Expectations About Initial Interaction An Examination of the Effects of Global Uncertainty

Abstract

This inquiry extended uncertainty reduction theory to includeactors'uncertainty about acquaintanceship in general (global uncertainty). Study 1 involved examination of the self-reports of 139 female and 85 male participants. Results of the analysis shmed that participants high in global uncertainty define initial interaction in comparatively negative ways, morefrequently attempt to avoid conversations with unfamiliar targets, perform less effectively when meeting others for thefirst time, and develop less satisfactory long-term relationships than persons low in global uncertainty. Global uncertainty also combined with participants' sense of the self-nssuredness-awkrdness of first encounters to predict initial interaction performance. Study 2 examined the conversational performance of 48 females and 28 males who had participated in the first investigation. This analysis revealed that, during the first minuteof interaction, persons high in global uncertainty engaged in comparatively low levels of question asking but relatively high levels of disclosure. High globally uncertain participants werealso rated less competent by their partners than were persons low in global uncertainty. Study 3 explored the relationship between globnl uncertainty, communication Competence, and communication apprehension. Examination of theself-reportsof 63 femalesand49 males showed that persons high in global uncertainty areaWrehensivewhen meetingstrangers and enact acquaintanceship episodes relatively inexpertly, although the magnitude of correlations between the constructs provide strong evidence that global uncertainty is distinguishable from both competence and apprehension. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Facilitating technology transfer among organizations: An applied communication strategy concept for organizational boundary spanners

“…He suggests that "global uncertainty" has an influence on a person's effectiveness. The premises suggested by Douglas (1991 ) is that each initial interaction episode is "a product of... past interaction performances and.., recollection of those performances. That is, it assumes that recurrent participation in initial interaction invests persons with memory of action characteristic of first meetings" (p. 356).…”

“…One way to be prepared to handle uncertainty is to gain experience from numerous encounters with other organization representatives. Douglas (1991) offers an important consideration for people involved in reducing uncertainty over time. He suggests that "global uncertainty" has an influence on a person's effectiveness.…”

Antecedents of Online Information Seeking

“…However, some people are generally more uncertain than others. For example, people who exhibit high levels of global uncertainty are more reluctant to engage with others socially (Douglas 1991). It is not surprising then that interaction with uncertain people is often described as uninvolved, awkward, and unsatisfying.…”

Uncertainty Reduction Theory

“…In initial interactions we typically follow a get-acquainted pattern that begins with asking questions and providing answers for the first four or five minutes, at which point the conversation usually moves to discussing some common topics (Berger & Bradac, 1982;Berger & Calabrese, 1975: Douglas, 1991 method of gaining information. In the study discussed earlier dealing with a partner's sexual health, 75% of participants reported using such a method with their partners (Affifi & Lucas, 2008).…”