Michael J. Cody

Silver surfers: Training and evaluating internet use among older adult learners

Two hundred ninety‐two older adult learners (averaging 80 years of age) were recruited from assisted and independent living facilities to learn about computer technologies and surf the Internet. A training program designed for adult learners involved weekly meetings with a mentor who helped individuals visit sites of their own choosing. Those who learned to surf the Internet had more positive attitudes toward aging, higher levels of perceived social support, and higher levels of connectivity. Surfers spent more time on‐line when computer efficacy was high, computer anxiety low, and attitudes toward aging were positive. Participation in the 4‐month program was associated with significantly reduced computer anxiety and increased ratings of perceived social support and connectivity.

A typology of disengagement strategies and an examination of the role intimacy, reactions to inequity and relational problems play in strategy selection

An inductive analysis employing cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling was conducted in Study I to develop, in conjunction with previous literature, a five‐factor typology of disengagement strategies: behavioral de‐escalation, de‐escalation, justification, positive tone and negative identity management. In Study II, perceived intimacy, anger and guilt over the allocation of resources in the relationship and three general factors of relational problems (targets behavior constrained the disengager, target had personal faults and target failed to compromise) were employed as independent variables influencing strategy selection. Intimacy, factors of problems and felt anger influenced the selection of strategies. Comparison of methods (rated usage of strategies vs. constructed strategies) uncovered discrepancies in the two methods for negative identity management and positive tone strategies. Recommendations concerning future research were noted.

Strategic misrepresentation in online dating: The effects of gender, self-monitoring, and personality traits:

This study examines factors (including gender, self-monitoring, the big five personality traits, and demographic characteristics) that influence online dating service users’ strategic misrepresentation (i.e., the conscious and intentional misrepresentation of personal characteristics). Using data from a survey of online dating service users (N = 5,020), seven categories of misrepresentation — personal assets, relationship goals, personal interests, personal attributes, past relationships, weight, and age — were examined. The study found that men are more likely to misrepresent personal assets, relationship goals, personal interests, and personal attributes, whereas women are more likely to misrepresent weight. The study further discovered that self-monitoring (specifically other-directedness) was the strongest and most consistent predictor of misrepresentation in online dating. Agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness also showed consistent relationships with misrepresentation.

Account sequences in conversations between strangers

The account sequence is proposed as a mechanism by which parties to initial encounters deal with the discovery of dissimilarity and other conversational “disagreeables.” A classification of offense, reproach, account, and evaluation forms is offered. The recorded conversations of 50 pairs of strangers were examined for the presence of account sequences. Each sequence was coded for type of offense, type of reproach, account strategy, and form of evaluation of the account. Persons were found to be likely to omit accounting when reproached for interaction offenses, work/school offenses, and personal identity offenses, or when the form of the reproach was a direct rebuke or imputation of moral/intellectual superiority of the reproacher. Excuses were most likely to be offered for offenses of taste/attitude/belief, work/school, and personal identity. Reproached individuals refused to account for personal identity and taste/attitude/belief offenses more often than other types; they also refused when the reproach...

An examination of relationship disengagement: Perceptions, breakup strategies and outcomes

Questionnaires were obtained from 310 participants who reported on past intimate relationships. Items assessed how the relationship and partner were perceived and how the relationship breakup was accomplished. Also assessed were selected outcomes: felt anger, depression, freedom and the extent to which the partners remained friends after the disengagement. The results replicated earlier findings by Baxter (1982) and Cody (1982) and extended the range of variables pertinent to strategy selection by evaluating the role of network overlap, partner desirability, trust and dyadic adjustment. Both relational variables and tactics were associated with consequences of the disengagement. Partners were more likely, for instance, to stay friends if the disengager used de‐escalation tactics, the partner was desirable, and the disengager did not use justification or avoidance tactics. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Nonverbal communication and deception: Differences in deception cues due to gender and communicator dominance

This study investigates whether communicator characteristics (gender and communicator dominance) in nonverbal displays in truth‐telling circumstances can be used to predict differences in deception cue leakage. Based on the arguments advanced by Hocking and Leathers in their 1980 article, it was argued that individuals who are more likely to exhibit a controllable behavior that is judged as stereotypical of liars during truth‐telling would be more likely to suppress the behavior when lying. Male liars suppressed leg/foot movement and the use of illustrators when lying and increased facial adapting when lying (but only when prepared to lie). Contrary to expectations, there were no gender differences for laughter/smiling or for eye contact duration. Low dominant liars employed shorter latencies prior to lying and during a prepared lie than low dominant truth‐tellers. Low dominant liars also provided briefer answers and engaged in less postural shifting throughout the entire interaction than low dominant tru...

Interrogative strategies and information exchange in computer‐mediated communication

The explosive growth of Internet and E‐mail use has provided exceptional opportunities for humans to mediate their communication and thus their relationships in new ways. This study reports on a content analysis of interrogative strategies used in E‐mail messages exchanged over six months between intergenerational sets of senior citizens and youngsters. A great deal of relationship development is facilitated by the use of questions which are a core aspect of uncertainty reduction processes. While Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) has been a predominant theoretical position for examining face‐to‐face initial interaction, its utility for examining communication in an asynchronous, computer‐mediated environment was only partially effective. Data analyses focused on politeness of questions, types of questions, and, temporal effects. Results suggest that the interrogative strategies we engage in to achieve interpersonal connectedness are sometimes different in computer‐mediated communication (CMC) and a new s...

Account credibility and public image: Excuses, justifications, denials, and sexual harassment

Two studies are presented which both examine and challenge theories of account giving and public image following an accusation of sexual harassment in the workplace. A total of 1291 (709 college students in Study 1, and 482 working adults in Study 2) participants rated an account given by a male co‐worker accused of sexual harassment. When the accused accepted responsibility for his actions he was generally rated more credible, more likeable, more dedicated, and more competent compared to when he relied on excuses or denials. The public images of both the accuser and the accused were tarnished when the account included a denial and attacked the credibility of the accuser. Female respondents rated specific behaviors as more sexually harassing than did males, and females were generally more critical of accounts. In addition, excuses led to more warnings, punishments, and advice for the accused, while denials prompted respondents to study the matter further or refer the entire incident to a higher‐up. While there were few differences between the college students and the working adults, students in general were more apt to comfort the female accuser and rate her as more competent, likeable and dedicated than were the non‐students. Finally, these studies challenge the existing theories of account giving and public image, and should lay to rest the notion that full apologies and excuses are mitigating in serious account episodes.

Machiavellian Beliefs and Social Influence.

Previous work (Hunter, Gerbing & Boster, 1982) determined that the MACH IV scale is not a unidimensional construct of Machiavellianism, but rather reflects a set of four beliefs about human nature: Deceit, Flattery, Immorality, and Cynicism. The present study replicated previous findings of separate Machiavellian belief constructs. Different constructs significantly predicted selection of compliance‐gaining strategies. For example, actors who were more Cynical used more distributive tactics on peers and coworkers than less Cynical actors, actors who scored high on Immorality used more referent influence on superiors, and actors who scored high on Deceit used fewer exchange tactics than their lower scoring counterparts. Implications of this study concerning a reconceptualization of the MACH construct and belief components are discussed.

Gender and Vocal Stress Differences During Truthful and Deceptive Information Sequences

The focus of this study was to determine the efficacy of the Mark II Voice Stress Analyzer as a means of discriminating between truthful and deceptive communications. A simulated job interview was manipulated so that participants in the deceptive condition told the truth on all questions except two, producing two types of deception: prepared and spontaneous lies. Participants in the truthful condition were truthful throughout the interview. Gender was introduced as a predictor variable. Results indicate that the Mark II can objectively and unobtrusively detect vocal stress indicative of deception for the prepared lie, but not for the spontaneous lie. Truthful participants demonstrated no significant differences for any of the information sequences, indicating that the Mark II avoids the problems of falsely identifying innocent subjects. Females exhibited elevated levels of vocal stress during the prepared deception, whereas males did not. Implications of this study and recommendations for future research were noted.