Communication Studies

Gillig, Traci K.; Bighash, Leila; Shaikh, Sonia Jawaid

doi: 10.1080/10510974.2023.2249192pmid: N/A

Signage for gender-segregated and all-gender facilities (e.g. restrooms, locker rooms) represents gender through imagery and language. Adults regularly encounter the visual cues of facilities signage, yet little research examines how they may affect adults’ conceptualization of gender and attitudes toward transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people and related policies. In this preregistered online experiment with a national sample of adults (United States), we test the differential impact of exposure to all-gender and gender-segregated facilities signage in an office workplace scenario on the attitudes of 385 participants. Exposure to all-gender facilities signage in the office environment positively predicted attitudes toward TNB people, and these attitudes were associated with attitudes toward gender-affirming policies. Unexpectedly, prior exposure to all-gender facilities in everyday life (EDL) was associated with more negative attitudes toward TNB people. Signage exposure in the experiment had no significant direct effects on binary conceptualization of gender and policy attitudes, but interaction effects between experimental condition and prior facilities exposure were found for these outcomes. Results from the experiment show a positive immediate impact of all-gender facilities cues on adults’ attitudes toward people whose identities may challenge traditional gender-related norms, but they also reveal potential limitations of all-gender facilities in shifting adults’ attitudes. Social and theoretical implications are discussed.

Mirivel, Julien C.; Fuller, R. P.; Thombre, A.; Ten Bensel, T.; Leach, K. A.

doi: 10.1080/10510974.2023.2259027pmid: N/A

Nonprofit humanitarian organizations work to alleviate poverty and are evaluated in part on their effectiveness in doing so. One such organization is Heifer International, a global humanitarian nonprofit whose mission is to “end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth.” In this study, we assessed the impact of Heifer International’s Values-Based Holistic Community Development approach on beneficiaries’ interpersonal communication competency and positive communication behaviors. The article offers a cross-sectional study of 815 women in Bihar India across four-time periods: baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months. Compared to baseline, participants reported higher levels of positive communication behaviors and interpersonal communication competence across 6, 12, and 24 months. Implications of these findings for future research are offered.

Manata, Brian; Bozeman, Jessica; Boynton, Karen; Neal, Zachary

doi: 10.1080/10510974.2023.2263922pmid: N/A

In academia, interdisciplinary collaborations allow individuals with different areas of expertise and resources to accomplish shared goals. Nevertheless, because interdisciplinary scholars often have different knowledge areas or methodological training, such collaborations may be less likely to form. In this manuscript, we provide a step toward understanding how interdisciplinary collaborations form within academic contexts. Specifically, we propose a model in which the effect of organizational norms on collaborative outcomes are mediated by departmental norms and motivation, sequentially. To test this model, 197 interdisciplinary faculty members from a large university in the Northeast were surveyed. Overall, the results provide some support for our proposed model, such that if organizations provide structural support and foster an environment that welcomes collaborations, interdisciplinary collaborative relationships will be more likely to form (i.e. faculty members will be increasingly motivated to engage in interdisciplinary research).

Kuchenbecker, Cailin M.; LaBelle, Sara

doi: 10.1080/10510974.2023.2248688pmid: N/A

The internalization, distribution, explanation, and action (IDEA) model aids message designers in crafting effective instructional risk and crisis messages. This study applies the IDEA model to a new context (emergency notification systems on college campuses) using a different message length (short-written form). An experiment (N = 124) using manipulation checks revealed that internalization, explanation, and action can be successfully manipulated in short-written form. The IDEA message did not result in greater perceived response efficacy at posttest, but trended higher on learning outcomes than the standard and control conditions, although not significantly. Limitations and implications are discussed.

Sellnow-Richmond, Deborah; Shrestha, Sagarika

doi: 10.1080/10510974.2023.2251177pmid: N/A

When COVID-19 spread rapidly across the globe, it sparked a great deal of uncertainty. This was particularly true for expectant parents, who were already navigating increased uncertainty. Extant research demonstrates the important role prenatal healthcare workers play in helping expectant mothers navigate pregnancy. This study presupposes that obstetricians would serve as an important resource for expectant mothers as the pandemic began. Twenty pregnant women were interviewed in July and August of 2020 about their experiences navigating pregnancy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings illustrate the magnitude of their uncertainty, and the role obstetricians played in their search for information about pregnancy and delivery in the time of COVID-19.

Labador, Angela

doi: 10.1080/10510974.2023.2249183pmid: N/A

In this performative autoethnography, I broadly question the communication discipline’s investments in empire. Specifically, by tracing how my body – as a Pinay – has not fit within the united states, academia, and the field, I map the fissures created by my body’s contact with essentialism, english, and empire. Through stories offered, I call for a more liberatory knowledge production – one that goes beyond identity politics and toward abolition, one that encourages the pluriversality of knowledges and languages beyond the white and Eurocentric canon, and one that lays siege to the empire and moves toward liberation.