Lisa K. Hanasono

Testing Advice Response Theory in Interactions With Friends

This study extends and tests advice response theory (ART) by examining message content, message politeness, and advisor characteristics, along with situational and recipient factors as influences on the outcomes of advice. Participants (N = 244) discussed a real, current problem with a friend, completing measures about the advisor, recipient, and situation prior to the interaction, and assessments of advice message qualities and outcomes immediately after. The findings not only support ART but also indicate the need to consider how evaluations of advice evolve over time.

Explaining the Impact of Attachment Style on Evaluations of Supportive Messages: A Dual-Process Framework

This article reports tests of hypotheses derived from a theory of supportive message outcomes that maintains that the effects of supportive messages are moderated by factors influencing the motivation and ability to process these messages. Participants (N = 331) completed measures of attachment style, which provided individual-level assessments of processing motivation, and responded to either a mildly or moderately severe problem, which manipulated situational motivation.They subsequently evaluated the helpfulness of comforting messages that varied in person centeredness and were attributed to either an acquaintance or a close friend. Although message evaluations were strongly influenced by person centeredness, this effect, as expected, was also moderated by attachment style and problem severity. Results are discussed in terms of the dual-process theory of supportive message outcomes.

Are Gender Differences in Responses to Supportive Communication a Matter of Ability, Motivation, or Both? Reading Patterns of Situation Effects Through the Lens of a Dual-Process Theory

Women process information about support situations and messages more extensively than men, but little is known about whether these gender differences reflect underlying differences in processing ability, motivation, or both. Two studies examined information processing by men and women in both relatively less serious and more serious situations. Participants in Study 1 responded to more and less serious experimental scenarios, whereas participants in Study 2 reported on a recent bereavement situation. In both studies, the pattern of observed gender differences was most consistent with women possessing both greater ability and greater motivation to process information about support situations and messages.

Explaining Gender Differences in the Perception of Support Availability: The Mediating Effects of Construct Availability and Accessibility

Perceived support availability (PSA), a general belief about the likelihood that social support will be available when needed, is associated with numerous processes and outcomes of supportive communication. Currently, however, there is little understanding of the factors that contribute to this belief. Numerous studies have reported gender differences in PSA, with women generally indicating that they see support as more available than do men; in turn, gender differences in PSA have been cited to explain gender differences in the production and interpretation of supportive messages. In an effort to explain gender differences in PSA and, more broadly, understand the social-cognitive factors that contribute to individual differences in PSA, this article proposes and reports a test of a theoretical model that treats PSA as the outcome of the availability and accessibility of cognitive schemata for construing social situations. Participants (150 men and 271 women) completed instruments providing assessments of PSA, construct availability (cognitive complexity), and construct accessibility (expressive and instrumental orientations). Bootstrap procedures for the simultaneous assessment of multiple mediators found that construct accessibility generally was a stronger mediator of gender differences in PSA than construct availability. However, a cooperative suppression effect was found for 1 index of construct accessibility, complicating the interpretation of mediation effects.

Computer-Mediated Coping: Exploring the Quality of Supportive Communication in an Online Discussion Forum for Individuals Who Are Coping with Racial Discrimination

Coping with racial discrimination can be a complex and challenging endeavor, because individuals often feel powerless and stigmatized. Social support can help people cope more effectively with racial discrimination. This study examines the type and quality of supportive communication in an online forum for people who have experienced racial discrimination by examining messages’ person centeredness and facework. A total of 1,203 messages from an online support forum were coded for support type, person centeredness, and facework features. Despite the sheer volume of support, most messages were only moderately person centered, and most advice messages did not adequately attend to targets’ negative face. Our findings uncover some of the benefits and limitations of online social support, and we discuss implications for online forum moderators and participants.

Making a difference: A community-based campaign that promotes diversity and inclusion

Courses: This semester-long project is suited for courses on persuasion, diversity, social media, communication and technology, social advocacy, service-learning, or social justice. Objective: This assignment challenges students to research, design, launch, maintain, and assess an anti-hate social media campaign.

Teaching students how to publish communication research

ABSTRACT Courses: This semester-long assignment can be featured in undergraduate or graduate communication courses that include a major writing assignment such as research methods, capstone classes, senior thesis sections, or advanced courses on topics such as interpersonal, intercultural, and interracial communication. This assignment is suitable for face-to-face, online, and blended courses. Objectives: By completing this assignment, students should be able to (a) outline and draft a full research paper or comprehensive literature review on a course-related topic, (b) tailor their papers to meet the requirements of an editor’s call for papers, (c) peer review and provide constructive feedback on classmates’ scholarly papers, and (d) revise and resubmit their original research papers to a mock journal.

Virtual Voices with Real-Life Consequences: Teaching Students about Cyber-Vetting

Courses This activity is suited for a variety of communication courses, including those that focus on business communication, social media, interviewing, interpersonal and organizational communication, communication ethics, and new media. Objectives By completing this activity, students should be able to (a) explain the importance and pervasiveness of cyber-vetting, (b) investigate how their identities are portrayed online, and (c) implement strategies to make their online personas more professional.