Jon F. Nussbaum

This innovative text emphasizes how communicative processes develop, are maintained, and change throughout the life span. Topics covered include language skills, interpersonal conflict management, socialization, care-giving, and relationship development. Core chapters examine specific communication processes from infancy through childhood and adolescence into middle age and later life.In its exploration of the role of communication in human development, this volume:*overviews the theoretical and methodological issues related to studying communication across the life span;*discusses foundations of communication: cognitive processes and language;*examines communication in relational contexts and communication competencies;*considers communication in leisure and the media with relevance to the life-span perspective; and*presents the implications of the life-span perspective for future research. This text is intended to be used in life-span communication courses and in interpersonal communication courses with a life-span focus, at an advanced or graduate level. It may also be used in courses on family communication, aging, and language development. It will serve as a supplemental text for courses in psychology, family studies, personal relationships, linguistics, and language studies.

This innovative text emphasizes how communicative processes develop, are maintained, and change throughout the life span. Topics covered include language skills, interpersonal conflict management, socialization, care-giving, and relationship development. Core chapters examine specific communication processes from infancy through childhood and adolescence into middle age and later life.In its exploration of the role of communication in human development, this volume:*overviews the theoretical and methodological issues related to studying communication across the life span;*discusses foundations of communication: cognitive processes and language;*examines communication in relational contexts and communication competencies;*considers communication in leisure and the media with relevance to the life-span perspective; and*presents the implications of the life-span perspective for future research. This text is intended to be used in life-span communication courses and in interpersonal communication courses with a life-span focus, at an advanced or graduate level. It may also be used in courses on family communication, aging, and language development. It will serve as a supplemental text for courses in psychology, family studies, personal relationships, linguistics, and language studies.

This text employs a communication perspective to examine the aging process and the ability of individuals to adapt successfully to aging. It continues the groundbreaking work of the first edition, emphasizing a life-span approach toward understanding the social interaction that occurs during later life. The edition provides a comprehensive update on the existing and emerging research within communication and aging studies and considers such topics as notions of successful aging, positive and negative stereotypes toward older adults, and health communication issues. It raises awareness of the barriers facing elderly people in conversation and the importance such conversations have in elderly people's lives. The impact of nonrelational processes, such as hearing loss, are considered as they impact relationships with others and affect the ability to age successfully. The book is organized into 14 chapters. Each chapter is written so that the reader is presented with an exhaustive review of the pertinent and recent literature from the social sciences. As in the first edition, when the literature is empirically based, the communicative ramifications are then discussed. Readers of this volume will gain greater understanding of the importance of their communicative relationships and how significant they remain across the life span. Developed for students in communication, psychology, nursing, social gerontology, sociology, and related areas, Communication and Aging provides important insights on communication to all who are affected by the aging process.

This text employs a communication perspective to examine the aging process and the ability of individuals to adapt successfully to aging. It continues the groundbreaking work of the first edition, emphasizing a life-span approach toward understanding the social interaction that occurs during later life. The edition provides a comprehensive update on the existing and emerging research within communication and aging studies and considers such topics as notions of successful aging, positive and negative stereotypes toward older adults, and health communication issues. It raises awareness of the barriers facing elderly people in conversation and the importance such conversations have in elderly people's lives. The impact of nonrelational processes, such as hearing loss, are considered as they impact relationships with others and affect the ability to age successfully. The book is organized into 14 chapters. Each chapter is written so that the reader is presented with an exhaustive review of the pertinent and recent literature from the social sciences. As in the first edition, when the literature is empirically based, the communicative ramifications are then discussed. Readers of this volume will gain greater understanding of the importance of their communicative relationships and how significant they remain across the life span. Developed for students in communication, psychology, nursing, social gerontology, sociology, and related areas, Communication and Aging provides important insights on communication to all who are affected by the aging process.

The readings in the anthology Readings in Communication Research Methods are written by communication researchers who share true stories of how they use particular research methods within their own research programs. The book helps students understand how researchers face the numerous challenges of conducting communication research, and how they produce knowledge that adds to our theoretical understanding of communication. Students get a real sense of the many decisions made by researchers who are attempting to design and conduct research that follows the ideal steps outlined in textbooks. The book begins with an introductory chapter that links theory to conceptualization and hypothesis development. The three subsequent chapters focus on different research methods including survey research, experimental research, and various forms of analysis. Topics include: Measurement and Sampling; Internal and External Validity; Physiological Laboratory Methods; Network, Rhetorical, Conversation, and Discourse Analysis; and Ethnography. The insight into real-world scenarios is a direct and useful contrast to many textbooks on communication research methods that do a fine job of explaining the process and relative merits of various methods, but fail to give students a clear understanding of how the research is actually performed. Readings in Communication Research Methods is a supplemental text for courses in Communication Research. Paired with a required textbook, it enhances students' understanding of how research methods can be successfully used in the real world. Written in a jargon-free, accessible style, the book is ideal for undergraduate students. Jon Nussbaum earned his Ph.D. at Purdue University. He is a Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, and Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State University. Dr. Nussbaum has served as President of the International Communication Association, and the International Society of Language and Social Psychology. He is a former editor of the Journal of Communication, and was a Fulbright Research Fellow in the United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of the International Communication Association, and a Fellow within the Adult Development and Aging Division of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Nussbaum has published extensively, with thirteen books, and over 85 journal articles and book chapters to his credit. He focuses on investigating communication behaviors and patterns across the life span including research on family, friendship, and personal relationships with well and frail older adults. In 2010 Dr. Nussbaum received the B. Aubrey Fisher mentor award.

Individuals of all ages interact with one another, and their interactions have significance throughout their lives. This distinctive volume acknowledges the importance of these interactions and provides a life-span developmental view of communication and aging, attempting to capture the many similarities and changes that occur in people's lives as they age. The authors move the study of intergenerational contact closer to the actual participants, examining what happens within intergenerational interactions and how people evaluate their intergenerational experiences. The volume concentrates on the micro-context of the intergenerational interaction and the cognitions, language, and relationship behaviors related to intergenerational communication across the life span. The volume employs the perspective that the understanding of human behavior across the life span is enhanced by studying communicative behavior in intergenerational interaction. The authors integrate research from multiple disciplines concerned with intergenerational communication, which is framed by several unique theoretical perspectives drawn from the communication discipline. As a resource for the study of intergenerational communication across the life span, this monograph offers important insights to scholars, students, and all who are involved in intergenerational communication.

Individuals of all ages interact with one another, and their interactions have significance throughout their lives. This distinctive volume acknowledges the importance of these interactions and provides a life-span developmental view of communication and aging, attempting to capture the many similarities and changes that occur in people's lives as they age. The authors move the study of intergenerational contact closer to the actual participants, examining what happens within intergenerational interactions and how people evaluate their intergenerational experiences. The volume concentrates on the micro-context of the intergenerational interaction and the cognitions, language, and relationship behaviors related to intergenerational communication across the life span. The volume employs the perspective that the understanding of human behavior across the life span is enhanced by studying communicative behavior in intergenerational interaction. The authors integrate research from multiple disciplines concerned with intergenerational communication, which is framed by several unique theoretical perspectives drawn from the communication discipline. As a resource for the study of intergenerational communication across the life span, this monograph offers important insights to scholars, students, and all who are involved in intergenerational communication.