Based upon limited findings dealing with nonverbal behavior and personality traits as they relate to communication apprehension, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of communication apprehension with proxemic establishment, self-esteem, and dogmatism. The study analyzed these variables utilizing subjects who were statistically either high or low communication apprehensives. Interesting results were attained. An inverse relationship between apprehension and proxemic establishment was revealed, such that dyads containing low-low members established greater interpersonal distance than dyads containing high-low members who established greater interpersonal distance than dyads containing high-high members. Communication apprehension overrode the sex variable with relation to spatial usage. Subjects high in self-esteem were low in communication apprehension, while subjects low in self-esteem were high in communication apprehension, thus indicating a negative or inverse relationship. Finally, subjects high in apprehension were high in dogmatism while those low in apprehension were low in dogmatism. Implications of the study are of interest to both researchers and those instructors who teach communications. The need for further research with regard to these variables is most apparent.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of small group communication, investigate to what extent small groups communicate within their minibusiness areas within a mining group. The communication role and the influence it has within an organisation, and what structure it takes within the bigger scheme of the organization were also investigated. Many people and organisations form small groups to perform certain jobs, but they do not have a clear understanding of what constitutes a group, essentially what is it that a group can and cannot do. Small groups are always present and employees are always members of one or more small groups. Establishing a precise definition of a small group that is generally accepted by everyone has proven to be a challenge as most scholars come up with different interpretations and definitions of small group communication. A quantitative research method was used for this study as it was deemed suitable for this type of research, but one of the shortcomings of this method is that the data obtained through this method of research is not suitable for generalisations to any population. It is therefore emphasized that it is not the objective of this research to generalise the results of the study, but that it is applicable to the small group communication within the mining group investigated. The sample and data collected were small. A total of 150 questionnaires were sent to two De Beers' mines, Venetia Mine in Limpopo Province and Voorspoed Mine in the Free State Province, requesting employees via their supervisors and line managers to participate in the small group communications survey. The survey revolved mainly around the company's overview of its Continuous Business Improvement (CBI) business system which involved small group initiatives and communication. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of small group communication, investigate to what extent small groups communicate within their minibusiness areas within a mining group. The communication role and the influence it has within an organisation, and what structure it takes within the bigger scheme of the organization were also investigated. Many people and organisations form small groups to perform certain jobs, but they do not have a clear understanding of what constitutes a group, essentially what is it that a group can and cannot do. Small groups are always present and employees are always members of one or more small groups. Establishing a precise definition of a small group that is generally accepted by everyone has proven to be a challenge as most scholars come up with different interpretations and definitions of small group communication. A quantitative research method was used for this study as it was deemed suitable for this type of research, but one of the shortcomings of this method is that the data obtained through this method of research is not suitable for generalisations to any population. It is therefore emphasized that it is not the objective of this research to generalise the results of the study, but that it is applicable to the small group communication within the mining group investigated. The sample and data collected were small. A total of 150 questionnaires were sent to two De Beers' mines, Venetia Mine in Limpopo Province and Voorspoed Mine in the Free State Province, requesting employees via their supervisors and line managers to participate in the small group communications survey. The survey revolved mainly around the company's overview of its Continuous Business Improvement (CBI) business system which involved small group initiatives and communication. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

This study is focused upon an investigation of observable interactive behaviors which might be characteristic of reticence. A reticent individual is defined as one for whom apprehension about participation in oral communication consistently outweighs the projection of gain from the situation. Previous research in the area of reticence has been focussed on an analysis of the reticent student's attitudes toward communication relying primarily upon subject self-reports via journals and the in-depth interview. This in turn has provided possible areas in which observable reticent behaviors might evidence themselves in face-to-face small group communications with other reticents and non-reticents. An answer to the following question was sought: In what ways and to what extent are the interactive profiles of task groups with reticent members similar to each other in the amount and distribution of task and social-emotional acts, and to what extent are they different from the groups with no reticent members? Twenty-four subjects, six reticent and eighteen non-reticent, were selected from the population of students enrolled in Fundamentals of Speech at Portland State University, Spring Term, 1971. Prior to the study, the reticent subjects were identified according to performance on a paper-and-pencil test designed to expose speech fears, and a preliminary interview. Subjects were divided into six four-person groups. Three of the groups consisted of two reticent and two non-reticent members, while the remaining three groups were composed of four non-reticent subjects. Each group participated in a single fifty-minute discussion. Data from the group interactions were subjected to statistical interpretation based upon the twelve categories established by Robert F. Bales in his Interaction Process Analysis system. The hypotheses tested, and the principal findings, are as follows: Hypothesis I: The groups with reticent members will have a significantly smaller total of all acts initiated than will the groups with no reticent members. This hypothesis failed to be confirmed. No significant differences were revealed in the total number of acts initiated. Because of this result, a test was made for differences in the amount of talking initiated by reticent and non-reticent subjects. No significant differences were found. It was therefore ascertained that no differences exist in the number of acts initiated by reticent and non-reticent subjects, nor are their differences in the total number of acts initiated by the groups in which they interact. Hypothesis II: Within the groups with reticent members, the reticents will address significantly more acts to non-reticents than to other reticicents. This hypothesis was also unsubstantiated. The reticent person initiates the same number of acts to other reticents as to non-reticents. Hypothesis III: In a comparison of groups with reticent members and groups with no reticent reticent members, there will be no significant differences in the acts scored in the various categories of the interaction analysis. Significant differences were found in the distribution of total acts and acts scored in the "task and social-emotional” areas. A further breakdown of the task categories revealed differences in the area "questions and attempted answers." The distribution of acts in the “positive and negative" categories of the social-emotional area revealed no significant differences between the two types of groups. In short, although the interaction analysis successfully discriminated between the groups with reticent members and groups with no reticent members, the differences are subtle enough to make it impossible to ascertain which students are truly “normal" and which are merely masking the more serious reticent symptoms. It is therefore concluded that, precisely because the reticent student is unrecognizable from his peers, pedagogies applicable to the reticent student should be implemented in the traditional speech classroom. Further research in the area of reticence is needed in the following four areas : Delineation of similarities and differences between those reticents characterized by their silence and those characterized by their verbosity. Determination of the incidence and nature of reticent problems in the elementary and secondary school populations. Development of pedagogies applicable to the reticent population. Development of standardized measuring instruments for "reticence" and "attitudes toward communication."

Simulations allow people to experience events as if they were happening in the real world in a way that is safer and less expensive than live training. Despite improvements in realism in simulated environments, one area that still presents a challenge is interpersonal interactions. The subtleties of what makes an interaction rich are difficult to define. We may never fully understand the complexity of human interchanges, however there is value in building on existing research into how individuals react to virtual characters to inform future investments. Virtual characters can either be automated through computational processes, referred to as agents, or controlled by a human, referred to as an avatar. Knowledge of interactions with virtual characters will facilitate the building of simulated characters that support training tasks in a manner that will appropriately engage learners. Ultimately, the goal is to understand what might cause people to engage or disengage with virtual characters. To answer that question, it is important to establish metrics that would indicate when people believe their interaction partner is real, or has agency. This study makes use of three types of measures: objective, behavioral and self-report. The objective measures were neural, galvanic skin response, and heart rate measures. The behavioral measure was gestures and facial expressions. Surveys provided an opportunity to gain self-report data. The objective of this research study was to determine what metrics could be used during social interactions to achieve the sense of agency in an interactive partner. The results provide valuable feedback on how users need to see and be seen by their interaction partner to ensure non-verbal cues provide context and additional meaning to the dialog. This study provides insight into areas of future research, offering a foundation of knowledge for further exploration and lessons learned. This can lead to more realistic experiences that open the door to human dimension training.

The objective of this study is to investigate ableism and social support networks in the healthcare setting. Social support networks play an important role in combating emotional distress in healthcare. They provide disabled patients a method for defending against the negative effects of ableism among other stressors. By definition, ableism refers to perceptions that disability is abnormal and undesirable. Ten healthcare providers in central Florida (i.e., in nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and primary care offices) were interviewed, using in-depth face-to-face qualitative interviewing. Participants were asked questions relating to the effects of ableist language on patients with disabilities as well as the role of social support networks in combating related stress. Throughout the process of data analysis, five major themes arose as most relevant to the research questions proposed: (1) Traditional Social Support, (2) Online Networks as a Source of Informational Support, (3) Concerns about Ableist Language, (4) External Sources of Patient Social Support, and (5) Accommodation and Accessibility. Results indicated a strong preference for traditional social support, as opposed to online support. Traditional social support is offered through accommodation of caregivers, availability of social workers, and creation of support groups. Benefits of online support networks are viewed mainly in terms of fulfilling the informational needs of patients with disabilities. Additionally, while some accommodations for patients with disabilities were described, these dealt primarily with alterations to the physical environment. Results showed a lack of attention paid to ableism in the healthcare field, particularly instances occurring in communication practices. Overall, there is room for improvement in the healthcare field concerning accommodations for patients with disabilities.

Topics within small-group communication have been explored in many contexts, such as work group, organizational meeting, or online network. This area of discipline is considered crucial because this type of communication assimilates interpersonal relations within a social setting. Two elements that largely affect small-group communication dynamics are anonymity and social identity. This research invokes previous research in anonymity and social identity within small-group communication pertaining to the level of agreement and the level of group attraction through a series of experiments. Anonymity in small-group communication context is defined as a condition where the group members are not identifiable. To create anonymity among group members, this study utilized the benefit of a chat room in computer-mediated communication (CMC), which allows group members to participate in group discussion anonymously without the fear of being judged. It is argued that groups communicating synchronously via CMC would have a higher agreement than those communicating face-to-face (FtF) because the anonymity in CMC eliminates all of visual cues and therefore, unites all group members. It is also argued that members in groups in FtF are more likely to be interpersonally attracted than those in CMC. Thus, members communicating via FtF would have larger cumulative group attraction than those in CMC. Meanwhile, social identity in small-group communication context is defined as the tendency of a group member to associate with fellow members who share similarities with him or her and hold prejudice against members who are different than him or her. The element of social identity that was being activated in this study was the gender identity. This was done through using a gender-related case, an opinion scale, and distributing participants into groups of different gender compositions. It is argued that single-gender groups would have higher level of agreement and group attraction than mixed-gender groups. The experiment assigned participants into six different groups. The groups communicated via FtF or via CMC. In each setting, there were male-only groups, female-only groups, and mixed-gender groups. The only statistically significant result from the experiments suggested that in CMC, female-only groups had a higher level of agreement than mixed-gender groups. However, there were also differences of mean agreement between female-only groups in FtF and female only groups in CMC. Those communicating via CMC had higher agreement. In terms of level of group attraction, there was not any significant result in any condition. This finding suggests that in CMC, groups that are exclusively females are more conducive than other gender compositions in reaching agreement. Meanwhile, the lack of significance in group attraction between FtF and CMC suggests that people have become more familiar with anonymous CMC settings allowing them to substitute the available textual cues for visual cues.

The goal of the presented research was to examine the relationship between relational satisfaction and nonverbal interpretation during a conflict. Specifically, we hypothesized that participants who reported being dissatisfied with their closest relationship would be more likely to make negative interpretations of facial expressions during a conflict episode. Participants completed a survey that measured their relationship status, level of satisfaction, and interpretations of descriptions of facial expressions being made during a series of conflict scenarios. Developing a better understanding of the role of nonverbal behaviors may help encourage healthier conflict management

This project seeks to understand the construction of a personal narrative concerning a primary parental figure using the process of collaborative autoethnography. In order to properly encapsulate the author’s lived experience, primary influential factors were considered imperative in allowing for a fuller representation. Thus, the author’s story joins those of her siblings to highlight the paradoxical process inherent in unearthing one’s singular perception. This project primarily aims to explore the complexity of autoethnography while simultaneously interrogating the cultural discourse surrounding motherhood and academic writing. By having a close and personal understanding of the subject matter as well as the research participants, the author was provided a unique glimpse into the ways family stories are both co-constructed and individually recounted

This research examines the effects of maternal incarceration in the United States with a specific focus on the short- and long-term risks to which children are exposed when they live with their mothers pre-incarceration. It synthesizes the pre-existing body of research concerning the effects of maternal incarceration and places it in dialogue with the author’s unfolding personal narrative—a story of resilience. Employing an autoethnographic approach and analyses of the letters her mother wrote to her while in a state penitentiary, the author examines her own life relative to the relational communication patterns between her and her mother before, during, and after her mother’s incarceration.