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With rapidly evolving technologies, boundaries between traditional modes of communication have blurred, creating an environment that scholars still describe from viewpoints as researchers in interpersonal, organizational or mass communication. This manuscript looks at the social capital literature and argues for conceptualizing “communication capital” to help understand the impact of communication phenomena in a changing environment. The literature has treated interpersonal communication variables as components of social capital and mass communication variables as factors affecting social capital, but scholars long ago recognized their reinforcing nature, leading us to develop a concept of communication capital merging symbolic activity across domains in its potential for impacting civic engagement, defined as persistent communication patterns that facilitate social problem solving in the community. Analysis of survey data shows that 4 dimensions of communication capital explain variance in civic engagement beyond that accounted for by traditional measures of social capital, media use, neighborhood communication, and efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines whether participation in a business communication simulation significantly influences students' perceptions of their business communication behaviors. Results revealed several significant differences between students' pre- and post scores. Students reported significantly higher post scores in 4 of 5 of the examined categories, including message construction, message delivery, critical analysis, and collaboration. These findings suggest that participation in the simulation positively impacts students' estimations of their business communication competencies. Possible explanations and implications behind these findings are discussed. Future research directions are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

After introducing the concept of identity gap, this study investigated the roles of 3 identity gaps (personal-enacted, personal-relational, and enacted-relational) in the relations between 2 communication input variables (assertiveness and communication apprehension) and a communication outcome variable (communication satisfaction). The results showed that the communication input variables did not have significant direct effects on the communication outcome variable. The effects of the communication input variables were transmitted to the communication outcome through the identity gaps. A personal-enacted identity gap directly mediated the effects of the communication inputs on the outcome. Personal-relational and enacted-relational identity gaps indirectly mediated the effects via a personal-enacted identity gap-that is, both communication inputs significantly predicted a personal-enacted identity gap, but neither a personal-relational nor an enacted-relational identity gap. However, a personal-enacted identity gap significantly predicted the other 2 identity gaps. Then, all 3 identity gaps significantly predicted communication satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three decades ago measures of interpersonal attraction and homophily were introduced to the field. A substantial number of research studies have been reported that employed one or more of these measures. This research was examined to evaluate their reliability and validity. It is concluded that all of these measures are reasonably reliable and valid. However, since the reliabilities have been highly variable, it was determined that improved measures should be used in the future. Second generation, revised and improved, versions of these measures are reported and recommended for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petrocik's (1996) theory of political party issue ownership predicts that candidates will emphasize the issues on which their own party is considered most effective. This prediction has been confirmed in presidential campaign messages, but it has yet to be tested with non-presidential campaign discourse. Computer content analysis of over 1100 political television spots from 1980 to 2002 (most spots were from 2002) discovered that overall, Democratic candidates discussed their own party's issues more than did Republicans, whereas Republicans discussed Republican issues more than did Democratic candidates. However, local ads and US Senate spots from 2002 did not follow issue ownership predictions (candidates did not discuss their own party's issues significantly more than the other party's issues). Unlike presidential spots, non-presidential advertising discusses Democratic issues more than Republican ones; the Republican Party owns more national or federal issues such as national defense and foreign policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines television advertising used during the 2004 presidential primary campaign. Based on interviews with the advertising creators and on repeated viewings by the author and his students it describes and analyzes the advertisements. It reveals that Iowa was the heavy spending state at $12.4 million. It discloses how Kerry won through heavy late spending depending on testimonial advertisements from veterans and others; how Edwards depended on talking-head and town meeting advertisements; how Dean's innovation was the delivery of advertisements on the internet; how Clark relied on a strong bio-documentary while Gephardt, Lieberman, and Kucinich had less notable advertisements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of instructor in-class communicative behaviors on college student participation in out of class communication (OCC). Participants were 298 students enrolled in an introductory communication course at a Mid-Atlantic university who completed the Communication Functions Questionnaire, the modified Affinity-Seeking Strategy scale, and the Out of Class Interaction scale. Results of stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that student participation in OCC was predicted by perceived instructor use of the ego support and persuasive functional communication skills as well as perceived instructor use of the sensitivity, self-inclusion, inclusion of others, comfortable self, and supportiveness affinity-seeking strategies. Future research should examine if students choose not to participate in OCC based on instructor communicative behaviors and how this choice is reflected in their choice of particular communicative channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of student responsiveness on teachers granting relational power to students, and to determine if this power influenced how teachers evaluated student essays. Rather than student verbal and nonverbal responsiveness interacting, student nonverbal responsiveness significantly impacted the coercive, reward, and referent power that teachers granted students. Student verbal and nonverbal responsiveness affected the expert power that teachers granted students. Nine to 18% of the variance in relational power was attributed to student responsiveness. Additionally, student referent power significantly predicted teachers’ evaluation of student essays accounting for 11% of the variance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationships between supervisor communication apprehension, employee communication apprehension, and employees' reports of information received from their supervisor. Results indicated that supervisor communication apprehension was negatively related to employees' reports of information received. Employee communication apprehension and employees' reports of information received from supervisors were not significantly related. Supervisor communication apprehension was negatively related to the information load reported by employees. Finally, a positive relationship was identified between employee communication apprehension and the information load reported by employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]