Dorothy Lenk Krueger

Interpersonal Communication Theory and Research: An Overview of Inscrutable Epistemologies and Muddled Concepts

This article reviews some of the intellectual developments outside of the field of communication which may have directly or indirectly influenced our fields rejection of logical empiricism and subsequently stimulated the metatheoretical controversies now being experienced. Special attention is given to the philosophy of language and action theory, cybernetics and modern systems theory and the crisis of confidence in social science. In the second part of the paper the authors examine some of the popular conceptions and terminology in the study of interpersonal communication. Although the ideas of control, metacommunication, and context are commonly, even axiomatically, assumed to be important, the literature on interpersonal communication shows them to be muddled, inoperable or vague. Nevertheless, these ideas, and similar or directly related ones, may offer the soundest basis for advancing our understanding of interpersonal communication.

Marital decision making: A language‐action analysis

This study of marital decision making focuses upon a dual career couple making a timely marital‐career decision: whether to relocate their household for his or her career. A language‐action model highlights multiple components of the decision context, such as institutional constraints, shared information, and the form or structure of the conversation. Through the interface of these components a conversation analysis is rendered, and then compared with the couples perceptions of their decision making. They describe themselves as equals, but the analysis suggests the husband exerts more influence. Several reasons for this discrepancy between the observers and participants’ views are examined.

Pragmatics of dyadic decision making: A sequential analysis of communication patterns

This descriptive study examines the sequence of communication in a normal, highly satisfied couples decision making. Speech acts are categorized along task and affiliative dimensions, and a lag sequential analysis identifies dependency relationships among categories. The lag profiles indicate that affectively neutral behavior forms a conversational base, but many significant responses reflect a positive, cooperative mode. The relationship periodically shifts from affection symmetry to complementarity when the man uses a command behavior and the woman accepts. Information giving, agreement, and reason giving are the most frequent task criterion and match categories. Partners show a high level of reciprocity of both task and affiliative categories. Finally, in talking about how they make decisions, both partners tend to avoid taking singular responsibility.

Competitive and Cooperative Decision-Making Groups An Analysis of Differences and Communication Patterns

This study investigates differences among four decision-making groups and describes the patterns of communication unique to two groups. In the first part of the investigation, four decision-making groups are given either competitive or cooperative inducements and are compared on two measures: competition and satisfaction. The two groups given the competitive inducement (Groups I and III) were found to have significantly higher competition and lower satisfaction than the groups given cooperative inducements (Groups II and IV). In the second part of the study a lag sequential analysis is conducted on the coded communicative sequences in the highest and lowest competition groups (I and II, respectively). This analysis yields patterns to decision-making unique to each sample group. Group Is communication is characterized by highly probable (above-chance) sequences of disagreement messages and few probable agreement messages. Group IIs communication patterns consist of highly probable sequences of decision development and probable agreement/support messages throughout the group interaction.

Implicit Contracts Regulating Small Group Leadership The Influence of Culture

This study of mono- and intercultural decision-making groups ascertains the kind of leadership rule structure apparent in each group type before and after group interaction. Further, a stochastic analysis of decision making is conducted to illuminate some of the differences between group types in leader communication over time. Each monocultural group presented an internally consistent set of leadership rules prior to group interaction; however, each intercultural group initially presented internally varied rules. Fewer message types and interact patterns are used in the intercultural than in the monocultural groups. Intercultural groups also use more evaluative responses and fewer reciprocal communication behaviors.