Interpersonal Communication and Public Relations: Twenty Years of Testing Theory in a Laboratory.

An exploratory study examined relationships between interpersonal communication theory and public relations from 1970 to 1990. One hundred thirty-six public relations campaign cases recognized for excellence by the Public Relations Society of America were analyzed for applicability of seven interpersonal theoretical perspectives. Information theory was the most applicable overall and, along with social exchange theory, did not vary over time. Systems theory was found to be the least applicable overall, but did not vary over time, along with constructivism, social influence, developmental approaches, and symbolic interactionism. The cases were also analyzed for importance of interpersonal communication in formative research and as a communication tactic, and were categorized and compared for types of public relations practiced as characterized by Grunig's models. One implication of the study is that public relations academics need to pay more attention to interpersonal communication theory--and its application within the context of their classrooms. (Contains 73 references and four tables of data. The taxonomy used in the content analysis is attached.) (Author/RS)