Steven R. Wilson

Interaction Goals in Negotiation

Negotiation is a strategic process, carried out through maneuvers designed to accomplish goals. Most negotiation theorists, however, treat goals as global, predetermined, and static task-oriented objectives. This chapter focuses on the role of interaction goals in negotiation. Bargainers’ interaction goals are organized within a scheme that varies in two respects: type (instrumental, relational, and identity) and level of abstraction (globat, regional, local). Following the discussion of goal types, the chapter explores the dynamic and conflictual nature of negotiators’ interaction goals, and then suggests that goal analyses could shed insight into how bargaining contexts influence strategies and outcomes, and how negotiators develop expertise. A goals focus emphasizes that negotiators act purposefully but with “bounded rationality,” constantly manage conflicting objectives, and enact bargaining behavior that are guided by interaction goals but often reframe those goals.

A cross‐cultural comparison of implicit theories of requesting

The primary aim of this paper is to identify cross‐cultural similarities and differences in peoples implicit theories of requesting. Implicit theories are conceptualized as containing information about five interactive constraints that influence choices about requests: (1) Clarity, (2) Perceived imposition, (3) Consideration for the others feelings, (4) Risking disapproval for self, and (5) Effectiveness. The paper compares how these five constraints are perceived and rated across cultures and traces possible links between the constraints and perceptions of the likelihood of using various request strategies. Participants are a total of 595 undergraduates: 296 Koreans (native speakers of Korean) and 299 Americans (native American English speakers) studying in their respective countries. After reading a hypothetical request situation, participants evaluated request strategies along the five constraint dimensions as well as for likelihood of use. The rank‐ordering of the request strategies along the dimens...

Development and test of a cognitive rules model of interaction goals

Although scholars frequently describe communication as goal oriented, they offer limited detail about how people form interaction goals in situations. This paper presents a “Cognitive Rules” model which specifies assumptions about the structures and processes underlying goal formation. According to the model, people represent their knowledge about goals within an associative network model of memory, which contains cognitive rules linking situational features and desired outcomes. Peoples likelihood of forming a goal depends on the accessibility of relevant cognitive rules as well as the fit between perceived situational features and rules. An experiment testing these assumptions is reported. As predicted, a priming manipulation influenced interaction goals in attributionally ambiguous but not in attributionally clear compliance‐gaining situations. Unexpectedly, the effect of priming on goals occurred only for people high in construct differentiation. Implications of these findings for accounts of goal fo...

Comparing physically abusive, neglectful, and non-maltreating parents during interactions with their children: A meta-analysis of observational studies

OBJECTIVE To clarify the nature and extent of differences in the ways that physically abusive, neglectful, and non-maltreating parents communicate during interactions with their children. METHOD A meta-analysis was conducted of 33 observational studies comparing parent-child interactions in families where parents have a documented history of physical abuse or neglect vs. where parents have no history of child maltreatment. Parental behaviors were grouped into three clusters (positivity, aversiveness, and involvement) for comparison across studies. RESULTS When comparing maltreating (physically abusive or neglectful) vs. non-maltreating parents, mean weighted effect sizes for the three behavioral clusters range from d=.46 to .62. Physically abusive parents are distinguished from non-maltreating parents more so than neglectful parents in terms of aversive behavior, whereas the reverse is true for involvement. Publication date, parent and child age, and task structure moderate the magnitude, though not direction, of differences. CONCLUSION Parents with a documented history of child physical abuse or child neglect also are distinguished from non-maltreating parents by the levels of aversiveness, positivity, and involvement they display during interactions that constitute the parent-child relationship. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Researchers and practitioners need to carefully consider sample size, length and setting of observation, and interaction tasks when using observational methods.

Assessing the Putnam-Wilson Organizational Communication Conflict Instrument (OCCI)

The OCCI moves from a stylistic to a strategic conceptualization of conflict by assessing communicative tactics that individuals use in organizational situations. The OCCI consists of items that refer to verbal and nonverbal behaviors and to situational factors that shape choice of conflict behaviors. It also employs three rather than five modes of conflict. Although the article acclaims the internal reliability of the scale, it quibbles with the decision to combine collaborating and compromise and with the apparent item desirability bias inherent in the OCCI and other measures of interpersonal conflict.

Identity implications of influence goals: Initiating, intensifying, and ending romantic relationships

The current work explores the generalizability of a revised analysis of face and facework (Wilson, Aleman, & Leatham, 1998) by investigating the potential face threats that concern young adults as they seek to initiate, intensify, or end romantic relationships. Participants in Study 1 (N = 141 students) read three hypothetical scenarios in which they might attempt to (re)define a romantic relationship, and responded to open‐ended questions regarding both parties’ identity concerns and emotions. Emergent themes were utilized to develop a questionnaire assessing the extent to which participants in Study 2 (N = 274 students) associated unique potential face threats with initiating, intensifying, or ending romantic relationships, and varied what they said when pursuing these three goals in light of relevant potential face threats. Results indicated that people associate very specific sets of potential face threats with each of the three romantic (re)definition goals. This research advances understanding of how individuals utilize face‐management strategies in romantic relationships and offers directions for future research.

An attributional analysis of compliance‐gaining interactions

We investigated the applicability of Weiners (1986) attribution theory to compliance‐gaining interactions. Participants telephoned trained confederates and attempted to persuade those confederates to honor a previous commitment to participate in a research project. Participants’ persistence and strategy use were expected to vary depending on the locus, stability, and controllability of the excuses for not complying offered by the targets (confederates). Transcripts of telephone interactions and participant ratings were analyzed. Attributional dimensions did affect participants’ persistence at seeking compliance, use of particular strategies, and perceptions of target sincerity. Implications for compliance gaining and for attribution theory are discussed.

Identity implications of influence goals: A cross‐cultural comparison of interaction goals and facework

Wilson, Aleman, and Leatham (1998) recently examined how compliance‐gaining situations defined by different influence goals can bring about multiple and varied face threats. The current paper extends their work by examining how people from Japanese and U.S. cultures simultaneously manage influence and face goals in two types of compliance‐gaining situations (requesting assistance and enforcing obligations) involving two types of relationships (same‐sex friends and same‐sex acquaintances). We explore how message sources give reasons, express approval, and exert pressure as ways of managing both parties’ face in such situations. We also explore individualism‐collectivism and in‐group/out‐group membership as possible sources of difference in goals and messages. Results are consistent with the view that individuals from Japan and the U.S. associate similar potential threats to face with specific influence goals, and alter messages in similar fashion in light of these face threats. Implications for future research on culture, compliance gaining, and face are discussed.

Interaction goals and message production: Conceptual and methodological developments

Contents: Preface. J. Monahan, D.R. Roskos-Ewoldsen, Celebrating Social Cognition and Communication. Part I: Message Production. J.O. Greene, A.R. Graves, Cognitive Models of Message Production. C. Berger, Communication: A Goal-Directed, Plan-Guided Process. S.R. Wilson, H. Feng, Interaction Goals and Message Production: Conceptual and Methodological Developments. D. Hample, Arguments. Part II: Interpersonal Communication. D.H. Solomon, J.A. Theiss, Cognitive Foundations of Communication in Close Relationships. V. Manusov, Attributions and Interpersonal Communication: Out of Our Heads and Into Behavior. M.E. Roloff, L.M. Van Swol, Shared Cognition and Communication Within Group Decision-Making and Negotiation. A. Koerner, Social Cognition in Family Communication. P.J. Lannutti, J. Monahan, Social Cognition Under the Influence: Drinking While Communicating. Part III: Mass Media. L.J. Shrum, Social Cognition and Cultivation. M.B. Oliver, S. Ramasubramanian, J. Kim, Media and Racism. W.P. Eveland, Jr., M. Seo, News and Politics. B. Roskos-Ewoldsen, D.R. Roskos-Ewoldsen, M. Yang, M. Lee, Comprehension of Media Stories. Part IV: Social Influence. L. Arpan, N. Rhodes, D.R. Roskos-Ewoldsen, Attitude Accessibility: Theory, Methods, and Future Directions. R. Nabi, Emotion and Persuasion: A Social Cognitive Perspective. J.R. Meyer, Compliance Gaining. M. Hamilton, Dual Process Models of Persuasion.

Passport Toward Success: Description and Evaluation of a Program Designed to Help Children and Families Reconnect after a Military Deployment

This paper evaluates Passport Toward Success (PTS). PTS rotates children whose military parent has recently returned from deployment through three interactive stations, where they practice skills related to coping with stress, problem-solving, and discussing feelings along with similar-age peers. Pre- and post-program measures were gathered at 10 PTS events; researchers observed and rated program fidelity at eight events. Results revealed that many children were experiencing difficulties associated with their parents deployment and reunion, children who reported the most difficulties evaluated PTS programming most favorably, and problems occurred with fidelity of program implementation for the youngest children. Discussion centers on implications of these findings for “Phase 2” of PTS and for understanding how communication skills can promote resiliency for coping with repeated military deployments.