Artemio Ramirez

At First Sight: Persistent Relational Effects of Get-Acquainted Conversations:

Previous research has demonstrated that relational partners make decisions within the first few weeks of a relationship that determine the long-term nature of the relationship. The study reported here extends that research, predicting that such decisions and influences are apparent after brief first encounters. Students in several sections of a skills-oriented communication course reported reactions to a randomly assigned classmate after a brief conversation on the first day of class and the status of their relationship during week 9 of the term. Predicted Outcome Value Theory was employed to generate hypotheses. Results strongly support the theory, with perceptions formed during initial conversations influencing relationships in week 9.

When Online Meets Offline: The Effect of Modality Switching on Relational Communication

Collaborative partnerships developed via text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) commonly shift interactions to alternative formats. Extant research indicates that shifting from one modality to another, or “modality switching,” can have profound positive and negative effects on relational outcomes. Drawing on social presence theory (Short, Williams, & Christie, 1976) and social information processing theory (SIPT; Walther, 1992, 1996), the present study examined the influence of meeting FtF after varying lengths of time interacting via CMC on relational communication. Consistent with predictions, remaining online yielded greater intimacy and social attraction than the other conditions in which FtF contact occurred. With respect to the CMC conditions, modality switching modestly enhanced relational outcomes in the “early” switching partnerships but more strongly dampened those of “late” switching ones.

The effect of interactivity on initial interactions: the influence of information valence and modality and information richness on computer‐mediated interaction

Research investigating relationship development through computer‐mediated channels has failed to acknowledge the importance of initial interactions. Increasingly, multimodal forms of communication, such as audio‐ and videoconferencing, in addition to text‐only formats have emerged on socially oriented websites designed for relationship initiation. Utilizing the principle of interactivity as a conceptual framework, the present study investigates whether increased structural interactivity provided by the additional aural and visual modalities influences initial interaction processes and outcomes online. The results indicate that increased availability of nonverbal modalities, combined with the valence of the information acquired, significantly affected interaction involvement and mutuality, which are markers of processual interactivity, as well as the interaction outcomes of uncertainty, predicted outcome value, and information seeking. Additional analysis revealed that mutuality mediated the effect of richness on postinteraction uncertainty level and the evaluations of future relationship potential.

The niches of interpersonal media: Relationships in time and space

According to the theory of the niche, media must differentiate themselves along resource dimensions that allow for their survival to compete and coexist within a resource space. Within this study, contacts with personal relationships are framed as a key resource domain over which channels of interpersonal communication (interpersonal media) compete to occupy niches within the resource spaces of social networks. One hundred and forty-two college undergraduates completed a time/space diary for a randomly assigned weekday in which they recorded their contacts or ‘bundles’ with members of their personal social network. Analysis of the data shows that interpersonal media coexist because they are differentiated from each other in the contacts they allow with different relationships at different times and locations. Although evidence is found regarding heavy competition among the media under analysis, each is used in different time/space/network relationship contexts.

`Extending Society': the role of personal networks and gratification-utilities in the use of interactive communication media

This study examined the relationship among personal network characteristics, gratification-utilities and the frequency of use of three interactive communication technologies (landline telephone, email and instant messaging). A conceptual framework is presented, providing a rationale for three hypotheses predicting positive relationships between personal network characteristics (size, intimacy and physical proximity), gratification-utilities and frequency of use.The participants were 286 college students, whom research shows are primary users of interactive media. Hypotheses 1 and 2, proposing a link between network characteristics and gratification-utilities with frequency of use, were supported, while Hypothesis 3, predicting a link between the prior two variables, was only partially supported. Frequency of use was associated more strongly with network characteristics than with gratification-utilities across the three technologies. Of the network characteristics, network size was significantly associated with gratification-utilities. Directions for future research are discussed.

Relational Communication in Computer-Mediated Interaction Revisited: A Comparison of Participant–Observer Perspectives

Studies of online environments estimate that the majority of members in online forums do not contribute to ongoing discussions and only observe or “lurk” (e.g., Nonnecke & Preece, 2000). Despite the prevalence of this form of information acquisition, direct comparisons between the experiences of these “observers” (or “lurkers”) and active participants are lacking. The present research draws on previous research examining perceptual differences between participants and observers as well as social information processing theory (Walther, 1992) and reports on three studies examining such differences in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Study 1 examined the effects in the context of interpersonal interaction in synchronous CMC. Study 2 examined the effects in the context of group interaction in both synchronous and asynchronous CMC. Study 3 replicated and extended the results of the previous studies across two time periods. The overall results (a) support the presence of participant–observer differences in CMC, (b) show that the presence of anticipated future interaction moderates said differences, and (c) provide mixed evidence that participant and observer interpretations of relational messages converge over time.

The effects of participation on the ability to judge deceit

The principle of interactivity holds that communication processes and outcomes vary as a function of whether the communication context is interactive or not. When deception occurs in conversation, communicators who are active participants should be less accurate in detecting it than should observers by virtue of their level of interactivity. This experiment compared the judgments of participant‐receivers and observers to test this principle. Results supported all hypotheses. Participant‐receivers gave more favorable or lenient evaluations of participant‐sender performance than did observers and were less accurate in detecting deception. This finding offers strong support for Interpersonal Deception Theorys contention that interactive deception differs from noninteractive deception and advantages participant‐senders over participant‐receivers.

Predicted outcome value theory in ongoing relationships

Theory and research reported in this paper provide both theoretical and methodological advances in the study of predicted outcome value theory (POV) in established, ongoing relationships. From a theoretical perspective, POV, previously a theory focused solely on initial interaction behaviors and consequences, is extended into the realm of ongoing relationships. The propositions of the theory are reformulated and hypotheses derived from them are tested. Overall, the results strongly support this extension and shed new light on its role in understanding the effect of unexpected events. Methodologically, the study provides a longitudinal approach for assessing ongoing relationships both before and after the occurrence of an unexpected event.

Designing interfaces to maximize the quality of collaborative work

Technological advances provide designers with tools to develop interfaces with anthropomorphic qualities. However, it is not known how human participants accommodate such design features in their interactions with computers, nor do we know if these features facilitate or hinder information exchange and task performance. Study 1 examined the properties of mediation, contingency, and modality richness, whereas study 2 examined the property of mediation. Results show that the some design features are better than others given the goal of the encounter (e.g., passive involvement vs. relation building). Discussion focuses on the relation between user perceptions, design features, and task outcomes.

The Effect of Interactivity on Initial Interactions: The Influence of Information Seeking Role on Computer-Mediated Interaction

Predictions based on the principle of interactivity regarding the influence of structural affordances (information seeking role, information valence, communication format [study 2 only]) on experiences of interactivity (involvement, mutuality) and interaction outcomes (postinteraction uncertainty, predictions of future relational outcomes) were tested in 2 experimental studies. The overall results indicate that information seeking role and information valence significantly influenced the degree of interactivity experienced and positivity of relational outcomes forecasted. The communication format moderated the effect of information seeking role on uncertainty. Regression analyses indicated that the effect of the structural affordances on initial interaction outcomes was partially mediated by the experiential properties.