Factors Associated with General Partner and Relational Uncertainty within Early Adulthood Sibling Relationships     

Jennifer L. Bevan  Kristen A. Stetzenbach  Eric Batson  Kulamo Bullo 《Communication quarterly》2013,61(3):367-381

Guided by the theoretical concept of uncertainty, the present study was an exploratory investigation of general partner and relational uncertainty within sibling relationships. Undergraduate and graduate student participants responded to a written survey utilizing scales measuring general partner uncertainty, relational uncertainty, extent of topic avoidance, and various relational and demographic items. Results revealed that siblings experience significantly more partner uncertainty than relational uncertainty, although both uncertainty types were experienced at low to moderate levels. Further, differing levels of partner and relational uncertainty were associated with frequency of sibling contact, but not with sibling dyadic gender composition. Finally, both general partner and relational uncertainty were significant predictors of levels of general topic avoidance, although neither uncertainty type predicted romantic/sexual relationship topic avoidance levels. Theoretical implications for uncertainty management are discussed in light of the unique sibling relationship.  相似文献   

Privacy Recalibration in Personal Relationships: Rule Usage Before and After an Incident of Privacy Turbulence     

Keli Ryan Steuber  Rachel M. McLaren 《Communication quarterly》2013,61(3):345-364

Although privacy violations can be uncomfortable and disruptive, they have the potential for positive outcomes in relationships if addressed. Using Communication Privacy Management theory as a framework, this study surveyed a community sample of 273 adults to examine their retrospective accounts of privacy violations in personal relationships. Results showed that less than half of the sample offered explicit rules for information management, and the majority of participants blamed the confidant for the privacy turbulence. Findings indicated that people often do not share similar information with the violator in the future, but if they do, less than half offer explicit privacy rules during the privacy recalibration process. Confrontation efficacy was positively associated with initiating a conversation about the privacy turbulence and that people who engaged in privacy recalibration were more likely to report forgiveness and relational improvement and less likely to report relational damage than those individuals who did not.  相似文献   

Korean Adoptees’ Discursive Construction of Birth Family and Adoptive Family Identity Through Names and Labels     

Sara Docan-Morgan 《Communication quarterly》2017,65(5):523-548

Framed by a social constructionist approach to language, this study explored Korean adoptees’ naming and labeling practices for members of their birth family and the motives underlying these choices. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 Korean adoptees who had reunited with at least one member of their birth family. Participants discussed how they addressed (named) and referred to (labeled) members of their birth family, and explained why these names and labels were used. Most participants used Korean terms of address (e.g., ??: omma for mother, ??: appa for father) to address members of their birth family. Other participants used labels from their own “native” (i.e., their adopted country’s) language, avoided addressing their birth parents, or, occasionally, used their birth parent’s first name. Participants tended to refer to their birth families as their birth/biological family, or Korean family; however, some participants stated that their terms of reference depended on context. Participants’ naming choices reflected three main motives: an appeal to family identity (relative closeness to their birth or adoptive family), an appeal to outsiders (to protect the feelings of their adoptive family), and an appeal to pragmatism (for clarity). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.  相似文献   

“I Said What?” Partner Familiarity,Resistance, and the Accuracy of Conversational Recall     

《Communication monographs》2012,79(4):561-581

We examined the influence of two structural parameters on the content and valence of conversational recall. 144 females had two conversations defined by relationship type (close friend or stranger) and partner resistance (resistance or none). Conversational recall statements were coded for accuracy of content (self, partner, or neutral) and valence (positive, negative, or neutral). Overall, respondents were less accurate in recalling the content of stranger conversations than friend exchanges, and when partners were agreeable compared to resistant. However, those who experienced little partner resistance more accurately recalled positively valenced information than respondents who encountered resistance. When partners resisted, friend interactions were recalled less accurately in terms of positivity, but more accurately for negative information, compared to the recall of stranger conversations.  相似文献   

Adolescents’ Avoidance Tendencies and Physiological Reactions to Discussions about Their Parents’ Relationship: Implications for Postdivorce and Nondivorced Families     

《Communication monographs》2012,79(3):290-317

A model was constructed to test the argument that when the topic of the parents’ relationship is introduced in conversations between parents and ‘adolescents, adolescents from divorced families may be especially likely to feel caught between their parents due to a need for protection (of themselves, their parent, and their relationship), which should make them anxious (i.e., self-reported anxiety) and physiologically aroused (i.e., changes in skin conductance levels or SCL). When adolescents feel aroused, we argued that they should attempt to avoid talking about their parents’ relationship with their parent. Self-report and observational data, as well as physiological data, were collected from 112 parent-adolescents dyads. The results revealed that divorce predicted adolescents’ feelings of being caught, which influenced their need for protection. This need for protection, in turn, predicted adolescents’ self-reported anxiety and changes in SCL. Unlike what was hypothesized, SCL was not associated with adolescents’ avoidance tendencies. Nevertheless, self-reported anxiety was associated with adolescents’ self-reported topic avoidance. The implications of these results, and a new observational coding scheme for avoidance, are discussed.  相似文献   

A Little Comfort for the Theoretically Distressed: A Follow-Up to Burleson et al.'s Response     

M. Rachel Tighe 《Communication Research Reports》2013,30(2):101-105

This research note describes four student myths about the importance of taking a marital and family communication course. Second, the assessment of student beliefs about marriage were examined using Larson's (1988) Marriage Quiz. Results revealed individual differences in endorsing myths as a function of gender, age, religious denomination, and previous exposure to courses in interpersonal communication. The findings indicate that courses in marital communication can debunk selected stereotypes about marriage.  相似文献   

Some data on the predictive validity of the speech evaluation instrument     

Christopher J. Zahn 《Communication Research Reports》2013,30(1):53-58

This study was designed to investigate the predictive validity of a measure of speech evaluation, the Speech Evaluation Instrument (SEI) (Zahn & Hopper, 1985). More specifically, while the predictive validity of two dimensions of the measure, attractiveness and dynamism has been demonstrated, no studies to date have addressed the validity of the superiority dimension. In the present study, a variation on the known‐groups method was used in which respondents evaluated speakers likely to elicit differing reactions on this dimension, standard speaking adults and nonstandard speaking children. As hypothesized, the standard speaking adults were rated much higher on superiority than the nonstandard speaking children. The speech groups accounted for 36% of the variance in superiority evaluations. Speech groups also accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in attractiveness ratings. Implications of these results for the validity of the SEI are discussed.  相似文献   

Persons Living with HIV: Disclosure to Sexual Partners     

Mike Allen  Lindsay Timmerman  Katie Ksobiech  Kathleen Valde  Elizabeth Babin Gallagher  Laura Hookham 《Communication Research Reports》2013,30(3):192-199

A central concern of persons in HIV education and prevention is whether a person testing positive tells sexual partners of this result. An accumulation of 51 studies across twenty years reveals that 40% of persons testing positive for HIV antibodies did not reveal this result to sexual partners (5287/8854). The impact of various factors (age, gender, date of the study, time since diagnosis, nature of the diagnosis, and sexual orientation) received consideration.  相似文献   

Negotiating Breakups and Renewals in On-Again/Off-Again Dating Relationships: Traversing the Transitions     

René M. Dailey  Kelly R. Rossetto  Andrea A. McCracken  Borae Jin  Erik W. Green 《Communication quarterly》2013,61(2):165-189

Using phase-oriented interviews (N = 65), this study explored how partners in on-again/off-again relationships negotiated the turning points of breakups and renewals in their relationships. The qualitative analysis revealed themes reflecting transition initiation (i.e., the communication or behavior instigating the transitions) as well as themes reflecting how partners enacted and managed the transitions (e.g., viewing transitions as provisional, resolving past problems and planning for new issues, and using external factors to maintain the transition). Navigating the relational transitions created a struggle for some partners, but the negotiation process elicited feelings of a fresh start for others. Collectively, the themes highlight factors related to communication as well as partners' subjective interpretations, which may be useful in further understanding how partners negotiate relational transitions.  相似文献   

Why Might Distance Make the Heart Grow Fonder?: A Relational Turbulence Model Investigation of the Maintenance of Long Distance and Geographically Close Romantic Relationships     

Natalie K. Ellis 《Communication quarterly》2013,61(5):568-585

Following the relational turbulence model, we examined the extent to which relational uncertainty and partner interference mediate distance and relational maintenance, here assessed as relational continuity constructional units (RCCUs), as predictors of relational turbulence. Results were consistent with and extend the relational turbulence model, with relational uncertainty mediating RCCUs and partner interference mediating distance. In addition to highlighting RCCUs as a communicative buffer against relational uncertainty, the results reveal a complex picture of geographic distance. Addressing mixed findings in previous research, it appears distance may foster relational turbulence yet also predict reduced turbulence when accompanied by diminished partner interference.  相似文献