The Handbook of Communication Science

Front Cover
Charles R. Berger, Michael E. Roloff, David R. Ewoldsen
SAGE Publications, 2010 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 583 pages

This revision of a classic volume presents state-of-the-art reviews of established and emerging areas of communication science and provides an intellectual compass that points the way to future theorizing about communication processes.

In this Second Edition of The Handbook of Communication Science, editors Charles R. Berger, Michael E. Roloff, and David Roskos-Ewoldsen bring together an impressive array of communication scholars to explore and synthesize the varying perspectives and approaches within the dynamic field of communication science. After first addressing the methods of research and the history of the field, the Handbook then examines the levels of analysis in communication (individual to macro-social), the functions of communication (such as socialization and persuasion), and the contexts in which communication occurs (such as couples, families, organizations, and mass media).

Key Features:

  • Draws on the scholarship and expertise of leading communication scholars who explore different aspects of the field
  • Covers all facets of communication science, from the historical and theoretical to the practical and applied
  • Covers the latest theoretical developments in the field, as well as alternative methodologies and levels of analysis
  • Explores key communication contexts of the 21st century, including interpersonal dimensions of health communication, the scientific investigation of marital and family communication, and computer-mediated communication
  • Includes incisive analyses, literature reviews, bibliographies, and suggestions for future research


The Handbook of Communication Science, Second Edition, is an essential reference resource for scholars, practitioners, and students. It is appropriate for upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses in Communication and Media Studies and Mass Communication.

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About the author (2010)

MICHAEL E. ROLOFF (Ph.D, Michigan State University) is professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. His research and teaching interests are in the general area of interpersonal influence. He has published articles and offers courses focused on persuasion, interpersonal compliance-gaining, conflict management, organizational change and bargaining and negotiation. His current research is focused on conflict avoidance and serial arguing in intimate relationships, the interpretation and construction of persuasive messages, and the effects of planning and alternatives on negotiation processes. He has co-edited four research volumes: (1) Persuasion: New Directions in Theory and Research, (2) Social Cognition and Communication, (3) Interpersonal Processes, and (4) Communication and Negotiation. He wrote Interpersonal Communication: The Social Exchange Approach. He completed a term as the editor of Communication Yearbook and is currently co-editor of Communication Research. He was co-recipient of the Woolbert Award for Outstanding Contribution to Communication Research from the Speech Communication Association and of a publication award from the Social Cognition and Communication Division of the National Communication Association. He has been the Chair of the Interpersonal Communication Division of the National Communication Association. He is currently Director of the National Communication Association Publications Board. Professor Roloff has received several teaching awards from groups at Northwestern including the Associated Student Government, the Mortar Board, and the Alumni Association. DAVID R. ROSKOS-EWOLDSEN (Ph.D. Indiana University) is a professor in the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. Prior to joining the faculty at OSU in January, 2009, he was a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama. Dr. Roskos-Ewoldsen’s research interests focus on media psychology, attitudes, social influence and health communication. He co-founded the journal Media Psychology with Dr. Jennings Bryant in 1999 and founded the journal Communication Methods and Measures in 2007. He is the immediate past chair of the Information Systems Division and chair elect of the Mass Communication Division of the International Communication Association and chair elect of the Communication and Social Cognition Division of the National Communication Association. He has published in a variety of journals ranging from Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Media Psychology, Communication Monographs, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Health Psychology, and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. In his spare time, he enjoys photography, camping, backpacking, and canoeing.

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