John A. Daly

The affinity‐seeking function of communication

A model of the affinity‐seeking function of communication is introduced and explicated. The affinity‐seeking construct describes ways people get others to like and feel positive about them. The research is grounded in the presumption that people attempt to generate liking by using various communication strategies. Four questions were addressed in six studies: (1) How do people attempt to generate liking? (2) What is the relationship of affinity‐seeking to interpersonal attraction? (3) How do individual differences and situational contingencies constrain affinity‐seeking? and (4) What is the multivariate structure of affinity‐seeking? An inductively‐devised typology of affinity‐seeking strategies provided a reliable operationalization of the construct. Affinity‐seeking was strongly and positively related to interpersonal attraction, life satisfaction, and social effectiveness. In addition, strategy knowledge and strategy preferences were related to various personality variables and situational contingencie...

Writing Apprehension and Writing Competency.

AbstractWriting apprehension is a situation and subject-specific individual difference concerned with people’s general tendencies to approach or avoid writing. Theoretically, and on the basis of previous research, those with low apprehension about writing should perform better on tests of writing skills than highly apprehensive writers. The present study tested this prediction. As expected, low apprehensives scored significantly better on comprehensive tests of grammar, mechanics, and larger concerns in writing skills. Supplemental analyses revealed that average scores for individuals normally classified as moderates tended to fall between the average scores obtained for high and low apprehensives.

The Role of Writing Apprehension in Writing Performance and Competence

AbstractThe role of apprehension in the writing competency and writing performance of 110 undergraduates was investigated. The hypotheses were that high apprehensives would perform differently than low apprehensives on standardized tests of writing-related skills (competency) and on two essays of different types (performance). The hypothesis for writing competency was confirmed. However, the hypothesis for writing performance was confirmed for only one of the two essay types. Differences in indices measuring syntactic development and in judgments of writing quality were observed in the narrative/descriptive essays, but not in the argumentative essays.

The assessment of social‐communicative anxiety via self‐reports: A comparison of measures

A necessary assumption for the derivation of general summative propositions about any personality dimension is that measures assessing the characteristic are equivalent. In communication, research on social‐communicative anxiety has reflected this assumption. The present research assessed the accuracy of the assumption in terms of self‐report measures of social‐communicative anxiety. Fourteen instruments, representative of three conceptual groups (performance, communicative and social anxiety) were completed by a group of undergraduates. Three major tests of empirical equivalence were completed (correlations, factor analysis, classification analysis). Results indicated that virtually every measure was significantly and strongly associated with most other measures and most reflected the same general construct. The classification analysis revealed only moderate agreement among measures. A replication was completed which supported the conclusion of the primary study. In addition, the different measures were ...

Self-focused attention and public speaking anxiety

Abstract While there has been considerable concern for the assessment, correlates, and treatment of public speaking anxiety, little attention has been paid to why dispositional public speech anxiety detrimentally affects public speaking performances. In this study we test the notion that high public speaking anxiety is associated with excessive attention to self, leading to less effective public presentations. Results indicate that highly anxious speakers tend to pay less attention to their environments and have more negative, self-focused cognitions about their performances than low anxious speakers. This increase in attention to self is correlated with poorer speaking performances and lower self-evaluations.

Apprehension of Writing as a Predictor of Message Intensity

The present study sought to determine the effects of writing apprehension on message encoding strategies. Ninety-eight undergraduate students completed measures of language intensity and writing apprehension. As hypothesized, individuals with high apprehension of writing encoded significantly less intense messages than did those with low apprehension (p < .05). The finding offers support for both (a) a theoretic proposition advanced by Burgoon et al. concerning the role of language intensity in persuasive messages and (b) the predictive validity of the writing apprehension measure.

Pre-Performance Concerns Associated with Public Speaking Anxiety.

In three studies the relationship between peoples public speaking anxiety and their construals of the public speaking experience were examined. In the first study, greater anxiety was associated with greater concern about evaluation, performance, and self‐related issues. Study 2 focused on peoples constructs about public speaking. Highly anxious individuals emphasized self‐oriented, negative constructs. In the final study, anxious people selected speech topics that were less familiar to them and reported less sensitivity to public discourse. While previous research on public speaking anxiety has typically examined the effects of the anxiety on performance, these studies suggest that the anxiety is also related to beliefs and concerns that play a major role in the preparation of speeches.

Job Satisfaction as a Function of Employees' Communication Apprehension, Self-Esteem, and Perceptions of Their Immediate Supervisors

The study indicated that subordinate satisfaction with immediate supervision is closely associated with perceptions of supervisor communication behavior, credibility, attractiveness, and attitude h...

The effect of protein nutrition on host and tumor metabolism

Since the introduction of intravenous hyperalimentation (IVH) as a nutritional adjunct in multimodal cancer therapy (X), the risk of providing nutrient substrates for more rapid tumor growth has been a concern of those who use IVH to rehabilitate malnourished cancer patients nutritionally. Because of the technical difficulties in studying glucose and amino acid utilization in cancer patients, an experimental model was designed to simulate the nutritional problems encountered in cachectic cancer patients. Tumor-bearing rats were protein depleted with a protein-free diet, and then randomized into three groups which either continued on the protein-free diet, resumed a regular protein diet, or received intravenous hyperalimentation. By manipulating the dietary protein intake, the effects of protein restriction and repletion on host and tumor metabolism could be compared and related to the clinical situation in which hyperalimentation is used to replete malnourished cancer patients nutritionally. Host and tumor metabolism were evaluated by measuring the activity of three important enzymes that control glucose production and specific amino acid degradation. Fructose 1,6-diphosphatase (FDPase, EC 3.1.3.11) is considered one of the rate-limiting enzymes in the gluconeogenic pathway because of its slow kinetics and irreversible catalytic action (25). Glutamate -pyruvate transaminate (GPT, L-alanine:Z

The Effects of Writing Apprehension on Message Encoding.

Dij.ferences were found between high apprehensive and low apprehensive writers in rate, verbal qualification and rating of message quality. as measured by self report instruments, is factorially separate from a variety of other, somewhat similar, variables such as trait anxiety, oral communication apprehension (stagefright), and receiver a n ~ i e t y . ~ It is inversely related to various self-concept and self-esteem mea,There is increasing evidence for the sures as well as ratings of self comexistence of an individual difference petence.10 No significant associations appear between apprehension of writing among people in their feelings toward