Aimee E. Miller-Ott

The Presence of Cell Phones in Romantic Partner Face-to-Face Interactions: An Expectancy Violation Theory Approach

Cell phones are essential in maintaining ties with romantic partners but they can also detract from quality time we spend with them. The purpose of this study was to examine expectations that romantic partners have of cell phone usage during time spent together and how they manage violations of expectations. Using Expectancy Violation Theory (EVT; Burgoon, 1978) as the analytical framework, in-depth, qualitative analysis of transcripts of focus groups with college students (N = 51) revealed that participants have expectations for undivided attention on formal dates and when spending intimate time together and divided attention when informally “hanging out” with one another. In addition, results identified ways that individuals respond to expectancy violations and manage their expectations with romantic partners.

Cell Phone Usage Expectations, Closeness, and Relationship Satisfaction Between Parents and Their Emerging Adults in College

Frequent cell phone contact between emerging adults in college and parents raises the question of how they manage access and maintain control over cell phone use and how it affects their relationships. Emerging adults in college (N = 207) completed measures of relational satisfaction and closeness, cell phone satisfaction, and cell phone rules for their parents. Participants reported cell phone rules about availability, repetitive contact, and relational arguments. Positive associations existed between cell phone satisfaction and relationship satisfaction with mother and father, and between frequency of cell phone interaction and closeness with mother. Having some rules significantly predicted cell phone satisfaction, closeness, and relationship satisfaction with mothers.

Competing Discourses and Meaning Making in Talk about Romantic Partners’ Cell-Phone Contact with Non-Present Others

Focus groups were conducted with 51 college students to examine how participants engaged in meaning making about the presence and use of cell phones with non-present others while in the context of dating and spending time with romantic partners. Grounded in relational dialectics theory, qualitative analysis revealed two sets of competing discourses at play in college students’ talk about cell phones: discourses of community and romance and discourses of control and freedom. The interplay of these competing discourses illuminated participants’ struggles with being available to others while trying to provide attention to their dating partners. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Helicopter Parenting and Cell-Phone Contact between Parents and Children in College

ABSTRACT Using relational dialectics theory as the organizing framework, this study examined helicopter parenting and cell-phone contact among college students (N = 529). Participants had more cell-phone conflict, engaged in more avoidance, and had more rules about cell-phone contact with high- compared to low- and, in some cases, moderate-helicopter mothers. Participants with high-helicopter fathers reported more father-initiated contact and cell-phone conflict than moderate- or low-helicopter fathers. Those with moderate- and high-helicopter fathers reported more rules about cell-phone contact but also higher closeness and relational satisfaction than those with low-helicopter fathers. Overall, participants differed on autonomy–connection issues with their mothers and fathers.

A Politeness Theory Analysis of Cell-Phone Usage in the Presence of Friends

Politeness theory (Brown & Levinson, 1987) provided the framework for analyzing focus-group transcripts in which college students discussed their perceptions of cell-phone use by friends while in one another’s presence and their responses to friends’ usage. Findings revealed that this context is inherently face threatening in terms of both positive and negative face. Consequently, participants reported often using hybrid politeness strategies for managing positive and negative face threats, although they also used bald-on-record and going off-record strategies as well as not engaging the face-threatening act.

Helicopter Parenting, Family Communication Patterns, and Out-of-Class Communication with College Instructors

The present study examined the influence of helicopter parenting and family conversation and conformity orientations on college students’ out-of-class communication (OCC) with instructors. Data from 272 college students revealed significant negative relationships between helicopter parenting and conformity orientations and students’ reported OCC and a positive relationship between conversation orientation and OCC.

Developing and Maintaining Foster Family Identity Through Foster Parents’ Identity Work

ABSTRACT There are hundreds of thousands of children in foster care in the United States, nearly a majority of whom are placed with nonrelative foster parents (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015). Few scholars (e.g., Nelson, 2014) have explored the communicative process through which a sense of family is created and maintained in foster families, despite the potential positive impact that developing a foster family identity may have on foster family functioning. The purpose of the present study was to understand the communicative strategies that foster parents use to create family identity. Data from interviews with 18 current and former foster parents revealed that through their talk inside and outside of the family, foster parents engaged in integrating biological and foster families, ritualizing, explaining, labeling family roles, and reframing. I discuss the importance of these findings for foster families.

Sports Scores and Intimate Moments: An Expectancy Violations Theory Approach to Partner Cell Phone Behaviors in Adult Romantic Relationships

This study investigated how 225 adults perceived and responded to expectations of attentiveness and availability via cell phones when with romantic partners. Phone behaviors were generally expected, neutral, and typical but more negative when participants expected partner attention. Behaviors were more unexpected and negative if in public than at home. Phone sharing behaviors were perceived positively. Partner rewardingness was negatively correlated with valence and predicted cell phone satisfaction, as did valence, expectedness, and typicality of cell phone behavior. The most common response to partners’ cell phone usage was to say nothing.