Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 8-1982 An Exploration of the Relationship among Rhetorical Sensitivity, Communication Apprehension, and Nonverbal Decoding Ability Mary Aileen Palanca Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Social Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Palanca, Mary Aileen, "An Exploration of the Relationship among Rhetorical Sensitivity, Communication Apprehension, and Nonverbal Decoding Ability" (1982). Master's Theses. 1715. http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1715 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact maira.bundza@wmich.edu.
AN EXPLORATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG RHETORICAL SENSITIVITY, COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION, AND NONVERBAL DECODING ABILITY by Mary A ile e n P a la n c a A T h e sis Subm itted to th e F a c u lty o f T h e -G rad u ate C o lle g e in p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t o f th e re q u ire m e n ts f o r th e D egree o f M aster o f A r ts D ep artm en t o f C om m unication A r ts and S c ie n c e s W estern M ich ig an U n iv e r s ity K alam azoo, M ich ig an A ugust 1982
AN EXPLORATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG RHETORICAL SENSITIVITY, COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION, AND NONVERBAL DECODING ABILITY Mary A ile e n P a la n c a, M.A. W estern M ichigan U n iv e r s ity, 1982 T h is s tu d y e x p lo re d th e p o t e n t i a l r e l a t io n s h i p which m ight e x i s t among r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y, com m unication a p p re h e n sio n, and n o n v e rb a l deco d in g a b i l i t y. Three m easu rin g in s tru m e n ts, th e R h e to r ic a l S e n s i t i v i t y S c a le, th e P e rs o n a l R ep o rt o f Com m unication A p p reh en sio n, and th e P r o f i l e o f N onverbal S e n s i t i v i t y, were a d m in iste re d to 109 p a r t i c i p a n t s, 68 fem ales and ^1 m a le s. Gender and age were exam ined to see w hat e f f e c t th e y m ight have on th e p o t e n t i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p. No r e l a t io n s h i p was found among r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y, com m unication a p p re h e n sio n, and n o n v erb a l d eco d in g a b i l i t y. In a d d itio n, no r e l a t io n s h i p was found betw een g ender and th e th r e e v a r ia b le s o r betw een age and th e th re e v a r i a b l e s. However, i t i s im p o rta n t to n o te t h a t th e s e f in d in g s su p p o rt p re v io u s re s e a r c h w hich h as in d ic a te d la c k o f c o r r e l a t i o n betw een p e r s o n a lity v a r ia b le s and n o n v e rb a l deco d in g a b i l i t y.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I w ould l i k e to e x p r e s s my s in c e r e g r a t i t u d e to my t h e s i s c o m m ittee, c h a ir p e rs o n D r. G eorge Roheck and members D r. S te v e n Rhodes and D r. R u th H e in ig, f o r t h e i r p a tie n c e and in v a lu a b le a s s is ta n c e i n th e p r e p a r a tio n and c o m p le tio n o f t h i s m a n u s c rip t. I w ould a l s o l i k e to th a n k th e f a c u l t y o f th e D epartm ent o f C om m unication A r ts and S c ie n c e s who so g r a c io u s ly allo w e d me th e u se o f t h e i r c l a s s tim e in w hich to c o n d u c t t h i s s tu d y and who gave me en co u rag em en t when I n eed ed i t. A d d itio n a l acknow ledgem ent m ust be made t o th e s tu d e n ts who p a r t i c i p a t e d in th e s tu d y and to th o s e s tu d e n ts who a id e d i n th e s c o rin g o f m e a su rin g in s tr u m e n ts : Wes Garman, Mike S te n n e r, Dan R hodes, J o n i S te p h e n s, Sue D ic k e rs o n, and E r in S m ith. I w ould a l s o l i k e to th a n k L o rra in e K arau f o r h e r p a t i e n t and c a r e f u l ty p in g o f t h i s m a n u s c rip t. Mary A ile e n P a la n c a
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1319376 PALANCA, MARY AILEEN AN EXPLORATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG RHETORICAL SENSITIVITY, COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION, AND NONVERBAL DECODING ABILITY WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY M.A. 1982 University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor. MI 48106 Copyright 1932 by PALANCA, MARY AILEEN All Rights Reserved
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................... LIST OF TABLES..... i i v C h a p te r I. IN T R O D U C T IO N... 1 R h e to r ic a l S e n s i t i v i t y 2 C om m unication A p p r e h e n s io n... 6 N o n v erb al Cues D ecoding A b i l i t y... 10 S ta te m e n t o f th e P roblem... 13 Summary... 1^ I I. METHODOLOGY....... 15 O verview... 15 S e l e c t i o n o f S u b je c ts... 15 M e asu rin g In s tr u m e n ts... -16 P r o c e d u r e s... 19 M ethods o f D a ta A n a ly s is... 21 Summary... 21 I I I. RESULTS... 22 O verview... 22 R e s u lts... 22 Summary... 25
IV. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS..... 27 D is c u s s io n... 28 S u g g e s tio n s f o r F u tu re R e se a rc h... 32 REFERENCES... 3A APPENDICES A. L e t t e r To CAS F a c u lty... 36 B. In fo rm a tio n S h e e t............... 39 C. R h e to r ic a l S e n s i t i v i t y S c a le... ^1 D. P e r s o n a l R e p o rt o f C om m unication A p p re h e n sio n... ^5 E. I n s t r u c t i o n s f o r M easu rin g In s tru m e n ts... A8 F. C o n sen t Form... 51 BIBLIOGRAPHY 52 t i iv
LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. ' C o r r e la tio n M a trix... 23 2. C o r r e la tio n M a trix o f Age and R h e to r ic a l S e n s i t i v i t y, C om m unication A p p reh e n sio n, and N o n v erb al D ecoding A b i l i t y... Zk v
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION E ach p e rs o n i s a u n iq u e, m u l t i - f a c e t e d, com plex and e s s e n t i a l l y s o c i a l "being. Com m unication i s th e b a s ic and i n t r i c a t e p r o c e s s th ro u g h w hich we i n t e r a c t w ith o th e r s, b o th v e r b a l l y and n o n v e r b a lly, form r e l a t i o n s h i p s, and a s s e r t and r e a f f i r m o ur fu n d am e n tal s e n se o f s e l f. I t i s b ecau se o f th e c o m p le x ity and u n iq u e n e s s o f each human b e in g t h a t each o f u s d e v e lo p s a d i s t i n c t i v e s t y l e o f i n t e r a c t i o n. Our communicat i v e b e h a v io r i s r e f l e c t i v e o f our p e r c e p tio n o f th e w o rld, o u r in d iv id u a l m ethod o f p r o c e s s in g i n t e r n a l and e x te r n a l s t i m u l i, and o f th e r e a c t i o n s g e n e ra te d by th e c o n d itio n s o f each s i t u a t i o n we e n c o u n te r. A lth o u g h e v e ry p e rs o n m a in ta in s u n iq u e com m unicative c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s i n i n t e r a c t i o n, i t i s p o s s i b l e to re c o g n iz e s i m i l a r i t i e s in co m m u n icativ e p r e d i s p o s itio n s among p e o p le. I n o rd e r to f a c i l i t a t e i n d i v i d u a l g row th and t o p ro v id e i n s i g h t n e c e s s a r y f o r e f f e c t i v e and s a t i s f y i n g s o c ia l i n t e r a c t i o n, c o n c e n tr a te d s tu d y o f th e s i m i l a r i t i e s and d i f f e r e n c e s o f com m unicative s t y l e s o r te n d e n c ie s i s w a rra n te d. The s tu d y o f th e a b i l i t y t o tr a n s m it and decode n o n v e rb a l c u e s h a s r e c e iv e d much r e s e a r c h h i s t o r i c a l l y i n a v a r i e t y o f d i f f e r e n t d i s c i p l i n e s. A lth o u g h th e fo c u s o f some r e s e a r c h d i c t a t e s th e s e p a r a te e x a m in a tio n o f v e r b a l and n o n v e rb a l modes o f e x p r e s s io n, i t i s im p o rta n t to em p h asize t h a t th e two a r e n o t e n t i r e l y d i f f e r e n t e le m e n ts o f th e t o t a l com m unication 1
p r o c e s s. Our com m unication s t y l e s a r e d ev e lo p ed i n r e l a t i o n t o th e c o m b in a tio n o f v e r b a l and n o n v e rb a l in p u t and e x p r e s s io n. G iven th e in s e p a r a b le r o le o f v e r b a l and n o n v e rb a l modes o f e x p r e s s io n i n th e com m unication p r o c e s s, i t i s d e s ir a b l e to exam ine th e e x te n t o f th e r e l a t i o n s h i p n o n v e rb a l d e c o d in g a b i l i t y h a s w ith v e r b a l s t y l e s o f com m unicative b e h a v io r. V e rb a l com m unicative s t y l e s a r e many and v a r i e d. F o r ex am p le, r h e t o r i c a l co m m unication i s co n cern ed w ith th e s t y l e o f v e r b a l i z a t i o n and th e e f f e c t o f t h a t s t y l e on o th e r s. S e n s i t i v i t y t o a r h e t o r i c a l o r in s tr u m e n ta l s ty l e o f com m unication g e n e r a te s s t r a t e g i c and p u rp o siv e i n t e r a c t i o n. C om m unication a p p re h e n s io n i s a d i f f e r e n t s ty l e o f i n t e r a c t i o n w hich r e f l e c t s th e l e v e l o f f e a r o r a n x ie ty a n in d iv id u a l a s s o c i a t e s w ith a c t u a l o r a n t i c i p a t e d i n t e r a c t i o n. E ach o f th e s e com m unicative p r e d i s p o s itio n s i s d i f f e r e n t from th e o th e r. Each h a s b een s tu d ie d e x te n s iv e ly, b u t s e p a r a t e l y i n a s s o c i a t i o n w ith v e r b a l s t y l e s o f com m unicative b e h a v io r. The p u rp o se o f t h i s s tu d y i s to e x p lo re th e i n t e r r e l a t i o n s h i p among r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y and com m unication a p p re h e n s io n, two v e r b a l com m unicator s t y l e s, and n o n v e rb a l d e c o d in g a b i l i t y in an e f f o r t t o u n d e rs ta n d each c o n c e p t b e t t e r and t o d e te rm in e v e r b a l and n o n v e rb a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s in h e r e n t in s p e c i f i c s t y l e s o f com m unicative b e h a v io r. R h e to r ic a l S e n s i t i v i t y A p p ro ach es to co m m unication can be s i t u a t e d i n t o two g e n e r a l, b u t d i f f e r e n t, s t y l e s. In th e e x p re s s iv e s t y l e,
a p e r s o n 's m o tiv a tio n to communicate stem s from a d e s ir e to a c h ie v e g r a t i f i c a t i o n by p u t t i n g h i s / h e r s tr o n g e s t f e e lin g s in to w ords in o rd e r to fin d a v e r b a l r e le a s e (R osenberg, V erb a, and C onverse, 1970, p. ^0). The in s tru m e n ta l s ty le o f com m unication, on th e o th e r hand, i s s t r a t e g i c and p u rp o siv e. H a rt and Burks (1972) have r e - la b e le d in s tru m e n ta l com m unication a s r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y, d is tin g u is h in g t h a t com m unicative s ty l e a s b e in g concerned w ith th e e f f e c t o n e 's w ords may have on o n e 's l i s t e n e r s. They arg u e t h a t a r h e t o r i c a l l y s e n s itiv e ap p ro ach to i n t e r a c t io n can f a c i l i t a t e human u n d e rsta n d in g and s o c ia l c o h e sio n more e f f e c t i v e l y th a n an e x p re s s iv e s t y l e. The r h e t o r i c a l l y s e n s itiv e p e rso n can be p o s itio n e d t h e o r e t i c a l l y and b e t t e r u n d e rsto o d when c o n tr a s te d to th e two r i v a l p e r s o n a l i t i e s, th e Noble S e lf and th e R h e to r ic a l R e f le c to r, d evelo p ed by D a rn e ll and B ro ck reid e (1976, p p. 1 7 8-1 7 9 ). R h e to r ic a lly s e n s itiv e p e rso n s d i f f e r from th e u n ita r y Noble S e lf and th e p l u r a l i s t i c R h e to r ic a l R e f le c to r in t h a t th e y a c c e p t r o le - t a k i n g a s a n e c e s s a ry p a r t o f i n t e r a c t io n. The p e rso n s e n s itiv e to an in s tru m e n ta l ap p ro ach to com m unication h as no commitment to a r i g i d, s in g u la r s e lf} h e /sh e ch o o ses w hich r o le o r s e l f i s a p p r o p ria te to a g iv en s i t u a t i o n. U nlike th e R h e to r ic a l R e f le c to r, r h e t o r i c a l l y s e n s itiv e p eople have an a c tiv e involvem ent i n in te r p e r s o n a l exchanges w ith genuine c h o ic e s to make c o n cern in g w hich r o le i s most a p p r o p ria te to th e s i t u a t i o n. The grow th t h a t r h e t o r i c a l l y s e n s itiv e p e o p le e x p e rie n c e in one tr a n s a c tio n
Zj, p ro v id e s them w ith th e p o t e n t i a l f o r grow th in f u tu r e i n t e r a c t i o n (D a rn e ll and B ro c k re id e, 197 6, p p. 1 7 9-1 8 2 ). To em phasize th e v a l i d i t y and th e n e c e s s ity f o r an in s tru m e n ta l s ty le o f s o c ia l i n t e r a c t io n, H a rt and Burks (1972) have o u tlin e d f iv e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f p eo p le who e x h ib it a r h e t o r i c a l l y s e n s itiv e ap p ro ach to com m unication. The f i r s t c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y stem s from a g e n e ra l sem a n tic s p e r s p e c tiv e w hich view s p eo p le a s com plex, s o c ia l b e in g s, who a r e, n e c e s s a r ily, many th in g s to many p e o p le. Human co m p lex ity im p lie s t h a t a p e r s o n 's l i f e i s made o f many p a r t s. S o c ia l c o n d itio n s v a r io u s ly c a l l f o r th th e d is p la y o f one or more r o l e s. R h e to r ic a l in v e n tio n, th e p ro c e s s o f c h o o sin g id e a s a p p r o p ria te to th e s u b je c t, a u d ie n c e, and o c c a sio n, i s an im p o rta n t te c h n iq u e used by th e r h e t o r i c a l l y s e n s itiv e com m unicator (H art and B urks, 1 972). In d e f in in g th e second c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y, H a rt and B urks (1972, p. 7 9 ) th e o r iz e t h a t i f a p e rso n c o n tin u a lly chooses th e same r o le w ith o u t re g a rd to th e s i t u a t i o n or th e c o n te x t and does n o t d e a l w ith s o c ia l i n t e r a c t i o n on an ad hoc b a s is, h e /sh e w i l l be r h e t o r i c a l l y u n p ro d u c tiv e and i n te r p e r s o n a lly n a iv e. The s e n s itiv e p erso n i s c o n tin u a lly a n t i c i p a t o r y and re a d y to change t o m eet th e n eed s o f d iv e rs e s o c ia l c o n d itio n s in o rd e r to m a in ta in e f f e c tiv e n e s s. Every in te r p e r s o n a l exchange i s f r a g i l e, a s i t u a t i o n in w hich th e - g u id in g p r in c ip le i s d i s c r e t i o n. T h is sh o u ld be su p p o rte d by a co n cern f o r th e o t h e r 's co m p lex ity t h a t a llo w s no u n i l a t e r a l a p p lic a tio n of any p u re ly v e rb a l
' ' 5 p rem ise (H a rt and B u rk s, 1972, p. 82). The t h i r d c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y d e a ls w ith s i t u a t i o n a l a d a p ta tio n. Because p eo p le a re d i f f e r e n t, because th e p o t e n t i a l f o r th o u g h t and a c tio n v a r i e s, and because p e o p le resp o n d t o - s o c i a l fo rc e s w ith v a ry in g am ounts o f s e l e c t i v i t y and i n t e n s i t y, e f f e c tiv e com m unication demands m o d ific a tio n o f e x p re s s iv e b e h a v io r in o rd e r to d e a l b e t t e r w ith th e b e h a v io r o f o th e rs (H a rt and B u rk s, 1972, pp. 8 2-8 5 ). The f o u r th c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y i s a d u a l p re m ise. At tim e s, r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y demands t h a t a p e rso n say n o th in g a t a l l in a g iv e n s o c ia l e n c o u n te r. The second p a r t o f th e prem ise in d ic a te s t h a t some id e a s a re s i t u a t i o n a l l y b e r e f t o f r h e t o r i c a l im pact no m a tte r how th e y a re p la c e d. Any com m unicative d is c lo s u r e m ust be d e sig n e d to d e a l w ith p o t e n t i a l s t h a t l i e i n o n e s e lf and th e o th e r a t th e moment o f i n t e r a c t i o n. One o f th e m ost b a s ic d e c is io n s of com m unication r e f e r s t o th e amount o r absence o f d is c lo s u r e in an i n t e r a c t io n. As lo n g a s in d iv id u a l d if f e r e n c e s c o n tin u e to be a p rim ary a s p e c t o f in te r p e r s o n a l e n c o u n te rs, th e f i r s t th o u g h t or th e i n i t i a l r e a c t i o n cannot be c o n sid e re d an e f f e c t i v e o r d e s ir a b le v e h ic le f o r a l l i n t e r a c t io n. The f i f t h c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y, which d e a ls w ith com m unicative c h a n n e ls, in d ic a te s t h a t r h e t o r i c a l in v e n tio n in v o lv e s two b a s ic p ro c e d u re s! d e te rm in a tio n of w hich id e a s a re to be c o n s id e re d f o r d is c lo s u r e and c o n s id e r a tio n o f how in fo rm a tio n i s to be p re s e n te d (H art and
6 B u rk s, 1972, p. 88). The r h e t o r i c a l l y s e n s i t i v e p e rs o n r e a l i z e s t h a t an i n d i v i d u a l i s com plex and d i f f e r e n c e s c a l l f o r p a tie n c e and i n t e r p e r s o n a l s e n s i t i v i t y i n d e c id in g th e b e s t way f o r a n id e a to be e x p r e s s e d. R h e to r ic a l s e n s i t i v i t y u t i l i z e s c o n s id e r a tio n o f a l l v e r b a l and n o n v e rb a l. a l t e r n a t i v e s, th e a tte m p t to p r o c e s s and choose among a l l th e p o s s ib le v e r b a l s ta te m e n ts and n o n v e rb a l e x p r e s s io n s b e fo re d i s c l o s i n g an id e a. A p e rs o n w ith a r h e t o r i c a l l y s e n s i t i v e com m unicative s t y l e e x h i b i t s th e a b i l i t y t o assum e a p p r o p r ia te r o l e s d u rin g a n i n t e r a c t i o n, a v o id s s t y l i z e d v e r b a l b e h a v io r, i s a d a p ta b le t o th e c o n d itio n s o f a g iv e n e n c o u n te r, s e l e c t i v e l y d i s c l o s e s in fo r m a tio n, and u n d e rs ta n d s t h a t an id e a can be e x p re s s e d i n many d i f f e r e n t w ays. The d is p l a y o f th e s e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s i n d i c a t e s t h a t th e s e n s i t i v e com m unicator f o s t e r s a n a c t i v e a t t i t u d e to w ard co m m u n icatio n. A lth o u g h t h i s c o n d itio n i s h o t e n t i r e l y u n iq u e to r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y, i t i s im p o rta n t t o n o te t h a t n o t a l l co m m u n icato rs d is p la y a dynam ic i n t e r e s t i n t h e i r i n t e r a c t i o n. C om m unication A p p reh en sio n Com m unication a p p re h e n s io n i s 'd e f i n e d a s an i n d i v i d u a l 's l e v e l o f f e a r or a n x ie ty a s s o c i a t e d w ith e i t h e r r e a l or a n t i c i p a t e d com m unication w ith p e rs o n s (M ccroskey, 1977, P» 78). T h is r e s u l t s i n a com m unicator s t y l e t h a t i s much d i f f e r e n t from r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y. Com m unication a p p re h e n s io n.c a n be c o n c e p tu a liz e d a s a t r a i t o f th e in d iv id u a l w hich h a s much
7 im pact on a p e r s o n 's d a i l y l i f e. S p ie lb e rg e r (1966) and Lamb (1973) have d is tin g u is h e d betw een two d i f f e r e n t form s o f a p p re h e n sio n. T r a i t com m unication ap p re h e n sio n i s c h a r a c te r iz e d by l e v e l s o f f e a r o r a n x ie ty in re g a rd to many d i f f e r e n t ty p e s o f e n c o u n te rs. S ta te ap p reh en sio n i s s p e c i f i c a l l y e x p e rie n c e d d u rin g a g iv e n e n c o u n te r, such as d e liv e r in g a speech o r in te rv ie w in g f o r a jo b. The fo cu s o f t h i s s tu d y w i l l be on t r a i t com m unication a p p re h e n sio n. T hree g e n e ra l t h e o r e t i c a l p r o p o s itio n s d e a lin g w ith h ig h l e v e l s o f t r a i t a p p re h e n sio n have re c e iv e d su p p o rt from a v a ila b le re s e a r c h i 1. P eo p le who e x p e rie n c e a h ig h l e v e l o f com m unication a p p re h e n sio n w i l l w ithdraw from and seek to av o id com m unication w henever p o s s ib le. 2. As a r e s u l t o f t h e i r w ith d ra w a l and av o id an ce b e h a v io rs, p eo p le who e x p e rie n c e a h ig h l e v e l o f com m unication a p p re h e n sio n w i l l be p e rc e iv e d l e s s p o s itiv e l y th a n p e o p le who e x p e rie n c e lo w er l e v e ls o f com m unication a p p re h e n sio n by o th e rs i n t h e i r enviro n m ent. 3. As a r e s u l t o f t h e i r w ith d ra w a l and av o id an ce b e h a v io rs, and in c o n ju n c tio n w ith th e n e g a tiv e p e rc e p tio n s f o s te r e d by th o s e b e h a v io rs, p eople who e x p e rie n c e a h ig h l e v e l o f com m unication a p p re h e n sio n w i l l be n e g a tiv e ly im pacted in term s o f t h e i r econom ic, p o l i t i c a l, and s o c ia l l i v e s (M ccroskey, 1977» P- 8 5 ). Most o f th e r e s e a r c h d e a lin g w ith com m unication a p p re h e n sio n h as been fo c u se d on th e n e g a tiv e e f f e c t s o f h ig h l e v e l com m unication a p p re h e n sio n b ecau se th e b e h a v io rs a s s o c ia te d a re more a p p a re n t and seem to be more e a s i ly m easured. I t i s p o s s ib le to c r e a te a com posite p r o f i l e o f a p e rso n w ith h ig h l e v e l com m unication a p p re h e n sio n based on
' 8 different focuses of various research. A v a lid s t a r t i n g p o in t in d e v e lo p in g th e com m unication a p p re h e n sio n p r o f i l e w ould he t o em phasize t h a t p e o p le w ith h ig h l e v e l s o f com m unication a p p re h e n sio n w i l l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y av o id a n d /o r w ithdraw from com m unication. The behavior which results from this passive-attitude interaction generates negative perceptions by others of people with a high level of apprehension. by much of the available research. This situation is supported For example, McCroskey (1977) reported that Knutson and Lashbrook found that people with high communication apprehension are perceived as low in both assertiveness and responsiveness. McCroskey, Hamilton, and Weiner (197*0 reported that people who exhibit high tension in their communication behaviors in a small grdup are perceived to be less socially attractive and less interpersonally similar. Mulac and Sherman (1975) observed a significant relationship between perceived anxiety in male public speakers and perceptions of their competence and trustworthiness. In various other studies, people exhibiting high communication apprehension have been found to be perceived as less socially attractive, less task attractive, less competent, less sexually attractive, less attractive as a communication partner, less composed, and less extroverted but of a slightly higher character as compared to people with low communication apprehension (McCroskey, Daly, Richmond, and Cox, 1975; McCroskey, 1977). Much o f th e r e s e a r c h d e a lin g w ith com m unication
a p p re h e n sio n h as been fo c u se d on elem e n tary te a c h e r s and 9 s tu d e n ts and h ig h sch o o l s tu d e n ts in an e f f o r t to u n d e rsta n d how t h i s p r e d is p o s itio n may d evelo p and how i t may be r e in f o r c e d in th e academ ic en v iro n m en t. McCroskey and D aly ( 1975) found t h a t te a c h e r s exposed to b r i e f d e s c r ip tio n s o f an e le m e n ta ry sch o o l c h ild w ith h ig h a p p re h e n sio n, a s compared to te a c h e r s exposed to s im ila r d e s c r ip tio n s o f a s tu d e n t w ith low a p p re h e n sio n, in d ic a te d t h a t e x p e c ta tio n s o f th e h ig h ly a p p re h e n siv e c h ild would in c lu d e a low er o v e r a ll academ ic a v e ra g e, l e s s s a t i s f a c t o r y r e l a t io n s h i p s w ith o th e r s tu d e n ts, and lo w er p r o b a b ility o f su c c e ss in f u tu r e e d u c a tio n. High sc h o o l s tu d e n ts w ith h ig h com m unication a p p re h e n sio n, a s com pared w ith s tu d e n ts w ith low er l e v e l s o f a p p re h e n sio n, have been found to have lo w er o v e r a ll grade p o in t a v e ra g e s (McCroskey and A nderson, 1976) and to show lo w er achievem ent on s ta n d a rd iz e d t e s t s a d m in is te re d a t th e co m p letio n o f h ig h sc h o o l (McCroskey and A nderson, 1976; M ccroskey, 1977 ) These e f f e c t s were found to o ccu r even though no m ean in g fu l r e l a t io n s h i p h as been found betw een com m unication a p p re h e n sio n and i n t e l l i g e n c e (M ccroskey, 1977)* O ther r e s e a r c h s u p p o rts th e t h e o r e t i c a l p r o p o s itio n c i t e d e a r l i e r t h a t s u g g e s ts t h a t p eo p le w ith h ig h com m unication a p p re h e n sio n w i l l be n e g a tiv e ly im pacted in te rm s o f t h e i r econom ic and p o l i t i c a l l i v e s. For exam ple, McCroskey (1977) re p o rte d t h a t th e h ig h ly ap p re h e n siv e jo b a p p lic a n t was p e rc e iv e d a s l e s s com petent and p r o je c te d to be l e s s s a t i s f i e d on th e jo b, t o r e q u ir e more t r a i n i n g, to be l e s s s u c c e s s fu l on
10 th e jo b, and t o have more d i f f i c u l t y i n e s t a b l i s h i n g good r e l a t i o n s h i p s w ith co -w o rk ers# M ccroskey (1977) r e p o r te d t h a t p e o p le w ith h ig h com m unication a p p re h e n sio n were l e s s l i k e l y t o r e g i s t e r and v o te th a n p e o p le w ith lo w er l e v e l s o f com m unication a p p re h e n s io n. The h ig h ly c o m m u n icativ e ly a p p re h e n siv e p e rs o n f o s t e r s a p a s s iv e a t t i t u d e to w ard i n t e r a c t i o n w hich s u g g e s ts t h a t th e a p p re h e n s iv e com m unicative s t y l e i s q u ite d i f f e r e n t from th e r h e t o r i c a l s t y l e. I t seem s t h a t th e c o m m u n icativ ely a p p re h e n s iv e p e rs o n c h o o se s n o t to acknow ledge th e im p act t h a t v e r b a l e x p r e s s io n s o r n o n v e rb a l c u e s have on i n t e r a c t i o n i n o rd e r to d e v e lo p a r a t i o n a l e f o r a v o id in g com m unication w henever p o s s i b l e. N o n v erb al Cues D ecoding A b i l i t y In i d e n t i f y i n g com m unicator s t y l e s, i t i s im p o rta n t to c o n s id e r th e l e v e l o f a c u i t y t o th e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f n o n v e rb a l c u e s a n in d iv id u a l e x h i b i t s a s w e ll a s h i s / h e r v e r b a l p r e d i s p o s i t i o n. In o u r v e r b a l - o r i e n t e d s o c ie ty, th e im p o rta n c e o f th e in s e p a r a b le r o l e t h a t n o n v e rb a l com m unication p la y s in th e t o t a l co m m unication p r o c e s s i s o f te n o v e rlo o k e d. W a tz alaw ick, B eav in, and J a c k s o n (1 9 6 7 ) advanced a fu n d am e n tal axiom o f com m unication t h a t i s b a s ic t o th e u n d e rs ta n d in g o f th e i n t r i c a t e s t a t u s o f th e n o n v e rb a l i n o u r d a i l y l i v e s : One c a n n o t n o t com m unicate. i n a n o n v e rb a l c o n te x t. V e rb a l m essag es a r e alw ay s t r a n s m itte d C o n se q u e n tly, m essag es a r e im p o s s ib le t o decode w ith o u t th e c o n s id e r a tio n o f n o n v e rb a l cues,,
12 c a te g o r ie s i s th e p e r s o n a lity - o r ie n te d appro ach. I t s p rim ary fo cu s i s on in d iv id u a l d if f e r e n c e s in n o n v e rb al b e h a v io r, and i t lo o k s s p e c i f i c a l l y a t a p e r s o n 's n o n v e rb a l s k i l l or s ty le (R o se n th a l, H a ll, D im atteo, R o g ers, and A rc h e r, 1 9 7 9 ). D e sp ite th e ran g e o f d eco d in g re s e a r c h d e s ig n s, some g e n e r a liz a tio n s a b o u t th e i n t e r p r e t a b i l i t y o f em otion from n o n v erb a l b e h a v io r can be made: (1 ) some em otions can be r a c c u r a te ly decoded from th e n o n v e rb a l b e h a v io r o f th e f a c e, body, and v o ic e, ( 2 ) th e s e n o n v e rb a l c h a n n e ls p ro b a b ly d i f f e r in d e c o d a b ility, ( 3 ) em o tio n s d i f f e r in d e c o d a b ility, and, (4) peo p le d e f i n i t e l y d i f f e r in t h e i r a b i l i t y to decode em otions from n o n v e rb al b e h a v io r (Zuckerm an, L ip ts, Koivum aki, and R o s e n th a l, 1975)* M ehrabian (1972, p. 187) p o s tu la te s t h a t n o n v e rb a l b e h a v io r i s more im p o rta n t or b a s ic th a n v e r b a l b e h a v io r. I n d iv id u a l d if f e r e n c e s among p eople in t h e i r use o f n o n v erb al cues can be c o n c e p tu a liz e d in th r e e ways: ( 1 ) in term s o f c o n s is te n t in d iv id u a l d if f e r e n c e s in th e e x p re s s io n of p o s itiv e f e e lin g s and d if f e r e n c e s in th e e x p re s s io n o f dominance and re s p o n s iv e n e s s ; ( 2 ) in term s o f a p e r s o n 's ten d en cy to n o n v e rb a l, r a t h e r th a n v e r b a l, c h a n n e ls to e x p re ss em otion; and, ( 3 ) a s a n a s p e c t o f s o c ia l s k i l l s th e a p p ro p ria te com m unication o f a t t i t u d e and s t a t u s th ro u g h n o n v erb a l cu es (M ehrabian, 1972, pp. 189-190)* P eople a ls o d i f f e r in t h e i r a b i l i t y to u n d e rsta n d m essages w hich a re e x p re sse d n o n v e rb a lly. Many s tu d ie s have been conducted w hich i d e n t i f y in d iv id u a l d if f e r e n c e s in
13 n o n v e rb a l d e co d in g a b i l i t y. F o r exam ple, B eldoch (196*0 d e s ig n e d a s tu d y w hich exam ined i n t e r r e l a t i o n s h i p s among a b i l i t i e s to i d e n t i f y e m o tio n a l m essag es i n d i f f e r e n t modes o f n o n v e rb a l co m m u n icatio n. He r e p o r te d t h a t s i g n i f i c a n t i n t e r c o r r e l a t i o n s w ere o b ta in e d among th e a b i l i t i e s to i d e n t i f y th e e x p r e s s io n o f f e e l i n g i n th r e e d i f f e r e n t n o n v e rb a l m odes: s p e c i f i c em o tio n s e x p re s s e d by v o ic e to n e ; a b s t r a c t a r t i s t i c r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s o f th e same e m o tio n s; an d, m u s ic a l c o m p o sitio n s o f th e same e m o tio n s. D a v itz and M a ttis (196*0 r e p o r t a s im i l a r r e l a t i o n s h i p b etw een th e a b i l i t y t o i d e n t i f y an e m o tio n a l m eaning by v o ic e to n e and by f a c i a l e x p r e s s io n. I n o th e r w o rd s, th e s e s t u d i e s s u g g e s t t h a t a p e rs o n who c o r r e c t l y d eco d es an e m o tio n a l e x p r e s s io n i n one n o n v e rb a l mode i s l i k e l y t o be a b le t o decode th e same e m o tio n a l e x p r e s s io n in a n o th e r n o n v e rb a l mode. S i m i l a r l y, a p e rs o n who i n c o r r e c t l y d eco d es a n e m o tio n a l e x p r e s s io n i n one n o n v e rb a l mode i s l i k e l y to make th e same d e c o d in g e r r o r when th e same e m o tio n a l m essage i s e x p re s s e d i n a d i f f e r e n t n o n v e rb a l mode. I n a d d i t i o n, th e s e s t u d i e s s u p p o rt th e id e a t h a t a p e rs o n who a c c u r a t e l y d eco d es th e e m o tio n a l m eanings o f v o c a l e x p r e s s io n s a l s o te n d s t o a c c u r a t e l y decode f a c i a l, g r a p h ic, and m u s ic a l e x p r e s s io n s. T h is s tu d y w i l l e x p lo re th e p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t th e a b i l i t y to. decode n o n v e rb a l c u e s i s r e l a t e d t o r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y and com m u n icatio h a p p re h e n s io n. S ta te m e n t Of th e Problem The p u rp o se o f t h i s s tu d y i s to e x p lo re w hat r e l a t i o n s h i p s m ig h t e x i s t among r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y, co m m unication
Ik a p p re h e n s io n, and n o n v e rb a l d e c o d in g a b i l i t y. The fo llo w in g r e p r e s e n t th e ty p e s o f q u e s tio n s o f i n t e r e s t * 1. I s th e r e a r e l a t i o n s h i p betw een r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y and com m unication a p p re h e n sio n? 2. I s th e r e a r e l a t i o n s h i p b etw een r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y and n o n v e rb a l d e c o d in g a b i l i t y? 3 * I s th e r e a r e l a t i o n s h i p b etw een com m unication a p p re h e n s io n and n o n v e rb a l d e c o d in g a b i l i t y? if. Are any o f th e s e r e l a t i o n s h i p s a f f e c t e d by age o r g e n d e r? Summary T h is c h a p te r d e t a i l e d c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f two com m unicator s t y l e s, r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y and com m unication a p p re h e n s io n, and n o n v e rb a l d e c o d in g a b i l i t y. Each o f th e v e r b a l com m unicator s t y l e s and n o n v e rb a l d e c o d in g a b i l i t y h a s b een s tu d ie d e x t e n s iv e ly, b u t s e p a r a t e l y. I t was e s ta b lis h e d t h a t th e p u rp o se o f t h i s s tu d y was to e x p lo re th e r e l a t i o n s h i p among r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y, com m unication a p p re h e n s io n, and n o n v e rb a l d e c o d in g a b i l i t y. C h a p te r Two p r o v id e s a d is c u s s io n o f th e p ro c e d u re s o f th e s tu d y. The r e s u l t s o f th e s tu d y a r e r e p o r te d i n C h a p te r T h re e, and C h a p te r F o u r c o n ta in s a d is c u s s io n o f th e r e s u l t s and s u g g e s tio n s f o r f u tu r e r e s e a r c h.
CHAPTER I I METHODOLOGY O verview The fo c u s o f t h i s s tu d y i s to e x p lo re th e p o t e n t i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s among r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y, com m unication a p p re h e n s io n, and n o n v e rb a l d eco d in g a b i l i t y. S u b je c ts w ere o b ta in e d from s tu d e n ts e n r o l le d in c o u rs e s i n th e D ep artm en t o f C om m unication A r ts an d S c ie n c e s a t W estern M ichigan U n iv e r s ity d u rin g th e 1982 W in te r S e m e ste r. The s u b je c ts c o m p leted two s e l f - r e p o r t q u e s tio n n a ir e s and a re s p o n s e s h e e t u se d in c o n ju n c tio n w ith v ie w in g a f ilm. The s c o re s from th e q u e s tio n n a ir e s and th e re s p o n s e s h e e t p ro v id e d th e raw d a ta u se d f o r e x p la in in g p o t e n t i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s among th e th r e e v a r i a b l e s. The f o llo w in g s e c tio n s d e t a i l th e s e l e c t i o n o f s u b j e c t s, th e v a l i d i t y o f th e m e a su rin g in s tr u m e n ts, p r o c e d u re s, and m ethods o f a n a l y s i s. S e l e c t i o n o f S u b je c ts The s u b je c ts w ere r e c r u i t e d by f a c u l t y p e rm is s io n from C om m unication A r ts and S c ie n c e s (CAS) c o u rs e s a t W estern M ich ig an U n iv e r s ity d u r in g th e 1982 W in te r S e m e ste r. One h u n d red and tw e n ty - f iv e s tu d e n ts e n r o lle d i n th r e e d i f f e r e n t s e c t io n s o f CAS 170 ( I n t e r p e r s o n a l C om m unication), one s e c t io n o f CAS 570 (F am ily C o m m u n icatio n ), one s e c tio n o f CAS 572 (N o n v erb al C o m m u n icatio n ), and one s e c tio n o f CAS 670 (S em in ar in O r g a n iz a tio n a l Com m unication) p a r t i c i p a t e d. A lth o u g h s tu d e n ts w ere r e c r u i t e d from c o u rs e s in th e 15
16 C om m unication A r ts and S c ie n c e s D ep artm en t, th e s tu d e n ts e n r o lle d in th o s e c l a s s e s a re from a v a r i e t y o f d i s c i p l i n e s. F o r exam ple, CAS 170 i s a n u n d e rg ra d u a te c o u rse r e q u ir e d f o r a l l C om m unication m a jo rs and m in o rs. In a d d i t i o n, a s tu d e n t may e n r o l l i n th e c o u rse to g a in c r e d i t f o r a g e n e r a l e d u c a tio n e l e c t i v e. F iv e hundred l e v e l c o u rs e s a r e open to u p p e r l e v e l u n d e rg ra d u a te and g ra d u a te s tu d e n ts in C om m unication, S o c ia l Work, C o u n s e lin g and P e rs o n n e l, O c c u p a tio n a l T h e rap y, and E d u c a tio n a l L e a d e rs h ip. The 600 l e v e l c o u rs e s a r e open t o g ra d u a te s tu d e n ts i n th e C om m unication D e p a rtm e n t. In some c l a s s s e c t i o n s, i t was n e c e s s a r y t o c o n d u ct th e in s tru m e n t a d m in is tr a tio n d u rin g d i f f e r e n t c l a s s m e e tin g s. F o r exam ple, on one d ay th e two s e l f - r e p o r t q u e s tio n n a ir e s w ere a d m in is te r e d and on a n o th e r d ay th e s u b je c ts co m p leted re s p o n s e s h e e ts w h ile v ie w in g a f ilm. F o r t h a t r e a s o n, a lth o u g h 125 s tu d e n ts p a r t i c i p a t e d i n th e s tu d y, a t t r i t i o n re d u c e d th e f i n a l num ber o f s u b je c ts to 109. Of t h a t num ber, t h e r e were 68 fem ale s u b je c ts and 4 l m ale s u b je c ts. The a g e s o f th e s u b je c ts ra n g e d from 18 to 5^ y e a r s o f a g e. M easu rin g In s tru m e n ts H a r t, C a rls o n, and E a d ie (1980) d ev elo p ed th e R h e to r ic a l S e n s i t i v i t y s c a le ( h e r e a f t e r RHETSEN). The RHETSEN s c a le i s i n th e form o f a p e r s o n a l in v e n to ry q u e s tio n n a ir e w hich c o n s i s t s o f 40 L i k e r t - t y p e o p tio n s w hich..are w eig h ted d i f f e r e n t i a l l y. T w e n ty -e ig h t r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y ite m s
17 and 12 dummy item s a re in c lu d e d in th e s c a le. An in d iv id u a l1s sc o re on th e RHETSEN can ran g e from a low o f 0 to a h ig h of 56, w ith two p o in ts maximum f o r each o f th e 28 r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y ite m s. H a rt, C a rlso n, and E adie (1980, p. 12) r e p o rte d t h a t "th e d evelo p m en tal work w ith th e RHETSEN s c a le in d ic a te d t h a t we had dev elo p ed a s u f f i c i e n t l y v a l i d and r e l i a b l e in s tru m e n t". In th e developm ent o f th e i n i t i a l RHETSEN in s tru m e n t, th re e s e p a ra te p ro c e d u re s w ere used to a s s e s s i t s c r i t e r i o n - r e l a t e d v a l i d i t y. U ndergraduate s tu d e n ts were ask ed to com plete RHETSEN and t h e i r i n s t r u c t o r s were ask ed to a s s e s s th e r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y o f t h e i r s tu d e n ts. S tu d e n ts d e s ig n a te d a s h ig h ly s e n s itiv e by RHETSEN s c o re s were a ls o r a te d a s more s e n s itiv e by t h e i r i n s t r u c t o r s. The second p ro ced u re in v o lv e d a s k in g a group o f s o r o r i ty women to re c o rd names o f t h e i r s o r o r ity s i s t e r s who were m ost l i k e l y, R h e to r ic a l R e f le c to r, and l e a s t l i k e l y, Noble S e lf, to change t h e i r com m unicative p a tte r n s to p le a s e o th e r p e o p le. RHETSEN s c o re s c o r r e la te d n e g a tiv e ly w ith th e number o f tim e s s u b je c ts were r e p o rte d a s b e in g e i t h e r Noble S e lf or R h e to r ic a l R e f le c to r. The t h i r d p ro ced u re in v o lv e d a d m in is te rin g th e RHETSEN to p e rso n s concerned w ith in te r p e r s o n a l com m unication on a p r o f e s s io n a l b a s is. P a s to r a l c o u n s e lo rs who to o k RHETSEN sco red s i g n i f i c a n t l y h ig h e r th an d id g ra d u a te s tu d e n ts i n a com parison group who were a t t i t u d i n a l l y s im ila r b u t who were n o t t r a in e d c o u n s e lo rs (H a rt, C a rlso n, and E a d ie, I 98O).
18 McCroskey (1970) developed a s e lf-re p o rt q u estio n n aire which measures communication apprehension and i s c a lle d the P ersonal Report of Communication Apprehension (h e re a fte r PRCA). The PRCA c o n s is ts of 25 choice L ik e rt-ty p e items y ie ld in g scores from 25 to 125. I t has y ield ed r e l i a b i l i t y estim ates above.90 in over f i f t y stu d ie s. A summary of research employing the PRCA through 1975 provided a comprehensive argument in support of i t s v a lid ity (McCroskey, 1978). The P r o file of Nonverbal S e n s itiv ity (h e re a fte r PONS), developed by R osenthal, H all, Archer, DiMatteo, and Rogers (1979)» i s a comprehensive and s c ie n tif ic a lly v a lid a te d measurement of s e n s itiv ity to nonverbal communication. The f u l l PONS t e s t is a 47-m inute, black-and-w hite 16 mm film and soundtrack composed of 220 numbered au d ito ry and v isu a l segments. The 220 segments are a randomized p re se n ta tio n of 20 short scenes p o rtrayed by a young woman, each scene rep resen ted in 11 d iff e r e n t modes or channels of nonverbal communication. The 11 channels f a l l in to two c a te g o rie s. The f i r s t fiv e c h an n els'are "pure": (1) face alone, (2) body from neck to knees, no v o ice, (3) face and body down to th ig h s, no voice, (4) e le c tr o n ic a lly f ilte r e d v o ice, no p ic tu re, and, (5) randomized sp liced v o ice, no p ic tu re. The rem aining six channels are "mixed" in th a t they combine the pure channels* (6) face p lu s random -spliced v o ice, (7) face p lu s e le c tr o n ic a lly f il t e r e d v o ice, (8) body p lu s random -spliced v o ice, (9) body plus e le c tr o n ic a lly f il t e r e d v o ice, (10) face
19 p lu s body p lu s random -spliced v o ic e, and, (11) face p lu s body p lu s e le c tr o n ic a lly f i l t e r e d v o ice (R osen th al, H a ll, A rcher, D im atteo, and Rogers, 1979b, p. 7)» The re sp o n d e n t's ta s k i s to view th e film and c ir c le th e la b e l on th e response sh e e t t h a t a c c u ra te ly d e sc rib e s the scene b ein g p o rtra y e d. The f u l l PONS t e s t has been ad m in istered to over 7,000 people in sam ples t h a t inclu d ed u n iv e r s ity s tu d e n ts, c h ild re n and te e n a g e rs, te a c h e rs and te a c h e r s - in - tr a in in g, p h y sic ia n s and t h e r a p i s t s, businessm en, m ental p a tie n ts, a c to r s, and m arried c o u p le s. The b a sic r e l i a b i l i t y o f the f u l l PONS t e s t reached th e le v e l obtained by stan d ard ized g ro u p -ad m in istered t e s t s o f in te llig e n c e. For th e high school norm group (N=^92), th e in te r n a l c o n sisten cy r e l i a b i l i t y was.92. In s ix s tu d ie s of r e t e s t r e l i a b i l i t y, th e median r was.6 9 (R o sen th al, H a ll, A rcher, D im atteo, and Rogers, 1979b, p. 1 8). P rocedures On Jan u ary 18 o f th e 1982 W inter Semestez*, a l e t t e r was d is tr ib u te d to a l l Communication A rts and S ciences f a c u lty a t W estern M ichigan U n iv e rsity (see Appendix A ). The l e t t e r b r i e f l y d e sc rib e d the n a tu re and purpose o f th e re se a rc h stu d y and req u e sted p erm issio n to e n l i s t stu d e n ts e n ro lle d in communication co u rses to a c t as p a r tic ip a n ts. An in fo rm atio n sh eet was a tta c h e d to th e l e t t e r which in clu d ed a sh o rt d e f in itio n of each of th e v a r ia b le s, a b r i e f d e s c rip tio n of each of th e th re e m easuring in stru m en ts and a l i s t of
20 re fere n ce s (see Appendix B ) Because of th e amount of time needed to adm inister a l l three measuring instrum ents, responses were s p e c ific a lly req u ested from those in s tru c to rs teaching c la s se s th a t met fo r longer than f i f t y m inutes and/or who could devote two c la s s p erio d s to p a r tic ip a tio n in.th e study. A ll p a r tic ip a n ts completed th e RHETSEN q u estio n n aire (see Appendix C), the PRCA q u e stio n n aire (see Appendix D), and the PONS t e s t during re g u la r c la s s tim e. In s tru c tio n s were provided fo r a l l th re e of the instrum ents (see Appendix E ). For four of the se c tio n s from which su b je c ts were re c ru ite d, the RHETSEN and the PRCA q u estio n n a ire s were adm inistered during one c la s s p erio d and th e f u l l PONS t e s t was adm inistered during another c la s s p erio d on a d iff e r e n t day. For the other two se c tio n s, a l l th re e measuring instrum ents were adm inistered during the same c la ss p erio d. The d ifferen c e in these procedures was d ic ta te d "by the amount of c la s s time a v aila b le fo r student involvement in the study. The su b je c ts signed a consent form (see Appendix F) before any of the m easuring instrum ents were adm inistered. These forms were kept in a f i l e sep arate from the q u estio n n aire s and th e response sheets in order to insure su b ject anonymity. Each su b jec t was asked to w rite h is /h e r so c ia l se c u rity number, age, and gender on the top of the q u e stio n n a ire s and the response sh eet. This inform ation was requested fo r a number of reaso n s. F i r s t, s o c ia l se c u rity numbers provided a system fo r arranging the scores from the measuring instrum ents in a coherent manner as i t was necessary to conduct a d m in istra tio n
2 1 on two d if f e r e n t days in some in s ta n c e s. Second, th e s u b je c ts were able to re q u e st t h e i r sco res a f t e r d a ta c o lle c tio n was com pleted and s t i l l p re se rv e t h e i r anonymity since only soci^l s e c u rity, numbers were used fo r id e n tif ic a tio n. Age and gender in fo rm atio n provided a d d itio n a l ways to view the d a ta. Methods of D ata A n aly sis A number of p ro ced u res was implemented to arran g e d a ta in a form a c ce p ta b le fo r s t a t i s t i c a l a n a ly s is. F i r s t, the m easuring in stru m e n ts were h an d-scored. The in fo rm atio n obtain ed was tr a n s f e r r e d to a g rid which inclu d ed the fo llo w in g c a te g o rie s : (1) s o c ia l s e c u rity numbers, (2) su b je c t number, (3) age, (4) gender, (5) RHETSEN sco re, (6) PRCA sco re, and, (? ) PONS sco re. The d ata from t h i s g rid were th en sto re d in a computer bank f i l e. F in a lly, th e d ata were su b je c te d to sim ple a n a ly s is u sin g W estern M ichigan U n iv e r s ity 's STAT PAK program. Summary T his c h a p te r covered the methods used fo r th e s e le c tio n o f s u b je c ts, th e v a l i d i t y of th e m easuring in stru m en ts, p ro ced u res, and methods o f d ata a n a ly s is.
CHAPTER I I I RESULTS Overview The purpose o f t h i s study i s to explore th e p o te n tia l r e la tio n s h ip among r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y, communication appreh en sio n, and nonverbal decoding a b i l i t y. The procedures and methods used to conduct the stu d y were p re se n te d in C hapter Two. The r e s u l t s of th e s t a t i s t i c a l a n a ly s is o f the d a ta w ill be p re se n te d in t h i s c h a p te r. Raw sco res from th e th re e m easuring in stru m en ts used in th e study were tr a n s f e r r e d from a g rid to a computer f i l e. A ll d a ta were l e f t in th e raw form fo r a n a ly s is. A n aly sis c o n s is te d o f exam ining r e la tio n s h ip s by u sin g c o r r e la tio n c o e f f ic ie n ts and u sin g means and stan d ard d e v ia tio n s to d escrib e th e d a ta. R e s u lts As s ta te d p re v io u sly, the q u e s tio n s of i n t e r e s t to th e stu d y ares (1) i s th e re a r e la tio n s h ip between r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y and communication apprehension?, (2) is th e re a r e la tio n s h ip between r h e t o r i c a l s e n s i t i v i t y and nonverbal decoding a b i l i t y?, (3) i s th e re a r e la tio n s h ip between communication ap p reh en sio n and nonverbal decoding a b i l i t y?, and, (^) are any o f th e se r e la tio n s h ip s a ffe c te d by age or gender? The P earso n -P ro d u ct Moment C o rre la tio n C o e ffic ie n t was used to examine th e f i r s t th re e q u e s tio n s. For q u e s tio n one, 22