This study examined the effect of a postural echo delivered contingent upon selected behaviors and its influence upon a subject's preference on nonsense syllables and objects. The relationship of subject awareness, physiological reactions, and gender differences in reaction to postural echo were also examined. / Pilot studies were conducted to produce five nonsense syllables and five common objects with equal probability of being chosen in the experimental studies. / Sixty male and 60 female subjects were randomly chosen out of a representative sample of undergraduate communication courses and randomly assigned to experimenters for the studies. / Experimental Study #1 exposed subjects to five nonsense syllables for multiple thirty second time periods. Unknown to subjects, one of the five nonsense syllables was accompanied by a postural echo. Experimental Study #2 exposed subjects to five objects for single sixty second time periods. Unknown to the subjects, one of the five objects was accompanied by a postural echo. / Heart rate of subjects was monitored and recorded throughout the experimental studies. / Results showed that a contingent postural echo had no significant effects on subject preferences in dyadic communication. Postural echo operated below the level of awareness and did not exhibit the strength expected from a conditioned reinforcer. Postural echo appears to derive its strength from conversation and the interpersonal interaction but as a technique, in and of itself, postural echo is of questionable value. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-08, Section: A, page: 2305. / Major Professor: James C. Moore. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_78056 |
| Contributors | Zychowski, Mary Ellen., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 128 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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