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Dissertation Information for Ronald Rice

NAME:
- Ronald Rice

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Communication

SCHOOL:
- Stanford University (USA) (1982)

ADVISORS:
- William Paisley

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: HUMAN COMMUNICATION NETWORKING IN A TELECONFERENCING ENVIRONMENT

Abstract: The objectives of this dissertation are (1) to study the communication networks of groups operating in a computer-conferencing environment, (2) to portray how these patterns change over time, (3) to describe the nature of group- and system-level structure, and (4) to discuss what implications these changes have for telecommunications design and policy. The chapters review and analyze topics such as telecommunications impacts, varieties of computer-mediated communication systems, the development of communication theory to consider longitudinal networks, and the range of analytical procedures appropriate for such research. The primary procedures used to detect and describe the communication patterns of interest, over time, include longitudinal plots of useful communication ratios, log-linear models of group structure, and transition matrices showing patterns of development in system structure. Additional procedures include clustering and multidimensional scaling.

Overall, system stability in a large-scale telecommunications system comes to depend upon reciprocal information exchanges. Communication activity in such a system provides indices which could be used to detect groups' potential patterns of development. System structure changes over time as groups occupy different roles which are based on the flows of information within the system. For example, initial usage levels are not good indicators of eventual usage levels; and "electronic migration" from group to group seems common. Whether the nature of the user group is task- or non-task-oriented appears to influence how the groups occupy these roles. Finally, computer-monitored longitudinal data and the network analysis program used seem to offer advantages and insights unavailable from traditional data and methods.

MPACT Scores for Ronald Rice

A = 19
C = 6
A+C = 25
T = 19
G = 1
W = 19
TD = 19
TA = 0
calculated 2010-09-26 00:28:17

Advisors and Advisees Graph