Several theories and much experimental research on relational tone in computer-mediated communication (CMC) points to the lack of nonverbal cues in this channel as a cause of impersonal and task-oriented messages. Field research in CMC often reports more positive relational behavior. This article examines the assumptions, methods, and findings of such research and suggests that negative relational effects are confined to narrow situational boundary conditions. Alternatively, it is suggested that communicators develop individuating impressions of others through accumulated CMC messages. Based upon these impressions, users may develop relationships and express multidimensional relational messages through verbal or textual cues. Predictions regarding these processes are suggested, and future research incorporating these points is urged.

Interpersonal Effects in Computer-Mediated Interaction: A Relational Perspective

The motivation, planning, production, comprehension, coordination, and evaluation of human social life may be based largely on combinations of 4 psychological models. In communal sharing, people treat all members of a category as equivalent. In authority ranking, people attend to their positions in a linear ordering. In equality matching, people keep track of the imbalances among them. In market pricing, people orient to ratio values. Cultures use different rules to implement the 4 models. In addition to an array of inductive evidence from many cultures and approaches, the theory has been supported by ethnographic field work and 19 experimental studies using 7 different methods testing 6 different cognitive predictions on a wide range of subjects from 5 cultures.

The four elementary forms of sociality : framework for a unified theory of social relations

With data from 33 nations, we illustrate the differences between cultures that are tight (have many strong norms and a low tolerance of deviant behavior) versus loose (have weak social norms and a high tolerance of deviant behavior). Tightness-looseness is part of a complex, loosely integrated multilevel system that comprises distal ecological and historical threats (e.g., high population density, resource scarcity, a history of territorial conflict, and disease and environmental threats), broad versus narrow socialization in societal institutions (e.g., autocracy, media regulations), the strength of everyday recurring situations, and micro-level psychological affordances (e.g., prevention self-guides, high regulatory strength, need for structure). This research advances knowledge that can foster cross-cultural understanding in a world of increasing global interdependence and has implications for modeling cultural change.

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Differences Between Tight and Loose Cultures: A 33-Nation Study

This study explored the themes used by married couples, dating couples, relatives, live‐in friends, and non‐live‐in friends to interpret their current relational episodes. One hundred eighteen people participated in fifty‐five report tasks. Among the findings were that dating couples used themes of commitment, fragility, and manipulation, while marital couples, relatives, and live‐in friends used themes of involvement, work, and respect.

Interpretive themes in relational communication

This research investigates the meaning of “human-computer relationship” and presents techniques for constructing, maintaining, and evaluating such relationships, based on research in social psychology, sociolinguistics, communication and other social sciences Contexts in which relationships are particularly important are described, together with specific benefits (like trust) and task outcomes (like improved learning) known to be associated with relationship quality We especially consider the problem of designing for long-term interaction, and define relational agents as computational artifacts designed to establish and maintain long-term social-emotional relationships with their users We construct the first such agent, and evaluate it in a controlled experiment with 101 users who were asked to interact daily with an exercise adoption system for a month Compared to an equivalent task-oriented agent without any deliberate social-emotional or relationship-building skills, the relational agent was respected more, liked more, and trusted more, even after four weeks of interaction Additionally, users expressed a significantly greater desire to continue working with the relational agent after the termination of the study We conclude by discussing future directions for this research together with ethical and other ramifications of this work for HCI designers

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Establishing and maintaining long-term human-computer relationships

A questionnaire study was conducted to discover the fundamental dimensions underlying people's perceptions of interpersonal relations. In the sections of the questionnaire relevant to this report, 87 subjects rated 20 of their own interpersonal relations (e.g., between you and your spouse) and 25 typical, or role, relations (e.g., between husband and wife) on numerous bipolar scales. A multidimensional scaling analysis of the data revealed four dimensions, which were interpreted as cooperative and friendly versus competitive and hostile, equal versus unequal, intense versus superficial, and socioemotional and informal versus task-oriented and formal. The relative importance of these dimensions varied systematically across various subgroups based on biographical characteristics of the subjects. The four dimensions were compared to those from studies of personality, person perception, and individual behavior in interpersonal situations. The stability of the dimensions suggests that they should provide a valuable framework for future research on interpersonal relations and communication.

Perceived dimensions of interpersonal relations.

In order for an expert system to provide the most effective explanations, it should be able to tailor its responses to the concerns of the user One way in which explanations may be tailored is by point of view A method is presented for representing the knowledge to support different points oi view in the current domain In addition, we present a method for determining the point of view to take by inferring the user's goal within a brief discourse segment The advising system's response to the derived goal depends on the strength of its belief in the inference for which a method of determination is also provided This information enables the system to decide what answer to give to a question, which kind of justification is relevant, and when to provide it Some details of the current implementation are included

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Myron Wish

Papers

Perceived dimensions of interpersonal relations.

Tailoring explanations for the user

Toward an Implicit Theory of Interpersonal Communication

Differences in conceptual structures of nations: An exploratory study.

Dimensions of interpersonal communication: Correspondences between structures for speech acts and bipolar scales.