Date of Award
1990
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
First Advisor
Susan Myers
Second Advisor
James D. Evans
Third Advisor
Marian Allbee
Abstract
In an investigation involving 43 residents of a children's residential treatment facility, communication styles were determined through correlation of data from three converging measures. The participants received commands ranging from unspoken gestures to direct oral instructions. Communication styles were determined through three measures: Physical responses to seven commands (CT), written responses to a variation of the Zajonc line test (LT), and a psychometric instrument (DIPT).
The purpose of this study was twofold: To determine if communication style are observable and measurable, and to design a psychometric instrument specifically for this population, the Direct/Inferential Psychometric Test (DIPT), to measure direct and inferential communicative styles. The DIPT had good content validity and proved adequately reliable. It was significantly correlated with a measure of social desirability, but it was unrelated to behavioral measures of communication style. The behavioral measures (the CT and the LT) were significantly intercorrelated.
Recommended Citation
Hoerchler, James H., "Direct and Inferential Communication: An Investigation of the Development of Oral Communication Styles in Children Through Converging Methods" (1990). Theses. 802.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/802
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