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Effects of Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness on Communication Satisfaction And Effects of Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness on Communication Satisfaction and Relationship Satisfaction in Sibling Relationships A dissertation submitted to the College of Communication and Information of Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Jodi L. Hupp May, 2014 Dissertation written by Jodi L Hupp B.A., University of Akron, 1999 B.A., University of Akron, 1999 M.L.I.S., Kent State University, 2001 M.A., University of Akron, 2004 Ph.D., Kent State University, 2014 Approved by ___________________________________ Janet Meyer, Ph.D., Chair, Doctoral Dissertation Committee ___________________________________ Sally Planalp, Ph.D., Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee ___________________________________ Andrew Rancer, Ph.D., Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee ___________________________________ Donald Wicks, Ph.D., Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Accepted by ___________________________________ George Cheney, Ph.D., Chair, Doctoral Studies Committee ___________________________________ Stanley T. Wearden, Ph.D., Dean, College of Communication and Information Table of Contents Page TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………….. iii LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………… vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………………. viii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………..…… 1 Statement of Problem…………………………………………….… 3 Rationale for Study………………………………………………… 4 Factors Influencing Relationship Quality…………….……. 4 The Argumentative Skill Deficiency Model and Sibling Relationships……………………………………….………. 6 Gender Differences in Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness……………………………………..………. 8 Validity of the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale………………. 9 II. LITERATURE REVIEW, HYPOTHESES, RESEARCH QUESTIONS……………………………………………………….……… 11 Sibling Relationships………………………………………………. 12 Conceptualization of Argumentativeness………………………….. 13 Argumentativeness in Relation to Aggressiveness……….... 13 Definition of Argumentativeness……………………..……. 14 Argumentativeness Research…………………….……........ 16 Instructional setting…………………………..…….. 16 Organizational setting…………………..………….. 18 Parenting…………………………………………… 18 Marriage………………………………..………….. 19 Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction and Relationship Satisfaction……………………………………………….….……... 20 Definition of Communication Satisfaction…………..…….. 20 Definition of Relationship Satisfaction………..…..…….…. 20 Hypotheses and research questions……….……..…. 21 Conceptualization of Verbal Aggressiveness……………..……..… 22 Verbal Aggressiveness Research……………………..……. 25 Instructional setting………..………………..….….. 27 Organizational setting………………………..…….. 28 Interpersonal setting…………………………….….. 29 Siblings………………………………………..…….31 Hypotheses and research questions……………........ 34 Conceptualization of the Argumentative Skill Deficiency Model (ASDM)…………………….…........................................................ 36 Research on the ASDM………………………………...….. 36 iii Compliance-gaining………………………..………. 36 Adolescents………………………………………… 38 Parenting…………………………………………… 38 Intimate relationships…………………...………….. 39 Hypotheses and research questions………...……..... 42 Gender Differences in Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Physical Aggressiveness ………………………...……………. 44 Argumentativeness and gender differences….………….…. 44 Hypothesis…………………………………….…… 45 Verbal aggressiveness and gender differences….………..... 45 Hypothesis…………………………………………. 47 Physical aggressiveness and gender differences…………… 47 Hypothesis……………………………………….… 48 Critiques of the ASDM, Argumentativeness Scale and Verbal Aggressiveness Scale……………………………………..………... 48 Critiques of the ASDM and Argumentativeness…....………48 Training……………………………………..……… 48 Critiques of the Argumentativeness Scale……...………….. 56 Wording of the scale……………………………….. 56 Social desirability………………………………..….57 Dimensionality………………………………...…… 60 Validity…………………………………………….. 62 Critiques of the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale….………….. 66 Dimensionality………………………..……………. 66 Validity………………………………..…………… 69 Research questions…………………………….…… 73 Perception in Interpersonal Communication…………….………… 73 Summary of Hypotheses and Research Questions………………… 78 III. METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………. 82 Method………………………………………………..……………. 82 Participants and Procedures………………………….…….. 82 Measures……………………………………………..…….. 85 Argumentativeness scale………..…………….……. 85 Verbal aggressiveness scale……………….………. 85 Physical aggression questionnaire…......................... 86 Communication satisfaction scale……………..……87 Relationship satisfaction scale……….……..…….... 88 Verbal aggressiveness behavior inventory………..... 88 Demographic measure…………………………........89 Data Analysis………………………………………………. 90 iv IV. RESULTS……………………………………………………………... 91 Means……………………………………………………… 91 Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, Communication Satisfaction and Relationship Satisfaction--Objective 1………………………………....... 92 Argumentativeness and communication satisfaction…………………………………………. 92 Argumentativeness and relationship satisfaction………………......................................... 95 Verbal aggressiveness and communication satisfaction…………………………………………. 97 Verbal aggressiveness and relationship satisfaction…………………………………………. 99 ASDM Implications—Objective 2………………………….102 Argumentativeness in relation to verbal aggressiveness…………………………………….... 102 Sibling dyads and the ASDM……………………… 103 Gender Differences in Argumentativeness, Verbal aggressiveness, and Physical Aggressiveness— Objective 3…………………………………………………. 110 Validity of the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale— Objective 4…………………………………………………. 110 V. DISCUSSION………………………………………………………….. 116 Summary and Implications………………………………………….. 116 Objective 1—Effects of Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness on Sibling Relationships…………….……. 116 Argumentativeness, communication satisfaction and relationship satisfaction……………………..… 116 Verbal aggressiveness, communication satisfaction and relationship satisfaction………….. 119 Objective 2—Implications of the ASDM………………….. 122 Argumentativeness in relation to verbal Aggressiveness……………………………………... 122 Sibling dyads and the ASDM implications………… 122 Objective 3--Gender Differences in Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Physical Aggressiveness…….. 131 Objective 4—Validity of the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale.. 133 Verbally aggressive behaviors……………………... 133 Limitations and Directions for Future Research………………........ 135 APPENDIXES………………………………………………..……………. 140 v A. Argumentativeness Scale……………….………………. 141 B. Sibling Argumentativeness Scale…………….…………. 142 C. Original 20-Item Argumentativeness Scale………….…. 143 D. Verbal Aggressiveness Scale…………..…..…………… 144 E. Sibling Verbal Aggressiveness Scale…..…..…………… 145 F. Original 20-Item Verbal Aggressiveness Scale………… 146 G. Physical Aggression Scale……………………………… 147 H. Sibling Physical Aggression Scale….…………………... 148 I. Communication Satisfaction Inventory..………………… 149 J. Relationship Satisfaction Scale………………………….. 150 K. Verbal Aggressiveness Behavior Inventory…………….. 151 L. Sibling Verbal Aggressiveness Behavior Inventory…….. 152 M. Demographic Measure……………………………..……153 N. Correlation Matrix for Independent Variables………..… 154 O. Correlation Matrix for Dependent Variables…………… 155 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………….. 156 vi List of Tables Table Page 1. Means for Dependent and Independent Variables…………………………. 92 2. Zero-order Correlations of Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness with the Dependent Variables (Hypotheses 1-8) ………… 94 3. Relationship of Independent Variables to Communication Satisfaction and Relationship Satisfaction as a Function of Sibling ARG, Sibling VA, Participant ARG, and Participant VA………………………………… 96 4. Hypothesis and Research Questions Related to Objective One – The Effects of Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness on Communication and Relationship Satisfaction in Sibling Relationships….. 100 5. Relationship of Verbal Aggressiveness to Physical Aggressiveness for Participants and Siblings High and Low in Argumentativeness (Zero-order correlation coefficients)…………….……………………….... 105 6. Zero-order Correlations of Verbal Aggressiveness and Physical Aggressiveness as a Function of Relationship Type………………………. 107 7. Hypothesis and Research Questions Related to Objective Two— Applying the ASDM to the Sibling Relationship……………………….…. 108 8. Means and Independent Samples t-tests for Gender Differences in Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Physical Aggressiveness…………………………………………………………….. 111 9. Hypothesis Related to Objective Three -- Gender Differences in Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness and Physical Aggressiveness... 111 10. Zero-order Correlations of Verbal Aggressiveness Scores with Verbally Aggressive Behaviors……………………………………………. 114 11. Research Questions Related to Objective Four – Construct Validity of the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale………………………………………………. 115 vii Acknowledgments I want to thank my committee members, Dr. Sally Planalp and Dr. Donald Wicks, for their helpful suggestions and feedback that enhanced my research. I would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Andrew Rancer, from The University of Akron, for serving on my committee. I had classes with you as an undergraduate student and as a graduate student. You always made learning an exciting and fun experience. I became interested in my dissertation topic when you introduced it in one of your classes. Your teaching style has inspired me to be a better educator, and your research has inspired me to be a better scholar. I also want to express a huge thank you to my advisor,
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