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The purpose of this study was to test Beatty and McCroskey's communibiological model of trait verbal aggressiveness. In general, this model views trait verbal aggressiveness as an expression of temperament; specifically, that trait verbal aggressiveness represents low thresholds for the fight or flight (FFS) neurobiological system. This model further contends that behavioral inhibition circuitry (BIS) moderates FFS activation by tempering aggressive impulses, otherwise FFS activation would manifest itself in the form of physical rather than verbal attacks. Beatty and McCroskey (1997) propose that low thresholds for stimulating the behavioral activation system (BAS) should be related to trait verbal aggressiveness to the extent that the construct involves a proactive rather than a purely reactive interpersonal function. Because previous research indicated that psychoticism (P), neuroticism (N) and extroversion (E) represent psychological manifestations of the FFS, BIS, and BAS systems, respectively, hypoth...

In recent years, communication scholars have begun to examine the role of trait verbal aggressiveness in shaping relationships between parents and children. The present study examined the interactive effects of parents’ trait verbal aggressiveness and frustration induced by interaction with children on parents’ subjective experience of anger. Specifically, we hypothesized that parent anger in response to children's noncompliance is a function of an ordinal interaction between parents’ trait verbal aggressiveness and situational frustration. A multiple regression equation employing (1) parents’ trait verbal aggressiveness scores, situational frustration scores, and a multiplicative function as predictor variables, and (2) parent anger scores as the dependant variable, accounted for 33.93 percent of the variance in anger scores with only the trait verbal aggressiveness X frustration interaction contributing significantly to the equation. These results confirm the interactionist perspective upon which the hy...

Previous research demonstrated that fathers’ trait verbal aggressiveness was (1) predictive of their adult sons’ perceptions of the sarcasm, criticism, and overall aggressiveness contained in fathers’ messages, and (2) inversely related to the appropriateness and effectiveness of fathers’ plans for dealing with an oppositional son. The present study extended this research by examining the relationship between fathers’ verbal aggressiveness and their perceptions of the appropriateness and effectiveness of selected tactics for interacting with oppositional sons. Overall, results indicated that fathers’ perceptions of the appropriateness and effectiveness of tactics was in large part a function of their level of trait verbal aggressiveness. Specifically, fathers’ trait verbal aggressiveness was (1) negatively related to perceptions of appropriateness and effectiveness of supportive tactics and (2) positively related to perceptions of the appropriateness and effectiveness of coercive tactics. Implications for...

Over the past ten years, a substantial body of research focusing on verbal aggressiveness has accumulated. One major observation emerging from this literature is that some people are more disposed toward aggressive symbolic action than are others. Despite this considerable research effort, why individuals vary in their predispositions toward aggressive communication in interpersonal contexts is not well understood. Current speculation about the origin of verbally aggressive predispositions reflects a long standing paradigm which assigns importance to various learning processes. However, communication scholars have ignored the work of psychobiologists that strongly points to inborn neurobiological bases for human behavior and a trivial impact of environment. In this essay, we propose a theory of verbal aggressiveness supported by the work of psychobiologists as articulated in the temperament literature. We contend that verbal aggressiveness represents expressions of inborn, biological functioning, which is...

Previous research demonstrated that fathers' trait verbal aggressiveness was predictive of their adult sons' perceptions of the sarcasm, criticism, and overall aggressiveness contained in fathers' messages. The present study was undertaken to extend these findings by examining the empirical relationship between fathers' trait verbal aggressiveness and the appropriateness and effectiveness of their plans for interacting with oppositional sons. This was accomplished by soliciting trait verbal aggressiveness scores from fathers who subsequently generated plans in response to a five‐phase scenario. Fathers' plans were rated independently by separate participants for appropriateness and effectiveness at each phase of the interaction. Results indicated that fathers' verbal aggressiveness was inversely related to both plan appropriateness and effectiveness. In light of the moderate to large relationships detected, implications for theory and research in father‐son relationships are discussed.

This research used Infante's (1987) conceptualization of trait verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness to analyze adult males’ perceptions of their fathers’ messages. In the present study, fathers’ self‐reports of verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness were used to predict their adult sons’ reports of fathers’ sarcasm, criticism, and global verbal aggressiveness. Results of multivariate regression analyses indicated that (1) fathers’ argumentativeness accounted for a significant percentage of variance in the dependent variable set but did not contribute significantly to the univariate equations and (2) fathers’ verbal aggressiveness explained a significant percentage of the multivariance and contributed significantly to each univariate equation. Overall, the predictor set explained 39.32% of the variance in the dependent variable set. As predicted, the preponderance of the effect (30.05%) was due to fathers’ verbal aggressiveness. Implications are discussed.

Extending previous theory and research, a causal mode! was tested in which adult males’ perceptions of criticism and sarcasm from their fathers were exogenous variables and males’ perceived confirmation and relational partners’ reports of male partners’ disconfirming behavior were endogenous variables. Consistent with expectations based on the men's literature, confirmation theory, and previous research, perceptions of both criticism and sarcasm contributed significantly, explaining 44.8 percent of the variance, to the prediction of adult sons’ perceived confirmation scores. Furthermore, 75.87 percent of the variance in females’ assessment of relational partners’ disconfirming communication was explained by the model. Perceived criticism and sarcasm demonstrated direct in addition to indirect effects mediated by perceived confirmation.

This research used a confirmation/disconfirmation framework to analyze adult males’ perceptions of their relationships with their fathers. In the present study, the degree to which men felt confirmed by their fathers was used to predict relational partners’ reluctance to engage in relational interaction and discomfort during such interactions. The effect of dyadic communication apprehension, the anxiety associated with one‐to‐one communication, was statistically controlled. Results of multivariate regression analyses indicated that (1) females’ dyadic communication apprehension accounted for a small but statistically significant percentage of variance in their discomfort scores, (2) males’ perceived confirmation from father explained a statistically significant percent of variance in “reluctance,” and (3) a statistically significant nonlinear effect was observed for perceived confirmation on reluctance. Overall, the predictor set explained 26.62% of the variance in the dependent variable set. Implications...

The present study was designed to explore the empirical relationship between adult sons' communication apprehension regarding their fathers and satisfaction with those relationships. Results indicated that (1) apprehension and satisfaction were negatively correlated, (2) a descending nonlinear function best described the relationship, (3) both frequency and intensity of apprehension experiences contributed to the prediction of satisfaction, and (4) father communication apprehension was empirically distinct from general dyadic communication apprehension. These results were initially derived from the responses of a screening sample and were subsequently cross‐validated. Theoretical implications are discussed.

Although a considerable body of research has accumulated which establishes correlations among communication apprehension, communication state anxiety and behavioral disruption, theoretical speculations regarding the causal nature of those relationships are based mostly on cross‐sectional data. In the present study, data pertaining to all three variables were collected across time and causal models of the relationships were tested. The results of path analysis indicated that behavioral disruption and state anxiety were predictive of subsequent communication apprehension scores. These findings were consistent with expectations based on the “James‐Lange” theory of emotion and the assimilation theory of communication apprehension. On the other hand, no effect on behavior was detected for communication apprehension. Theoretical implications for these findings are discussed.

Over the past decade, considerable attention has been devoted to cognitive complexity in the human communication literature. However, the extent to which loquacity, or simple amount of verbal response to stimuli, rather than cognitive processes, has been measured by indices supposed to measure complexity is questionable. One issue that emerges from this controversy concerns whether partialing out the variance in variables, such as social perspective‐taking, due to loquacity would lead to a low amount of shared variance between complexity and such variables. In the present study, cognitive complexity scores based on the Role Category Questionnaire correlated significantly with social perspective‐taking scores. However, the results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that cognitive complexity scores did not contribute significantly to the prediction when loquacity was entered as the first variable in the equation.

The communication apprehension (CA) construct is based on the assumption that information about a person's tendency to experience anxiety in communication situations provides unique information, beyond that provided by assessing that person's predisposition to experience anxiety in general, in predicting anxiety when forced to communicate. However, the validity of this assumption is uncertain. In the present study, the predictive power of the PRCA‐24 and a general anxiety measure was examined at three separate intervals during a semester long public speaking course. Results indicated that, at the outset, the PRCA‐24 and the general anxiety measure predicted anxiety experienced during public speaking with equal power. By the end of the semester, the PRCA‐24 was clearly superior to the general measure in predicting self‐reported performance anxiety.

Social facilitation theory suggests that the presence of strangers produces arousal in humans. Although the arousal may facilitate over‐motor responses, it tends to debilitate more implicit responses, especially overt intellectual activity. Based upon the assumption that listening comprehension is more an implicit response than overt‐motor behavior, the present study investigated the effects of social facilitation upon listening comprehension. Results indicate that subjects listening to instructional material while alone comprehend significantly more than those listening as an audience member. Moreover, trend analysis indicated that there is a significant and nonlinear relationship between the number of strangers present and listening comprehension. The addition of strangers has only a marginal impact on the listener.

Recent studies have indicated that construct differentiation scores, based on the quantity of constructs embedded in written essays, correlate significantly with the total number of words contained in the response. Burleson et. al. have questioned Beatty and Payne's 1984 study, published in Communication Quarterly, on conceptual and methodological grounds. This essay explores the erroneous assumptions underlying Burleson's critique. In addition, the evidence Burleson selects to support the critique is examined in context.

Although communication apprehension (CA) is often presented as having a major impact on communication related behavior, the extant literature provides neither strong nor direct support for such claims. In the present research (1) behavior was viewed as a single index of disjunctively connected response options including avoidance, withdrawal and anxiety and (2) CA was viewed as a categorical rather than a continuous variable. Results of two separate studies provide direct evidence suggesting that CAs avoid communication if possible and report considerable anxiety when forced to communicate.

Traditionally, heckling has been treated as merely a form of distraction. In this study, accentuation theory was used to predict differential effects of heckling on speaker credibility and attitude change depending on whether the audience identified with the heckler or the speaker. The results indicate that when the audience identifies with the heckler, speaker credibility and attitude change are attenuated. Furthermore, when the audience identifies with the speaker, speaker credibility and attitude change are increased. These findings support the accentuation formulation of heckling.

Considerable attention has been focused on the relationship between nonverbal communication behavior and student perceptions of the teacher. One important observation is that teachers frequently emit nonverbal messages that contradict their verbal ones, but the effects of this modal discrepancy are not well understood. In the present study, vocal cues are isolated as the nonverbal behavior for study. The interaction of vocal cues and verbal messages is examined with respect to its impact on teacher credibility. The results indicate that the students’ perceptions of sociability are influenced by perceived discrepancy between words and attitudes. Perception of competence, on the other hand, appears to be dependent on positive vocal cues.