Lawrence B. Rosenfeld

Self-Disclosure Avoidance: Why I Am Afraid to Tell You Who I Am.

This research sought to determine relationships between self‐disclosure and self‐disclosure avoidance. Results of stepwise multiple regression and stepwise multiple discriminant analyses indicated that although there is some similarity in the reasons why males and females avoid self‐disclosure, coherent differences exist. Generally, males avoid self‐disclosure in order to maintain control over their relationships; females avoid self‐disclosure in order to avoid personal hurt and problems with their interpersonal relationships.

Personality, sex, and leadership style

The purpose of this investigation was to isolate individual difference variables predictive of autocratic and democratic leadership styles for males and females. Subjects completed a battery of personality examinations and the Sargent and Miller Leadership Questionnaire. The results of two stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated differences which may be predicted for male and female democratic leader behaviors, but none which may be predicted for differences in autocratic leader behaviors.

Setting the Stage for Learning

Lawrence B. Rosenfeld Department of Speech Communication University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico Any good theatre person worth his or her salt knows that the script, the playwrights words, is only the starting point for the total theatrical experience. Devoid of the appropriate sets, costumes and lighting, the result is a boring evening (or matinee), and a great deal of wasted money. The best intentions and the best script may die an untimely death on stage, for all to see.

Personality determinants of autocratic and democratic leadership

The purpose of this investigation was to isolate personality correlates of leadership by determining the unique personality profiles associated with autocratic and democratic leadership styles. Based on a multiple discriminant analysis which separated the autocratic from democratic groups on the basis of seven personality variables (of 53 considered), subjects were classified as autocratic or democratic with a 75.66% accuracy. Also, a personality profile emerged from the pattern of scores on the variables from the discriminant analysis which allowed for a useful personality‐based characterization of autocratic and democratic leaders.

The “other” speech student: An empirical analysis of some interpersonal relations orientations of the reticent student

This study attempted to develop and test a method of differentiating reticent from non‐reticent students using William Schutzs FIRO‐B measuring instrument. Comparing FIRO‐B scale scores of reticent and non‐reticent students, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) reticent students, unlike non‐reticent students, want more control than they express; (2) reticent students, to a greater degree than non‐reticent students, want more affection than they express; (3) reticent students express less inclusion than non‐reticent students; (4) reticent students want less inclusion than non‐reticent students; and (5) reticent students express less affection than non‐reticent students.

The relationship of listener personality to perceptions of three dimensions of credibility

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship of listener personality to perceptions of speaker credibility. The results of the analysis allowed for distinctions among the different dimensions of source credibility, and the description of a set of listener characteristics relevant to the prediction of credibility ratings.

Individual Differences in the Credibility and Attitude Change Relationship

Summary To isolate important receiver individual differences which could be incorporated into the relationship between credibility and attitude change, 223 male and female university students completed selected psychological examinations and were assigned into three groups. One group heard a message from a high credibility communicator; a second heard a message from a low credibility communicator; and another served as a control. Attitude change was measured with pre- and posttest questionnaires. Analysis indicated that change in individuals following a message attributed to a high credibility communicator was characterized by a combination of variables related to a subjectively yielding receiver orientation, and that change following a message attributed to a low credibility communicator was characterized by a more objective but alterable receiver orientation.

Receiver Differences and the Comprehension of Spoken Messages

The purpose of this investigation was to develop receiver difference indices descriptive of organized and disorganized spoken message comprehension. Two months after the completion of four psychological tests, 149 subjects were divided into two groups, one of which heard an organized informative speech, and the other a disorganized version. The comprehension of each speech was measured with a multiple-choice test. Analyses of the data allowed for the interpretation of different indices appropriate for the explication and description of receiver comprehension in a variety of message conditions. These indices provide frameworks for a contemporary approach to the investigation of spoken message organization and receiver comprehension.

ANTECEDENTS OF CHANGE IN ATTITUDES OF MALES AND FEMALES

To isolate personality variables descriptive of attitudinal changes for males and females, subjects (82 males, 74 females) completed a variety of nonprojective personality tests, received a counterattitudinal message, and indicated pre- and posttest attitudes toward the message topic. The results of a stepwise multiple discriminant analysis indicated differences which are descriptive of males and females exhibiting different amounts of attitudinal change. Females exhibiting high attitudinal change were characterized as obliging and changeable, while high changing males were ordered, dependent and unstable; females exhibiting low attitudinal change were characterized as aggressive and unchanging, while males with low attitudinal change were forceful, efficient, and well-informed.

Dogmatism and decisions involving risk

This experimental study examines the influence of dogmatism on risk‐taking behavior for both groups and individuals. Subjects completed a measure of dogmatism and an initial measure of risk‐taking. Groups composed of high, moderate, and low dogmatic subjects participated in problem‐solving discussions in which group risk‐taking was observed. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for developing an improved risky‐shift paradigm.