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"The Communication Yearbook annuals" publish diverse, state-of-the-discipline literature reviews that advance knowledge and understanding of communication systems, processes, and impacts across the discipline. Sponsored by the International Communication Association, each volume provides a forum for the exchange of interdisciplinary and internationally diverse scholarship relating to communication in its many forms. This volume re-issues the yearbook from 1995

"The Communication Yearbook annuals" publish diverse, state-of-the-discipline literature reviews that advance knowledge and understanding of communication systems, processes, and impacts across the discipline. Sponsored by the International Communication Association, each volume provides a forum for the exchange of interdisciplinary and internationally diverse scholarship relating to communication in its many forms. This volume re-issues the yearbook from 1997

"The Communication Yearbook annuals" publish diverse, state-of-the-discipline literature reviews that advance knowledge and understanding of communication systems, processes, and impacts across the discipline. Sponsored by the International Communication Association, each volume provides a forum for the exchange of interdisciplinary and internationally diverse scholarship relating to communication in its many forms. This volume re-issues the yearbook from 1996

Theorists claim that emotional support is one of the most significant provisions of close relationships, and studies suggest that the receipt of sensitive emotional support is associated with diverse indices of well–being. Research highlighting the beneficial outcomes of emotional support raises several important questions: Does emotional support play a similar role in the personal relationships of both men and women and those representing different ethnicities and nationalities? Is what counts as effective, sensitive, emotional support the same for everyone? And when seeking to provide emotional support, do members of distinct social groups pursue similar or different goals? This article reviews and synthesizes empirical research assessing gender, ethnic, and cultural differences in emotional support in the effort to ascertain the extent and import of these differences. Particular attention is given to demographic differences in (a) the value placed on the emotional support skills of relationship partners, (b) the intentions or goals viewed as especially relevant in emotional support situations, and (c) the evaluation of distinct approaches to providing emotional support. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the findings are explored.

AbstractAlthough researchers have examined how different forms of similarity (e.g., demographic similarity, attitudinal similarity) affect interpersonal attraction, little work has focused on how similarities in social‐cognitive abilities and communication skills affect attraction and relationship development. The present article suggests how the similarity/attraction literature and filter theories of relationship development can be integrated with research on social skills and cognitive development to provide a framework for understanding how similarities in levels of social skills may affect attraction and friendship formation in childhood. A study was carried out assessing how similarities in levels of social‐cognitive and communication skills affected interpersonal attraction and friendship choices by children. It was hypothesized that children would be (a) attracted to and (b) more likely to form friendships with peers who had social‐cognitive and communication skills similar in level to their own. Participants (92 grade school children) completed a battery of tasks providing assessments of four social‐cognitive and five communication skills. Sociometric procedures were used to determine interpersonal attraction and friendship patterns. Results indicated that children were attracted to peers having social skill levels similar to their own. Moreover, pairs of friends had similar levels of skills related to the expression and management of emotional states.

This study assessed whether explicit articulations of a proposal's efficacy, feasibility, absence of limitations, and use of facework are effective strategies of advice giving in supportive interactions. Two hundred forty-eight college students read and responded to a hypothetical scenario in which they received advice from a friend. The findings of this study demonstrated that advice was more effective (resulting in higher perceptions of advice quality and facilitation of coping, as well as stronger intention to implement the advice) when advice givers outlined the efficacy of the advised action, explained the feasibility of undertaking the advised action, addressed the potential limitations of the advised action, and employed politeness strategies when giving advice. The study further found that perceptual counterparts of the manipulated message features largely mediated the effects of the message variations on the dependent variables.

This study assessed individual differences in the value that college students placed on communication skills exhibited by same-sex peers. Participants (N = 410) rated items tapping eight different communication skills for their importance in same-sex relationships. The skills included ego support, conflict management, comforting, referential ability, conversational skill, regulative skill, narrative ability, and persuasive skill. Interpersonal cognitive complexity was assessed through Crockett's (1965) Role Category Questionnaire. Affectively oriented communication skills such as ego support and comforting were rated as more important than nonaffectively oriented skills such as narrative and persuasive abilities. However, type of communication skill interacted with cognitive complexity such that complex participants rated affectively oriented skills as more important than noncomplex participants did, whereas noncomplex participants rated nonaffectively oriented skills as more important than complex participants did. These results suggest that persons differing in cognitive complexity conceive of the friendship relation in qualitatively different ways.

Esteem support is a form of social support that is provided to others with the intent of enhancing how they feel about themselves. This article outlines and assesses empirically a cognitive-emotional theory of esteem support messages (CETESM), which identifies (a) dimensions along which esteem support messages can be scaled, (b) mechanisms through which sophisticated esteem support messages should have their effects, and (c) outcomes that should be generated by messages that vary in quality. The merits of this theoretical model are evaluated in a study ( N = 506) examining esteem support messages for three types of esteem threat: failure, rejection, and transgression. Many of the theory's tenets are supported by the study's results.

AbstractThe tendency of partners in a dyad to initiate or avoid relationship problem discussions has proven to have both theoretical and clinical significance. This tendency is conceptualized here as initiator tendency, which is defined as the propensity to initiate relationship‐focused discussions with one's partner or avoid such discussions. The current paper reports 3 studies summarizing the development of a measure to assess initiator tendency: the Initiator Style Questionnaire (ISQ). The ISQ provides self‐report assessments of self and partner's perceived initiator tendencies. The studies indicate that the 2 parallel 10‐item measures exhibit strong unidimensionality, internal consistency, and test–retest reliability, as well as appropriate discriminant validity and good convergent and construct validity. Limitations and applications are discussed.

Research suggests that affirming, emotion-focused expressions of comfort effectively provide social support. However, little research has examined whether preferred approaches to providing support differ as a function of culture and, if so, why. This study sought to document, for both the Barbee and Cunningham typology of support behaviors and the Burleson hierarchy of comforting messages, whether there are cultural differences in preferred approaches to emotional support provision and, if so, what factors might account for these differences. Participants completed assessments of (a) the appropriateness of using solace, solve, dismiss, and escape behaviors, (b) the perceived sensitivity of comforting messages varying in degree of person centeredness, (c) interaction goal orientation, (d) the value placed on skill in comforting, and (e) collectivist and individualist values. Analyses indicated there were significant cultural differences in evaluations of support behaviors and that these differences were partially mediated by interaction goals and value orientations.

Research indicates that people consistently perceive highly person-centered comforting messages as providing the most effective and sensitive emotional support. However, research on helping suggests that attributions about the cause of the distressful event (blame) and its solution (control) may influence what people perceive to constitute appropriate help. This study assessed how attributions of blame and control influenced evaluations of comforting messages varying in level of person centeredness. Participants (N = 342) read about a situation in which a sad target was either responsible or not responsible for the problem and either could or could not influence the outcome of the situation. Messages low in person centeredness were viewed as more appropriate with high blame targets, whereas messages high in person centeredness were viewed as more appropriate with low blame targets. Perceptions of situation controllability did not influence evaluations. The study also detected gender differences in perceptions of comforting messages.

Providing a thorough review and synthesis of work on communication skills and skill enhancement, this Handbook serves as a comprehensive and contemporary survey of theory and research on social interaction skills. Editors John O. Greene and Brant R. Burleson have brought together preeminent researchers and writers to contribute to this volume, establishing a foundation on which future study and research will build. The handbook chapters are organized into five major units: general theoretical and methodological issues (models of skill acquisition, methods of skill assessment); fundamental interaction skills (both transfunctional and transcontextual); function-focused skills (informing, persuading, supporting); skills used in management of diverse personal relationships (friendships, romances, marriages); and skills used in varied venues of public and professional life (managing leading, teaching). Distinctive features of this handbook include: * broad, comprehensive treatment of work on social interaction skills and skill acquisition; * up-to-date reviews of research in each area; and * emphasis on empirically supported strategies for developing and enhancing specific skills. Researchers in communication studies, psychology, family studies, business management, and related areas will find this volume a comprehensive, authoritative source on communications skills and their enhancement, and it will be essential reading for scholars and students across the spectrum of disciplines studying social interaction.