Interpersonal Communication Variables Research Articles

Communication and cross-cultural adaptation patterns among Asian Indians

The Asian-Indian community in the United States has grown rapidly over the past 25 years. Many indicators of cross-cultural adaptation by Asian Indians have been examined. However, a significant gap in the research has been the role of communication in the process of cross-cultural adaptation by Asian Indians. Using Y. Kim's theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation as a framework, this study examines the relationship between several mass communication and interpersonal communication variables and cross-cultural adaptation among Asian Indians living in the United States. Secondary analysis of data from a sample of 222 Asian-Indian “influentials” indicates, generally, that use of U.S. communication channels contributes to cross-cultural adaptation by Asian Indians, while use of Asian-Indian channels of communication does not. Policy implications of the results and limitations of the study are discussed in the conclusion.

Interethnic perception and the communication behavior among five ethnic groups in Hawaii

The purpose of this paper was to explore interethnic perception in an ethnically mixed society, and to examine the relationship between the degree of stereotyping toward certain ethnic groups and interethnic interpersonal communication and social capacity variables, such as education, age, occupational status, length of stay in the U.S., and English fluency. The study focused on three major aspects of stereotyping: homogeneity, polarity, and favorableness of interethnic attitudes. Homogeneity was defined as the degree to which an individual differentiates dimensions of perception, while polarity was the degree of extremity—either positive or negative—of perception. Favorableness was the degree of positive attitude toward other ethnic groups. The study was based upon a random survey conducted from 1978 to 1979 of five ethnic groups in Hawaii, including 401 Koreans, 203 Japanese, 200 Caucasians, 199 Samoans, and 208 Filipinos. Six bipolar dimensions of perception were explored: responsible-irresponsible, friendly-unfriendly, independent-dependent, good-bad, hard working-lazy, and wise-foolish. The results indicated that interethnic interpersonal communication had the strongest relationship with the level of favorableness. The hypothesized relationships between the social capacity variables and stereotyping were statistically significant, although the magnitude of the relationships were small.

A research note on supportive and defensive communication: An empirical study of three verbal interpersonal communication variables

The concepts of supportive and defensive affective states are ubiquitous in the field of interpersonal communication, but rarely have any specific verbal causes of these states been examined. This study investigates the effect on supportiveness and defensiveness of three verbal variables: (1) provisional versus certainty verbs, (2) positive versus negative feedback content, and (3) ownership of statements by the use of “I‐You” pronoun constructions. The study found that provisional verbs are seen as more supportive in negative statements and certainty verbs more supportive in positive statements, positive feedback produces more supportiveness than negative, and literal “I‐You” pronoun constructions are seen as mare supportive in both positive and negative statements. No difference was seen in subjects on the basis of gender.

Interpersonal communication and self‐actualization

The Interpersonal Communication Report, a scale to measure dimensions of interpersonal communication relevant to psychological health, was developed using factor analysis. Subjects' scores for the three factors of expressiveness, self‐disclosure, and understanding were positively and significantly correlated with scores on the Personal Orientation Inventory, a measure of self‐actualization. It is tentatively concluded that this study provides a useful measure of three important interpersonal communication variables and a bit of specific data regarding their relationship to self‐actualization.