Communication Traits

The purpose of this study was to establish further validity for the Cognitive Flexibility Scale (Martin & Rubin, 1995) and the Communication Flexibility Scale (Martin & Rubin, 1994) by considering their relationships with argumentativeness, verbal aggressiveness, Machiavellianism, and tolerance for disagreement. Participants (N = 276) completed a questionnaire that included the Cognitive Flexibility Scale, the Communication Flexibility Scale, and measures for the other variables. Cognitive flexibility and communication flexibility were positively related to argumentativeness and tolerance for disagreement and negatively related to verbal aggressiveness. Communication flexibility was also negatively correlated to Machiavellianism.

The goal of this study was to learn more about the communication behaviors of managers who use humor. More specifically, this study examined relationships among employees' perceptions of managers' humor orientation, assertiveness, responsiveness, avoidance strategies,
approach strategies, and overall manager satisfaction. Participants were 164 individuals that work 30 hours per week. Employees' perception of manager humor orientation (HO) was positively and significantly correlated with perceptions of manager responsiveness, satisfaction, and approach strategies. Manager HO was also negatively and significantly associated with avoidance strategies. Findings from this study were, for the most part, consistent with those from previous humor research in the corporate and educational contexts (Rizzo, Wanzer, & Booth-Butterfield, 2000; Wanzer & Frymier, 1999).

This study investigated the communication traits of argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness. Richmond and McCroskey (1992) stated that the individual who possesses assertive and responsive skills should be described as competent. Likewise, the person high in assertiveness and low in responsiveness is aggressive; the person low in assertiveness but high in responsiveness is submissive; and the person low in assertiveness and responsiveness is noncompetent. Participants (N = 665) completed measures of assertiveness, responsiveness, argumentativeness, and verbal aggressiveness. The results support the operationalization of a socio-communicative orientation construct. Assertive communicators are more argumentative while responsive communicators are less verbally aggressive.

This article reports the development of a self‐report Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale (ICCS) that taps 10 dimensions of competence: self‐disclosure, empathy, social relaxation, assertiveness, interaction management, altercentrism, expressiveness, supportiveness, immediacy, and environmental control. First, we created the ICCS, reducing the number of items from an original 60 to 10. Then we established concurrent validity of the scale by looking at the ICCS's relationship to cognitive and communication flexibility.

As a step in learning more about aggressive communication in families, this study investigated the similarities between three aggressive communication traits (argumentativeness, assertiveness, and verbal aggressiveness) of young adults and their parents. College students (N = 160) and their parents (N = 320) completed measures of their aggressive traits. Results showed that similarities existed between mothers and their daughters and sons for all three traits; however, no significant relationships between fathers and their daughters and sons for the traits were found.

The current study examined the effects of communication traits on quality of leader-member exchange (LMX) with the goal of supporting and extending prior LMX research. Specifically, the study examined subordinates’ self-reported traits of communication apprehension, affirming communicator style, and communicator competence, as well as their perceived quality of LMX. The findings demonstrated that the communication traits examined in the study were significantly related to LMX quality and that communication apprehension was found to be the greatest predictor of LMX quality. The findings indicate that trait research regarding leadership is relevant and continues to expand our understanding of the complexities and dynamic process between leadership and communication.

Two studies examined the reliability and validity of the Cognitive Flexibility Scale. 247 undergraduates in Study 1 completed the Cognitive Flexibility Scale, the Communication Flexibility Scale, and the Rigidity of Attitudes Regarding Personal Habits Scale. Scores on cognitive flexibility were positively related to communication flexibility and negatively related to rigidity. Scores on communication flexibility were also negatively related to rigidity. Study2 tested the scale's concurrent validity. 275 undergraduates completed the Cognitive Flexibility Scale, the Interaction Involvement Scale, the Self-monitoring Scale, and the Unwillingness to Communicate Scale. Results show the Cognitive Flexibility Scale to be internally reliable and supported its construct and concurrent validity.

A trait Decision‐Making Collaboration Scale was discussed and examined for reliability and validity. The scale represents on‐going scale development to measure decision‐making tendencies. The premise is that individuals are generally willing or not willing to participate collaboratively in decision‐making communication interpersonally. The 13‐item measure is described. Support for validity was addressed by investigating the relationships between the decision‐making construct with argumentativeness, verbal aggression, interpersonal communication competence, and willingness to communicate. Willingness to participate in collaborative decision making was moderately related to argumentativeness, competence, and willingness to communicate in a positive manner, while slightly related to verbal aggression in a negative manner. Some construct validity was offered by asking participants to report their decision‐making tendencies and comparing these reports to their friends’ ratings of them. No significant differences were found. Implications for future research are discussed.

This study investigated the relationship between subordinates’ socio‐communicative orientations and their use of organizational conflict strategies with their superiors. Socio‐communicative orientation is based on a person's assertiveness and responsiveness. There are four socio‐communicative orientations: competent, aggressive, submissive, and noncompetent. Subordinates (N = 228) completed a questionnaire of their socio‐communicative orientations and of their conflict strategies with supervisors. Noncompetents and submissives used nonconfrontation strategies more than competents and aggressives. Competents used collaboration strategies more than submissives and noncompetents. Aggressives and competents reported using control strategies more than submissives and noncompetents.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between college students’ level of driver anger and their aggressive communication traits. Driving anger is an
individual’s tendency to become angry while driving. In 1994 the driving anger scale (DAS) identified six dimensions of driver anger: hostile gestures, illegal driving, police presence, slow driving, discourtesy, and traffic obstructions. Results of Pearson correlations show that police presence, slow driving, discourteous driving, and traffic obstructions were positively related to all of the aggressive communication traits. Hostile gestures was related to assertiveness. Illegal driving was related to indirect verbal
aggression and assertiveness.

A theoretical framework involving argumentativeness, verbal aggressiveness, and affirming style is employed to predict the degrees of negative affect subordinates report their superiors are willing to stimulate by the use of compliance-gaining message strategies. A model of compliance-gaining message selection by Hunter and Boster was used to derive predictions. A study of subordinates' perceptions of their superiors was conducted to test a model that posits that high verbally aggressive traits of superiors, along with low argumentative and low affirming traits, increases superiors' willingness to stimulate negative affect by the use of compliance-gaining messages, which also reduces subordinates' satisfaction with their superiors. The results of the study produced considerable support for the speculations. The perceived communication traits of superiors predicted reports of the superiors' use of compliance-gaining strategies. These strategies attributed to superiors also predicted subordinates' satisfaction with their supervisors.

This study examined the extent to which conversational sensitivity is related to cognitive flexibility, as well as the extent to which sensitivity and flexibility are related to verbal aggressiveness and indirect interpersonal aggression. Cognitive flexibility appears to be an important aspect of conversational sensitivity, in that conversationally sensitive listeners seem more likely to be aware of their options for navigating conversations smoothly, and of the possible cues to which they may attend. The two aggression traits were examined to enable a greater understanding of the ways in which message reception and cognitive flexibility may relate to important aspects of message production. Conversational sensitivity and cognitive flexibility were positively related. Conversational sensitivity was not related to verbal aggression or indirect interpersonal aggression. Cognitive flexibility was inversely related to indirect interpersonal aggression.

Considers age and sex differences on aggressive and responsive communication traits. States that participants reported their verbal aggressiveness, argumentativeness, communication apprehension, cognitive flexibility, and other characteristics. Finds significant interactions for argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness. Concludes that studying age along with sex allows for better understanding of differences on communication traits.