Jonathan H. Amsbary

An Analysis of Prolific Scholarship in Speech Communication, 1915-1985: Toward a Yardstick for Measuring Research Productivity.

Using the journals listed in the most recent index to journals in communication studies, publication patterns of prolific authors in speech communication between 1915 and 1985 were analyzed. Publication of as few as six articles in the journals studied places an individual in the top ten percent of scholars on the all‐time list. Publication of eleven articles places an individual in the top five percent. The data indicate publication early in a scholars career is very important, as is flexibility in selection of journals in which to publish.

Active Prolific Female Scholars in Communication: An Analysis of Research Productivity, II.

The authors analyzed the authors index in the 1992 Index to Journals in Communication Studies to answer several research questions regarding the productivity of female scholars in the field. A list of the top 25 was developed as well as information on where these researchers publish, where they teach, where they received their degrees, and when they received their degrees. Recommendations are made for future studies on service and teaching as well as research.

Active prolific scholars in communication studies: Analysis of research productivity, II

An analysis of research productivity of communication studies faculty provides a yardstick against which faculty and administrators can gauge productivity. Results suggest that a “productive” currently active scholar is one who has published six or more times (were in the top 5% of all publishers) in journals listed in the SCA Index to Journals in Communication Studies through 1990.

FACTORS INFLUENCING EVALUATIONS OF WEB SITE INFORMATION

This study investigated the effect of first-person and third-person perceptions of web site information. Responses from a telephone survey of 226 participants in a stratified random sample indicated that (1) most participants had higher evaluations for television news than for news received on the Internet; (2) a third-person effect was present in that most respondents generally thought that other people found the Internet easier to use than they did, and that other people were more likely to believe Internet information and trust the sources of Internet information than they would. Also, (3), evaluations of information on a particular web site could be increased by providing links to other web sites on the same topic. Perhaps links to other web sites may serve as either a “referencing” function or a social confirmation function to increase evaluations of web site information.

Utilization of online focus groups to include mothers: A use-case design, reflection, and recommendations

Advances in technology over the past decade have allowed unique methodologies to emerge, enabling the engagement of hard-to-reach populations on sensitive topics in a way that was before thought not possible with traditional face-to-face modalities. This study aimed to use online focus group discussions (FGDs) to explore breastfeeding mothers’ use of social media. Results indicate participants had a positive experience with online FGDs, and almost all preferred this method to traditional face-to-face focus groups. We discuss reflections of the online FGD experience, including best practices and recommendations for innovative ways to include time-constrained or hard-to-reach participants, for yielding rich qualitative data.

Stigma as a Communication Barrier for Participation in the Federal Government's Women, Infants, and Children Program

This study investigated the role of stigma as a barrier to participation in the federal Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program, Despite the relative success of the WIC program, participation among many qualified individuals is still low. The problem is particularly acute among middle-income women who qualify for the program. Using a series of five focus groups, conducted among eligible participants in five different cities in Alabama, data was collected and analyzed in terms of stigma management theory. The results indicate that the stigma of a governmental assistance program is a major barrier to participation in the program. Potential participants sometimes handle this stigma through direct rejection of participation or through indirect rationalizations for not participating.

Perceptions of in the Watergate Hearings

This study looked at perceptions of authenticity of witnesses testifying during the Watergate hearings held by Congress. The participants were students in basic communication classes at a large state university who viewed two video clips of testimony from the 1973 Congressional Hearings on Watergate. One clip was a recording of John Dean testifying about the illegal activities of those within the White House (testimony later revealed to by honest), and another by John Ehrlichman that disputed the charges by Dean. Participants responded to a questionnaire that measured perceived authenticity, trustworthiness, caring and honesty. The results showed that the testimony of Dean was rated as significantly more authentic than that of Ehrlichman. Authenticity was also correlated with trustworthiness, caring and honesty, but was no synonymous with any of the three.

Exploring Social Media Group Use Among Breastfeeding Mothers: A Qualitative Analysis (Preprint)

Background Breastfeeding is well known as the optimal source of nutrition for the first year of life. However, suboptimal exclusively breastfeeding rates in the United States are still prevalent. Given the extent of social media use and the accessibility of this type of peer-to-peer support, the role of social networking sites in enabling and supporting breastfeeding mothers needs to be further explored. Objective This study aimed to leverage mothers’ attitudes and behaviors of social media usage to understand effects on breastfeeding outcomes. Methods Participants were recruited from 1 probreastfeeding social media group with over 6300 members throughout the United States. Online focus group discussions were conducted with 21 women; interviews were conducted with 12 mothers. Qualitative data were aggregated for thematic analysis. Results Participants indicated that the social media group formed a community of support for breastfeeding, with normalizing breastfeeding, empowerment for breastfeeding, resource for breastfeeding, and shared experiences in breastfeeding as additional themes. Conclusions According to participants, social media groups can positively influence breastfeeding-related attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors as well as lead to longer duration of breastfeeding. The results of this study should be taken into account when designing interventions for breastfeeding mothers.

The "Drinking-Buddy" Scale and Perceptions of Assertiveness, Responsiveness and Authenticity

Previous research has reported that the “Drinking-Buddy” scale, a single question frequently used in political polls, could be interpreted as a single-item measure of para-social behavior as it related to interpersonal attraction. This study attempted to expand understanding of the concept by testing whether responses to the “Drinking Buddy” question was also related to several other interpersonal traits, i.e., authenticity, assertiveness and responsiveness. The participants were college students who voted in the 2012 election. They rated the candidates, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, as drinking buddies and then rated each of these candidates in terms of the perceived authenticity, assertiveness and responsiveness. It was hypothesized that participants’ ratings for each of these candidates’ traits would be higher for the candidate they chose as a drinking buddy, but that there should be no statistical differences between the ratings that the supporters of each candidate rated their own candidate. All of the directional hypotheses were supported for each of the three variables.

Nonverbal Behavior of Vendors in Customer-Vendor Interaction

Two research questions were posed on the homophily theory of customer-vendor interactions: (a) do vendors show any nonverbal preference for Euro-American or African-American customers?; (b) do vendors demonstrate any nonverbal preference for customers with which they share racial homophily? The results supported the homophily theory for Euro-American customers in that there were significant interaction effects by race in facial expression (F = 5.33, p < .05), amount of speaking (F = 6.76, p < .01), tone of voice (F = 7.62, p < .01), and touching (F = 4.57, p < .05). Vendor behavior varied when the customer was Euro-American, with Euro-American vendors smiling more frequently (M = 4.05) than African-American vendors (M = 3.69), speaking more frequently (M = 3.57) than African-American vendors (M = 3.09), using a more friendly tone of voice (M = 3.59, and engaging in more touching behaviors (M = 1.81) than African-American vendors (M = 1.48). There was no significant difference in the behavior of Euro-American and African-American vendors when the customer was African-American.