Date of Award
1-18-2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Department of Psychology
First Advisor
Susan Sprecher
Second Advisor
Joel Schnieder
Abstract
As computer-mediated communication (CMC) increasingly becomes a part of people's everyday lives (Mesch & Talmud, 2006), it becomes important to understand what differentiates this mode of communication from traditional face-to-face (FtF) communication. Some studies have shown that CMC interactions are related to greater liking (relative to FtF) of previously unacquainted interaction partners (McKenna, Green, & Gleason, 2002; Ramirez & Zhang, 2007), whereas others have concluded just the opposite -- that FtF interactions are related to more liking of previously unacquainted interaction partners (Mallen, Day, & Green, 2003; Okdie, Guadagno, Bernieri, Geers, & Mclarney-Vesotski, 2011). What leads to the inconsistent findings concerning the effect of communication medium on reported liking? The current research examined liking, perceived self-disclosure, perceived partner responsiveness, and state self-awareness across different communication mediums. Unacquainted pairs of participants interacted with one another in different communication mediums. Participants were instructed to "get acquainted" with one another through an unstructured 20-minute interaction. Participants were randomly assigned to interact with one another through a text-only CMC, an audio/video CMC, or a FtF communication medium. Following the interaction, participants completed measures regarding liking of their interaction partner, perceived own self-disclosure, perceived partner self-disclosure, perceived partner responsiveness, and state self-awareness. Significant multivariate results emerged; with differences in self-disclosure, responsiveness, and self-awareness based on the communication mediums with FtF and audio/video CMC scoring significantly higher than text-only CMC. These results revealed that participants reported liking their interaction partners
significantly more when interacting via FtF or audio/video CMC compared to text-only CMC. Levels of disclosure and responsiveness significantly predicted liking for one's interaction partner. Methodological and theoretical implications are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Wallpe, Kevin Joseph, "'I like You both the Same, but for Different Reasons': Differences between Communication Mediums Related to Self-Disclosure, Responsiveness, and Self-Awareness" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 105.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/105
DOI
http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2014.Wallpe.K
Page Count
77
Comments
Imported from ProQuest Wallpe_ilstu_0092N_10145.pdf