Relationships of Continuing Uncertainty and State-Receiver Apprehension to Information-Seeking and Predictions in Dyadic Interactions.

This study examined state‐receiver apprehension and uncertainty as they relate to each other and to information seeking and confirmation of relational predictions in initial interactions. Participants consisted of 381 college students enrolled in basic communication classes at a Southwestern university. One‐hundred and ninety‐one (N = 191) pairs interacted for various time intervals and were tested at various times. When interactants had prior information about each other, state‐receiver apprehension was positively related to uncertainty and both were negatively related to information‐seeking and confirmation of relational predictions. Results also suggested that state‐receiver apprehension may possibly lead to uncertainty. Finally, a thirteen‐item test of conversational state‐receiver apprehension was developed.

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