Young and older adults’ views of telephone talk: Conversation problems and social uses

Ryan, Ellen Bouchard; Anas, Ann P.; Hummert, Mary Lee; Laver‐Ingram, Alison

doi:10.1080/00909889809365493

Cited by 16 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…A large number of the references to communicating with the grandchild include references to speaking on the telephone, and these references also come up in other contexts (e.g., see grandchild-induced affiliation examples in Table 1). Research elsewhere has indicated that the telephone plays a number of important roles in the life of older adults (Holladay et al, 1997;Ryan, Anas, Hummert, & Laver-Ingram, 1998). Relationships with grandchildren appear to be one context in which this may be particularly crucial.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Affiliation, Pride, Exchange, and Distance in Grandparents' Accounts of Relationships With Their College-Aged Grandchildren

Harwood

Lin

2000

Journal of Communication

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This paper examines grandparents' written accounts of conversations with their college-aged grandchildren. Using a thematic analysis, we describe 4 themes that indicate the place of the relationship in the grandparents' lives and their general orientation to their grandchildren. It is argued that expressions of affiliation, pride, exchange (primarily of advice and information), and feeling distance from their grandchildren are fundamental elements of the relationship from the grandparents' perspectives. These are discussed in terms of the grandchild's place in the grandparent's life and the complexities of negotiating this relationship during a period of grandchild transition away from the parental home.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Affiliation, Pride, Exchange, and Distance in Grandparents' Accounts of Relationships With Their College-Aged Grandchildren

Harwood

Lin

2000

Journal of Communication

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“…In addition, recipients of telephone calls rarely have any warning and thus are unable to plan for them. This may be a challenging phenomenon for older adults who are experiencing reduced information-processing or working memory capabilities (Craik & Jennings, 1992;Ryan et al, 1998). In addition to such "physical" barriers, Ryan et al also note potential negative consequences from younger adults' expectations of older adults' telephone competence.…”

Section: Media Use In Intergenerational Interactionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…It has also been suggested that telephone conversations are somewhat more likely to be task-oriented than FtF conversations (Rutter, 1987), although certainly the telephone can be used for "purely" social interaction. Ryan, Anas, Hummert, and Laver-Ingram (1998) have recently presented data on younger and older adults' attitudes towards telephone talk. Ryan et al (1998) describe particular problems that may emerge for older adults in telephone interactions.…”

Section: Media Use In Intergenerational Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ryan, Anas, Hummert, and Laver-Ingram (1998) have recently presented data on younger and older adults' attitudes towards telephone talk. Ryan et al (1998) describe particular problems that may emerge for older adults in telephone interactions. First, older adults are not able to use visual cues to compensate for any hearing decline that they may be experiencing (Kline & Scialfa, 1996).…”

Section: Media Use In Intergenerational Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Communication Media Use in the Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship

Harwood

2000

Journal of Communication

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This study surveyed college-aged grandchildren as to the frequency of their communication with a grandparent using various media. Face-to-face (FtF) and telephone communication were used more frequently than written media, but all were used fairly frequently. Communication using all media was more frequent when the grandparent or grandchild initiated interaction as opposed to the parent. Relationships in which the grandparent initiated contact featured more use of written media (letters, e-mail, cards). Frequency of communication using all media was positively associated with relational quality. Telephone communication best predicted relational quality when use of other media was controlled. In this paper, I discuss implications for media richness theory, the communication predicament of aging model, and future research on grandparent-grandchild relationships.This paper examines the grandparent-grandchild (GP-GC) relationship in the context of a growing literature concerning communication between older and younger adults that has enlightened us as to the processes and problems of such communication. The work of Hummert and her colleagues has provided new insights on the nature of intergenerational stereotypes and their role in influencing communication in intergenerational settings featuring elderly people ) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. He is interested in the role of interpersonal and mass communication in life-span development. His recent work has been published in Communication Monographs, the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, and the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. The author expresses his thanks to two anonymous reviewers for their comments on this paper.

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“…For example, older adults experience reduced cognitive capabilities, which impact their ability to respond instantly (Ryan, Anas, Hummert, & Laver-Ingram, 1998). Chronic pain or other health conditions may limit the ability to hold phones or the length of time they can be held (Benjamin, Birnholtz, Baecker, Gromala, & Furlan, 2012).…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

What do they like? Communication preferences and patterns of older adults in the United States: The role of technology

Yuan

Hussain

Hales

et al. 2015

Educational Gerontology

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Young and older adults’ views of telephone talk: Conversation problems and social uses

Cited by 16 publications

References 18 publications

Affiliation, Pride, Exchange, and Distance in Grandparents' Accounts of Relationships With Their College-Aged Grandchildren

Affiliation, Pride, Exchange, and Distance in Grandparents' Accounts of Relationships With Their College-Aged Grandchildren

Communication Media Use in the Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship

What do they like? Communication preferences and patterns of older adults in the United States: The role of technology

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