This study examined the role of the norm of reciprocity in mediating the relative effect of compliance-gaining message type on compliance in interactions involving friends and strangers. Subjects received either a direct request to purchase raffle tickets or received the request after having a favor done for them by a confederate, a pregiving message. Results indicate that friends comply more with requests than strangers and that their compliance is constant across message types. Among strangers, the pregiving message produced more compliance than the direct request.

The family communication environments of school-age children in Grades 1, 4, 6, and 7 were measured using “talking picture books” containing dialogues representing various types of family communication. Children listened to the dialogues and examined cartoon pictures depicting different families. Using this information, children identified their families as either (a) pluralistic (high conversation and low conformity), (b) consensual (high conversation and high conformity), (c) protective (low conversation and high conformity), or (d) laissez-faire (low conversation and low conformity). Children completed the revised Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and teachers rated each child's social self-restraint and social withdrawal. Results revealed an interaction among family type, sex, and grade level for both social withdrawal and social self-restraint, suggesting that family communication environments may be differentially beneficial for boys and girls at particular points of development.

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