this allows us to anchor our work in a place that accords primary importance to the interlocutor in the construction of linguistic messages. As far as this is concerned, we redefine the interlocutor’s role in this process by considering them a co-constructor of the linguistic message