Ruth Anne Clark

Professor

Education: Ph.D., University of Wisconsin

Research Interests: Primary interest in functional message analysis, with additional interests in selection of conversational partners; gender comparisons in interpersonal contexts, and instructional issues.

Current Research: One of Professor Clark's recent functional message analyses focused on the impact of variations in level of distress and degree of responsibility of the distressed individual for the problem on the types of message features friends incorporate in their comforting messages. She found level of distress and responsibility for problem both produce marked impact on message construction, but largely on different features of the message.

Representative Recent Publications:

Clark, R.A. (forthcoming). Learning outcomes: The bottom line. Communication Education.

MacGeorge, E.L., Clark, R.A., & Gillihan, S.J. (2002). Sex differences in the provision of skillful emotional support: The mediating role of self-efficacy. Communication Reports, 15, 17-28.

Clark, R.A., & Jones, D. (2001). A comparison of traditional and online formats in a public speaking course. Communication Education, 50, 109-124.

Clark, R. A., Pierce, A. J., Finn, K., Hsu, K., Toosley, A., & Williams, L. (1998). The impact of alternative approaches to comforting, closeness of relationship, and gender on multiple measures of effectiveness. Communication Studies, 224-239.