William G. Powers

Chunking, priming and active learning: Toward an innovative and blended approach to teaching communication-related skills

Possessing communication-related skills is vital to student success within and beyond college. The utilization of these skills, or being considered socially competent, has been linked to personal, relational, and occupational success. But how do we teach the necessary social skills to todays students? Building on research from education and cognitive psychology on chunking, priming, and active learning, we propose an innovative, blended teaching method (Concept Keys), the utility of which is in its capability to present complex skill sets in manageable units of information, thus allowing students time to reflect on and incorporate such information into their schema of what it means to be socially competent. A case study is presented to establish the potential for this approach and to propose a call for further research.

Ethical orientations and criminal justice: The effects of academic major and gender

We identified and compared the self-reported ethical ideological orientations of criminal justice majors and other students from a course selected to represent the general student population at a midwestern public university. We also explored potential differences in ethical orientation as a function of gender. Criminal justice majors report ethical orientations compatible with those of the general student population. Males report significantly higher ethical idealism scores than females, but we found no significant difference on ethical relativism. Further, male criminal justice majors demonstrate significantly lower variance within scores on both ethical idealism and ethical relativism than do female criminal justice majors and both males and females from the general student population. We discuss the practical and pedagogical implications of ethical ideology for criminal justice education and practice.

Listening Fidelity Development and Relationship to Receiver Apprehension and Locus of Control

Abstract This study explores a new concept, listening fidelity, and a procedure for measurement. Listening fidelity is conceptually defined as the degree of congruence between the cognitions of a listener and the cognitions of a source following a communication event. Operational measuring procedures were established with 162 participants. Individuals with high receiver apprehension scored lower on listening fidelity than did low receiver apprehensive participants. External locus of control participants did not score significantly lower on listening fidelity than internals. Receiver apprehension was correlated with locus of control. Improvement potential for normalizing the distribution of listening fidelity scores was discussed. These initial results were considered sufficient to serve as a foundation from which further development was merited.

The value of instrumental and affective communication skills in different relational stages

The focus of this study was to assess the value that college students place on instrumental and affective communication skills across progressive relational stages in same‐sex relationships. Existing measures were utilized for affective and instrumental skills, however a newly developed communication skill (companionship) was also included. Relational stages included non‐unit (acquaintance), pre‐unit (testing friendship potential), unit (friend), and super‐unit (special friend). Results indicated that participants in non‐unit relationships valued some affective communication skills less tlian did those in pre‐unit, unit, and super‐unit relationships. All relational stages valued instrumental skills equally. Some gender differences were noted.

Extending the Conceptualization of Listening Fidelity

An exploration of variables potentially related to Listening Fidelity (LF) was conducted through two separate studies. Study 1 indicated that when the potential fidelity of the stimulus message was varied as a function of the number of words and time length, the message with lowest potential fidelity produced significantly lower LF than either the moderate or high potential LF message versions. The moderate potential fidelity message produced the more normal score distribution although not significantly different LF scores than the high potential message. Differences in LF were not indicated as a function of participant sex, gender, or listening style. Study 2 found that LF and two of the three internal scoring components of LF were significantly correlated with four of five dimensions of the Watson Barker Listening Test. Continued emphasis on developing alternative cognitions and exploring listener confidence, cognitive complexity, and the specific function and relationship of LF with listening outcomes were recommended.

Criminal justice and ethical ideology: an exploration of a loyalty-truthfulness dilemma

Abstract The notion of loyalty is well established in the criminological literature pertaining to ethics, ethical decision making, and ethical and ideological orientations. The present research addresses the topic of ethics and loyalty in an attempt to address three research questions germane to these areas within criminal justice and criminology. Using two samples equivalent in characteristics other than academic major, this research examines: (1) what impact gender, college major, and the ethical perspective of the observer and the nature of the actor’s action have upon the observer’s attitude toward the action (specific act of deception/truth); (2) what impact gender, college major, and the ethical perspective of the observer and the nature of the actor’s action have upon the observer’s perception of the social attractiveness of the deceiver; and (3) what impact gender, college major, the ethical perspective of the observer, and the nature of the actor’s action have upon the observer’s perception of the task attractiveness of the deceiver. Using a vignette design in this exploratory research, attempts are made to shed light on the impact of gender, major (criminal justice v. others), and ethical orientation on perceptions of an actor confronted with an ethical dilemma of loyalty versus disloyalty involving deception.

The Empirical Development of the Child-Parent Communication Apprehension Scale for Use With Young Adults

The empirical development of a Child-Parent Communication Apprehension scale for use with young adults (C-PCA, YA) is presented, along with tests of conceptual and predictive validity. An argument is made for the need to develop an instrument that distinguishes between a young adults anxiety, or apprehension, about engaging in communication with his or her mother and father, or both, and general measures of parent-child interaction. Results indicate that the 12-item measure of C-PCA, YA developed for this research project is (a) a reliable measure of a young adult childs communication apprehension regarding both mother and father, (b) empirically distinct from both general parent-child communication and dyadic communication apprehension, and (c) useful for predicting satisfaction in the parent-child relationship, above and beyond general measures of parent-child interaction. Understanding and measuring the characteristics of young adults who are apprehensive about communicating with their parents are important steps toward advancing the study of family communication.

Expanding the Theoretical Framework of Communication Fidelity

This study examines the expanding role and significance of communication fidelity theory within a bimodal communication event framework comprising both basic communication fidelity and listening fidelity. First, a discussion of communication fidelity situates the concept in relation to corollary theoretical constructs, and an argument is made for the essential, inherent presence of fidelity throughout the scholarly examination of human communication phenomena. Next appears an explication of four propositional statements supported by an ongoing program of empirical research, followed by a discussion of measurement considerations. A research agenda is then proposed that suggests various lines of future inquiry that could integrate this concept and measurement system into a variety of research programs.

Listening Fidelity Among Native and Nonnative English-Speaking Undergraduates as a Function of Listening Apprehension and Gender

Recent trends have shown a dramatic increase in the number of nonnative English speakers among the undergraduate populations at American colleges and universities. The current study applied Powers and Sawyers listening fidelity framework to examine listening fidelity (LF) and listening apprehension (LA) among native English speakers (NES), their nonnative English-speaking (NNES) counterparts, and their respective genders in each group. The results indicated that NES students generated significantly higher LF than did NNES students, with no differences indicated between males and females. In addition, NNES students reported significantly higher LA than their NES counterparts. Moreover, females reported higher LA than did males. No interaction effects were detected for any of these results. These findings were generally consistent with previous listening research and are discussed within the context of the emerging listening fidelity research framework.

Relational development and self‐image communication accuracy

This research explored the communication accuracy of individual self‐images in same‐sex relationships. Both male and female groups were examined across three relational levels: Strangers, Acquaintances, and Friends. Exploration of a significant interaction effect indicated that Female Acquaintances had significantly lower communication accuracy than did Male Acquaintances and significantly lower communication accuracy than either Female Strangers or Friends. There were no differences between male and female communication accuracy at either the stranger or friend levels. Further analysis of self‐image indicated all cells were comparable with the exception of Male Acquaintances who indicated significantly higher self‐images than Male Friends and Female Acquaintances. Analysis of the perceived image of partners indicated that all cells were comparable. Future research is encouraged to explore gender differences relative to unique elements of the acquaintance relationship that may impact upon communication accuracy of self‐image and the potential for relational development.