Kory Floyd

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Scholarly Contributions

Books

• Floyd, K., & Cardon, P. (2024). Business and professional communication: Putting people first (2nd ed.).
• Floyd, K. (2023). Communication matters (4th ed.)..
• Floyd, K. (2023). Public speaking matters (3rd ed.)..
• Floyd, K. (2023). Public speaking matters (3rd ed.).
• Floyd, K., Schrodt, P., Erbert, L., & Scharp, K. (2023). Exploring communication theory: Making sense of us (2nd ed.)..
• Floyd, K., Schrodt, P., Erbert, L., & Scharp, K. (2023). Exploring communication theory: Making sense of us (2nd ed.).
• Floyd, K. (2020). Interpersonal communication 4e. McGraw-Hill.
• Floyd, K., & Weber, R. (2020). The Handbook of Communication Science and Biology. doi:10.4324/9781351235587
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  The Handbook of Communication Science and Biology charts the state of the art in the field, describing relevant areas of communication studies where a biological approach has been successfully applied. The book synthesizes theoretical and empirical development in this area thus far and proposes a roadmap for future research. As the biological approach to understanding communication has grown, one challenge has been the separate evolution of research focused on media use and effects and research focused on interpersonal and organizational communication, often with little intellectual conversation between the two areas. The Handbook of Communication Science and Biology is the only book to bridge the gap between media studies and human communication, spurring new work in both areas of focus. With contributions from the field’s foremost scholars around the globe, this unique book serves as a seminal resource for the training of the current and next generation of communication scientists, and will be of particular interest to media and psychology scholars as well.
• Floyd, K. (2019). Affectionate communication in close relationships. Cambridge University Press.
• Floyd, K., & Floyd, K. (2018). Affectionate Communication in Close Relationships. doi:10.1017/9781108653510
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  Few communication behaviors are more consequential to the development and maintenance of close relationships than the expression of affection. Indeed, people often use affectionate gestures to initiate or accelerate relationship development. In contrast, the absence of affection in established relationships frequently coincides with relational deterioration. This text explores the scientific research on affection exchange that has emerged from the disciplines of communication, social and clinical psychology, family studies, psychophysiology, sociology, nursing, and behavioral health. Specific points of focus include the individual and relational benefits - including health benefits - of affectionate behavior, the significant detriments associated with lacking sufficient affection, and the risks of expressing affection. It also discusses the primary social and cultural influences on affection exchange, critiques principal theories and measurement models, and offers suggestions for future empirical research.
• Floyd, K., Schrodt, P., Erbert, L., & Trethewey, A. (2017). Exploring communication theory: Making sense of us. Routledge.
• Burgoon, J., Guerrero, L., & Floyd, K. (2016). Nonverbal communication. doi:10.4324/9781315663425
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  Drawing significantly on both classic and contemporary research, Nonverbal Communication speaks to today's students with modern examples that illustrate nonverbal communication in their lived experiences. This new edition, authored by three of the foremost scholars in nonverbal communication, builds on the approach pioneered by Burgoon, Buller and Woodall which focused on both the features and the functions that comprise the nonverbal signaling system. Grounded in the latest multidisciplinary research and theory, Nonverbal Communication strives to remain very practical, providing both information and application to aid in comprehension.
• Floyd, K. (2015). Public Speaking Matters. McGraw-Hill.
• Floyd, K. (2015). The Loneliness Cure: Six Strategies for Finding Real Connections in Your Life. Adams Media/Simon & Schuster.
• Floyd, K., Schrodt, P., Erbert, L. A., & Trethewey, A. (2015). Exploring Communication Theory: Making Sense of Us.
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  This text presents and explains theories in communication studies from the epistemological perspectives of the researchers who use them. Rather than representing a specific theoretical paradigm (social scientific, interpretive, or critical), the author team presents the three major paradigms in one text, each writing in his or her area of expertise. Every theory is explained in a native voice, from a position of deep understanding and experience, improving clarity for readers. The text also provides insights on using communication theory to address real-life challenges. Considering that theories are developed to guide scholarly research more than to provide practical advice, this feature of the book helps students create realistic expectations for what theories can and cannot do and makes clear that many theories can have practical applications that students can use to their advantage in everyday life. Offering a comprehensive exploration of communication theories through multiple lenses, Exploring Communication Theory provides an integrated approach to studying communication theory and to demonstrating its application in the world of its readers. Online resources also accompany the text. For students: practice quizzes to review key concepts; for instructors: an instructor’s manual featuring chapter outlines, lists of key terms, discussion questions, suggested further readings, and both in-class and out-of-class exercises, as well as lecture slides and sample essay test questions.
• Floyd, K. (2014). Communication Matters (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
• Floyd, K. (2014). Public Speaking Matters.
• Floyd, K., & Morman, M. T. (2014). Widening the family circle: New research on family communication (2nd ed.). Sage.
• Beatty, M. J., McCroskey, J. C., & Floyd, K. (2009). Biological Dimensions of Communication: Perspectives, Methods, and Research.
• Floyd, K. (2006). Communicating Affection. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511606649
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  Few behavioral processes are more central to the development and maintenance of intimate relationships than the communication of affection. Indeed, affectionate expressions often initiate and accelerate relational development. By contrast, their absence in established relationships frequently coincides with relational deterioration. This text explores the scientific research on affection exchange to emerge from the disciplines of communication, social psychology, family studies, psychophysiology, anthropology, and nursing. Specific foci include the individual and relational benefits (including health benefits) of affectionate behavior, as well as the significant risks often associated with expressing affection. A new, comprehensive theory of human affection exchange is offered, and its merits relative to existing theories are explored.
• Floyd, K. (2006). Communicating affection: Interpersonal behavior and social context. doi:10.4324/9780511606649
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  Few behavioral processes are more central to the development and maintenance of intimate relationships than the communication of affection. Indeed, affectionate expressions often initiate and accelerate relational development. By contrast, their absence in established relationships frequently coincides with relational deterioration. This text explores the scientific research on affection exchange to emerge from the disciplines of communication, social psychology, family studies, psychophysiology, anthropology, and nursing. Specific foci include the individual and relational benefits (including health benefits) of affectionate behavior, as well as the significant risks often associated with expressing affection. A new, comprehensive theory of human affection exchange is offered, and its merits relative to existing theories are explored.
• Floyd, K., & Morman, M. T. (2006). Widening the Family Circle: New Research on Family Communication. doi:10.4135/9781452204369
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  Widening the Family Circle: New Research on Family Communication bridges the significant gap in family communication literature by providing a thorough examination of lesser-studied family relationships, such as those involving grandparents, in-laws, cousins, stepfamilies, and adoptive parents. In this engaging text, editors Kory Floyd and Mark T. Morman bring together a diverse collection of empirical studies, theoretic essays, and critical reviews of literature on communication to constitute a stronger, more complete understanding of communication within the family.
• Guerrero, L. K., & Floyd, K. (2006). Nonverbal Communication in Close Relationships. doi:10.4324/9781410617064
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  Nonverbal Communication in Close Relationships provides a synthesis of research on nonverbal communication as it applies to interpersonal interaction, focusing on the close relationships of friends, family, and romantic partners. Authors Laura K. Guerrero and Kory Floyd support the premise that nonverbal communication is a product of biology, social learning, and relational context. They overview six prominent nonverbal theories and show how each is related to bio-evolutionary or sociocultural perspectives. Their work focuses on various functions of nonverbal communication, emphasizing those that are most relevant to the initiation, maintenance, and dissolution of close relationships. Throughout the book, Guerrero and Floyd highlight areas where research is either contradictory or inconclusive, hoping that in the years to come scholars will have a clearer understanding of these issues. The volume concludes with a discussion of practical implications that emerge from the scholarly literature on nonverbal communication in relationships - an essential component for understanding relationships in the real world.Nonverbal Communication in Close Relationships makes an important contribution to the development of our understanding not only of relationship processes but also of the specific workings of nonverbal communication. It will serve as a springboard for asking new questions and advancing new theories about nonverbal communication. It is intended for scholars and advanced students in personal relationship study, social psychology, interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, family studies, and family communication. It will also be a helpful resource for researchers, clinicians, and couples searching for a better understanding of the complicated roles that nonverbal cues play in relationships. © 2006 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
• Floyd, K., Mikkelson, A. C., & Hesse, C. (2004). The Biology of Human Communication.
• Floyd, K., Scott, C. W., Hammers, M., Scott, C. W., & Hammers, M. L. (2001). The Communication Internship: Principles and Practices.

Chapters

• Floyd, K., & Woo, N. (2023). Psychophysiological measurement. In The international encyclopedia of health communication.
• Floyd, K. (2021). Affection Exchange Theory. In Oxford research encyclopedia of communication. doi:10.4324/9781003195511-3
• Floyd, K., Afifi, T., & Shahnazi, A. (2018). Biological and physiological approaches to the instructional context. In Handbook of instructional communication.
• Braithwaite, D., Suter, E., & Floyd, K. (2017). Introduction: The landscape of meta-theory and theory in family communication research. In Engaging theories in family communication: Multiple perspectives.
• Floyd, K. (2017). Affectionate Communication Index (ACI). In The sourcebook of listening methodology and measurement. doi:10.1002/9781119102991.ch12
• Floyd, K. (2017). Biological and Physiological Approaches in the Instructional Context. In Handbook of instructional communication. doi:10.4324/9781315189864-22
• Floyd, K., & Manusov, V. L. (2017). Biological and Social Processing of Social Signals. In Social Signal Processing.
• Floyd, K., Dinsmore, D., & Pavlich, C. (2017). The theory of natural selection: An evolutionary approach to family communication. In Engaging theories in family communication: Multiple perspectives.
• Floyd, K., Hesse, C., & Generous, M. (2017). Affection exchange theory: A bio-evolutionary look at affectionate communication. In Engaging theories in family communication: Multiple perspectives.
• Floyd, K., Pavlich, C., & Dinsmore, D. (2017). Physiological measures of wellness and message processing. In Oxford encyclopedia of health and risk message design and processing.
• Floyd, K., & Ray, C. D. (2016). Biology of Affectionate Communication. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication.
• Witt, P. L., Seidel, T., Orbe, M. P., & Floyd, K. (2016). The Future of Instructional Communication Research: Challenges, Opportunities, and Predictions. In Handbooks of Communication: Vol. 16, Communication and Learning.
• Floyd, K. (2015). Affection Exchange Theory. In International Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Communication.
• Floyd, K. (2015). Evolutionary Perspectives on Affectionate Communication. In International Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Communication.
• Floyd, K., Hesse, C., & Generous, M. A. (2015). Affection Exchange Theory: A Bio-Evolutionary Look at Affectionate Communication. In Engaging Theories in Interpersonal Communication: Multiple Perspectives (2nd ed.)..
• Floyd, K., & Generous, M. A. (2014). Affection Exchange Theory. In Encyclopedia of Health Communication.
• Floyd, K., Pauley, P. M., Hesse, C., Veksler, A. E., Eden, J., & Mikkelson, A. C. (2014). Affectionate Communication Is Associated with Markers of Immune and Cardiovascular System Competence. In The Influence of Communication on Physiology and Health Status.
• Floyd, K., Hesse, C., & Pauley, P. M. (2013). Psychophysiological Methods in Family Communication Research. In The Handbook of Family Communication (2nd ed.)..
• Floyd, K., & Afifi, T. D. (2012). Biological and physiological perspectives on interpersonal communication. In The handbook of interpersonal communication. SAGE.
• Floyd, K., & Deiss, D. M. (2012). Better health, better lives: The bright side of affection. In The positive side of interpersonal communication. Peter Lang Publishing.
• Floyd, K., & Pauley, P. (2010). Affectionate communication is good, except when it isn't: On the dark side of expressing affection. In The dark side of close relationships. doi:10.4324/9780203874370
• Floyd, K., & Cole, T. (2009). Communication and biology: The view from evolutionary psychology and psychophysiology: Perspectives, methods, and research. In Biological dimensions of communication: Perspectives, methods, and research.
• Mikkelson, A. C., Mikkelson, A. C., Floyd, K., & Floyd, K. (2009). Affection and affectionate communication. In Encyclopedia of human relationships. SAGE. doi:10.4135/9781412958479.n14
• Floyd, K., Judd, J., & Hesse, C. (2008). Affection exchange theory: Multiple perspectives. In Engaging theories in interpersonal communication: Multiple perspectives. SAGE.
• Floyd, K. (2006). An evolutionary approach to understanding nonverbal communication. In The Sage handbook of nonverbal communication. SAGE Publications Inc. doi:10.4135/9781412976152.n8
• Floyd, K., & Haynes, M. T. (2005). An evolutionary perspective on family communication: Multiple perspectives. In Engaging theories in family communication: Multiple perspectives. SAGE.

Journals/Publications

• Floyd, K. (2024). Affectionate Communication Mediates the Effects of Minority Stress on Mental Wellness for LGBTQIA+ Adults. Southern Communication Journal, 1-14. doi:10.1080/1041794x.2024.2308930
• Hesse, C., & Floyd, K. (2024). Affectionate Communication Mediates the Effects of Minority Stress on Mental Wellness for LGBTQIA+ Adults. Southern Communication Journal, 89(2). doi:10.1080/1041794X.2024.2308930
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  As a prosocial behavior, affectionate communication evidences a stress-buffering effect, ameliorating the deleterious effects of stressors on stress. Although much previous research has documented such an effect on physiological stress reactivity, the present study examines the ability of trait-level affectionate communication to mediate the effect of minority stress on mental wellness for LGBTQIA+ adults. Using a sample of U.S. American LGBTQIA+ adults (N = 494), this project demonstrates that psychological stress and depressive symptoms are negatively associated with trait affectionate communication and that trait affectionate communication partially mediates the effect of minority stress on these outcomes.
• Floyd, K. (2023). Affectionate Communication Moderates the Effect of Adverse Childhood Experience on Mental Well-Being. Western Journal of Communication, 88(3). doi:10.1080/10570314.2023.2168505
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  Affectionate communication is a prosocial behavior that exhibits a stress-buffering effect, ameliorating the influence of stressors on stress reactivity. Whereas previous research has demonstrated such an effect on physiological and health-related reactions to acute stressors, the current study explores the ability of affectionate communication to moderate the influence of early childhood adversity on adult mental well-being. Using a Census-matched probability sample of U.S. American adults (N = 727), this study documents that both depressive symptoms and stress are inversely related to trait affectionate communication and that trait affectionate communication moderates the effect of adverse childhood experiences on these outcomes.
• Floyd, K., T. Woo, N., Maré, J., & L. Duncan, K. (2023). Sampling Practices in Communication Studies: A Decade of Research in Four Top Journals. Communication and Linguistics Studies. doi:10.11648/j.cls.20230902.12
• Mansson, D. H., Marko, F., Gajdošíková Zeleiová, J., & Floyd, K. (2023). Testing the Cultural Scope of Affection Exchange Theory in Slovakia. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 53(1-2), 1-10. doi:10.1080/17475759.2023.2291026
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  We examined the cultural scope of affection exchange theory. Specifically, we tested the postulates that trait affection given and received covary with indicators of psychological well-being and that highly affectionate individuals are relationally advantaged. The sample consisted of 326 college-attending adult Slovaks. Correlational analyses supported the predicted associations between trait affection and depression, loneliness, stress, general mental health, and self-esteem. Additionally, results of t-tests indicated that individuals involved in a romantic relationship reported higher levels of trait affection compared to those not involved in a romantic relationship. Limitations and future directions are addressed in the discussion.
• , ., Floyd, K., Debrot, A., Horan, S., Hesse, C., & Woo, N. T. (2022). Affectionate communication, health, and relationships. Personal Relationships, 30(1), 44-75. doi:10.1111/pere.12444
• Floyd, K., & Morman, M. T. (2022). The Lonely States of America: Prevalence and Demographic Risk Factors for Affection Deprivation among U.S. Adults. Western Journal of Communication, 86(5). doi:10.1080/10570314.2022.2087892
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  Affection deprivation indexes a deficit in the amount of affectionate communication one receives from others. According to affection exchange theory, affection deprivation is detrimental to physical and relational health, and empirical evidence supports that assertion. Little is known, however, about the prevalence of affection deprivation in the United States, a topic addressed here in two studies. The first study (N = 2,616) examined demographic and geographic variation in affection deprivation among a non-representative sample of U.S. adults. The latter study (N = 1,121) used a Census-matched representative sample of U.S. adults to replicate assessments of prevalence and examine how affection deprivation relates to loneliness and physical pain.
• Floyd, K., Hesse, C., & Mikkelson, A. C. (2022). Affection deprivation is more aversive than excessive affection: A test of affection exchange theory. Personal Relationships, 30(1), 296-313. doi:10.1111/pere.12458
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  Affection exchange theory predicts that both excessive affection and affection deprivation are associated with poorer health, compared with receiving the level of affectionate communication that one desires. A similar yet-untested prediction is that affection deprivation is more aversive than excessive affection. This preregistered study tested both hypotheses on a battery of mental and physical health outcomes, including depression, loneliness, stress, physical pain, frequency of nightmares, and sleep quality, using a Census-matched sample of U.S. American adults (N = 827). As hypothesized, receiving the right amount of affection was associated with more health-supportive scores on all outcomes than either excessive or deficient affection. Similarly, excessive affection was associated with lower depression, loneliness, stress, and pain, and higher sleep quality, than affection deprivation.
• Floyd, K., Ray, C., James, R., & Anderson, A. (2022). Correlates of Compassion for Suffering Social Groups. Southern Communication Journal, 87(4). doi:10.1080/1041794X.2022.2086612
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  This study investigates whether multiple factors correlate positively or inversely with compassion felt toward suffering social groups. Data were collected from 367 participants during April 2020 to investigate hypotheses in the context of three suffering social groups in the United States during that time: the Black American community, the LGBTQ community, and those directly affected by COVID-19. Results showed that compassion toward suffering groups covaries inversely with one’s own ingroup preference. Compassion toward suffering social groups also covaried positively with the extent to which a person identifies with a suffering social group or knows people in a suffering social group. Additionally, loneliness was inversely correlated with compassion for suffering groups. These results suggest that although compassion is an important emotional motivator for engagement in prosocial behaviors that are vital to maintaining relationships, multiple factors can enhance or inhibit it.
• Floyd, K., Woo, N. T., Custer, B. L., Dinsmore, D., Duncan, K., & Maré, J. (2022). Examining the Social Signaling and Person Perception Functions of Loneliness. OBM Neurobiology, 6(2). doi:10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2202119
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  Loneliness is a common condition that poses substantial risks to morbidity and mortality. Cacioppo and Cacioppo’s [1] evolutionary theory of loneliness (ETL) provides that loneliness serves a social signaling function and also manifests in hypervigilance to threat, which we propose can influence person perception. In this experiment, 480 observers evaluated videotaped self-presentation messages from speakers who scored either high or low on a measure of loneliness. On the basis of ETL, we hypothesized that observers can distinguish between lonely and non-lonely speakers to a greater-than-chance degree and that observers’ own loneliness negatively influences their perceptions of speakers. Both predictions received support, and we identify both theoretic and potential clinical implications of these findings.
• Floyd, K., & van Raalte, L. J. (2021). Examining the Moderating Influence of Relationship Satisfaction on Affection and Trust, Closeness, Stress, and Depression. Journal of Family Communication, 22(1), 18-32. doi:10.1080/15267431.2021.2000990
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  This study sought to explore whether relationship satisfaction moderated the relationship between affection and individual health (i.e., depression and stress) and affection and relational well-being (i.e., trust and closeness). The sample (N = 631) was comprised of predominantly female non-married Southwestern college students. Relationship satisfaction did not interact with the relationship between affection and trust, affection and closeness, and affection and depression. However, relationship satisfaction moderated the relationship between affection and stress such that affection was significantly and negative related to stress only for highly satisfied relationships. Dissatisfied participants were affectionately deprived, and their frequency of affectionate behaviors varied. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
• Floyd, K., Bonito, J. A., Harvey, J., Ray, C. D., & Reblin, M. (2021). Mixed Messages: II. Outcomes Associated with the Proportion and Placement of Negative Statements in Support Messages.. Health communication, 36(7), 856-865. doi:10.1080/10410236.2020.1719322
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  Few studies on emotional support have investigated mixed messages - instances when emotional support messages contain both positive and negative statements. Although researchers have recognized that mixed messages occur, most supportive communication research has ignored these ambivalent messages. We contend based on the negativity bias that the more negative statements that occur in an emotional support message, the less effective the message is. To test this possibility, we presented cancer patients (N = 417) with messages that consisted of 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, or 80% negative statements. Patients rated the messages on five variables: message effectiveness, affective improvement, supporter competence, likelihood to seek future support, and being better off if the supporter had said nothing. A significant positive linear trend occurred for all five variables. The results suggest that the presence and amount of negative statements within an emotional support message has a considerable influence on the recipient's perception of the message and supporter. From a practical standpoint, the results suggest that cancer patients' supporters should act cautiously when communicating negative statements within supportive messages, as even a brief negative statement may cause irreparable damage to the overall quality of a support message.
• Floyd, K., Morman, M. T., Maré, J., & Holmes, E. (2021). How Americans communicate affection: findings from a representative national sample. Communication Quarterly, 69(4). doi:10.1080/01463373.2021.1951794
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  Humans are highly social beings who need intimate relationships to thrive and survive. Integral to human physical and emotional wellness is the need for affection. A substantial body of evidence has found that expressing and receiving affection with significant others is associated with a multitude of positive health outcomes. The primary goal of the current study was to create a generalizable typology of affectionate behaviors embedded within close relationships and experienced within the daily lives of U.S. American adults from across the country. The study identified 13 discrete forms of daily affectionate communication. Implications for such a typology of daily affection within the United States are discussed.
• Raalte, L. J., Floyd, K., & Mongeau, P. A. (2021). The Effects of Cuddling on Relational Quality for Married Couples: A Longitudinal Investigation. Western Journal of Communication, 85(1), 61-82. doi:10.1080/10570314.2019.1667021
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  This study examined the longitudinal effects of cuddling on relational quality for married couples. In a four-week experiment, 80 adults were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: increased...
• Floyd, K., & Raalte, L. J. (2020). Daily Hugging Predicts Lower Levels of Two Proinflammatory Cytokines. Western Journal of Communication, 85(4), 1-20. doi:10.1080/10570314.2020.1850851
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  The current study asked a sample (N = 20) of healthy young adults to report their daily hugging behaviors over a 14-day period and to collect their saliva at the beginning and end of the study. Bas...
• Floyd, K., & Woo, N. (2020). Loneliness and social monitoring: A conceptual replication of Knowles et al.. Personal Relationships, 27(1), 209-223.
• Floyd, K., Generous, M., & Clark, L. (2019). Nonverbal affiliation by physician assistant students during simulated clinical examinations: Genotypic effects. Western Journal of Communication.
• Floyd, K., Kloeber, D., Raalte, L. J., & Veluscek, A. M. (2020). Exploring the associations between unwanted affection, stress, and anxiety:. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38(2), 026540752096605. doi:10.1177/0265407520966052
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  Although giving and receiving affection are beneficial, the benefits often depend on who is providing the affection and in what context. Some affectionate expressions may even reduce well-being. Th...
• Floyd, K., York, C., & Ray, C. (2020). Heritability of affectionate communication: A twins study. Communication Monographs, 87(4), 405-424.
• Ray, C. D., Floyd, K., Mongeau, P. A., & Randall, A. K. (2020). Success Bias and Inflation Bias After Planning and Communicating Emotional Support.. Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education, 35(5), 972-976. doi:10.1007/s13187-019-01550-1
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  This study investigates the potential for cancer patients' supporters to experience cognitive biases after communicating emotional support messages. A success bias was predicted, such that those who planned their messages would rate those messages as more effective in comparison with those who did not plan their messages (H1a-H1c). An inflation bias was also predicted, such that supporters would rate their messages as more effective than cancer patients who also rated the messages (H2a-H2c). One hundred laboratory participants were randomly assigned to a planning or distraction task before recording an emotional support message for a friend who had hypothetically been diagnosed with cancer. Laboratory participants rated their own messages in terms of relational assurances, problem-solving utility, and emotional awareness. Subsequently, cancer patients viewed and rated the laboratory participants' messages on the same characteristics. Participants who planned their messages rated their messages significantly higher than those who did not plan their messages in terms of relational assurance and problem-solving utility but not emotional awareness. Irrespective of planning or distraction condition, participants also rated their messages significantly higher on all three dependent variables than did cancer patients. Supporters should be aware of the propensity to overrate their supportive abilities and guard against the assumption that planning messages results in more effective support messages.
• Ray, C., Floyd, K., Tietsort, C., Veluscek, A., Otmar, C., Hashi, E., & Fisher, R. (2020). Mixed messages: I. The consequences of communicating negative statements within emotional support messages to cancer patients. Journal of Patient Experience, 7(4), 593-599.
• Fisher, R., Floyd, K., Hashi, E. C., Otmar, C. D., Ray, C. D., Tietsort, C. J., & Veluscek, A. M. (2019). Mixed Messages: I. The Consequences of Communicating Negative Statements Within Emotional Support Messages to Cancer Patients. Journal of Patient Experience, 7(4), 593-599. doi:10.1177/2374373519873781
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  Not all emotional support messages consist purely of positive statements. Some emotional support messages received by cancer patients simultaneously communicate statements of caring but also negative statements, such as criticisms of patients' actions.This study tests if a negative statement occurring within an emotional support message affects cancer patients' perceptions of the effectiveness of the entire emotional support message as well as the perceived competence of the supporter communicating the emotional support message.Cancer patients watched video recordings of emotional support messages and subsequently provided ratings on message effectiveness and supporter competence. Some emotional support messages included negative statements, whereas other messages did not.Messages that included a negative statement were rated lower on message effectiveness than messages without negative statements. Cancer patients rated supporters communicating messages with a negative statement as having significantly less competence than those who did not communicate a negative statement.A single negative statement occurring within an emotional support message may result in cancer patients viewing the emotional support as less effective and the supporter as less competent.
• Hesse, C., & Floyd, K. (2019). Affection substitution: The effect of pornography consumption on close relationships:. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(11-12), 3887-3907. doi:10.1177/0265407519841719
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  Scholars have stated that humans have a fundamental need to belong, but less is known about whether individuals can use other resources to substitute for close relationships. In this study, 357 adu...
• Floyd, K., Pauley, P., Hesse, C., Eden, J., Veksler, A., & Woo, N. (2018). Supportive communication is associated with markers of immunocompetence. Southern Communication Journal, 83, 229-244.
• Floyd, K., Ray, C., van Raalte, L., Stein, J., & Generous, M. (2018). Interpersonal touch buffers pain sensitivity in romantic relationships but heightens sensitivity between strangers and friends. Research in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 6, 27-34.
• Floyd, K. (2017). Loneliness corresponds with politically conservative thought. Research in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences.
• Floyd, K., & Hesse, C. (2017). Affection deprivation is conceptually and empirically distinct from loneliness. Western Journal of Communication.
• Floyd, K., & Ray, C. (2017). Thanks, but no thanks: Negotiating face threats when rejecting offers of unwanted social support. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
• Floyd, K., Generous, M., Clark, L., McLeod, I., & Simon, A. (2017). Cumulative risk on the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) predicts empathic communication by physician assistant students. Health Communication.
• Floyd, K., Veksler, A., McEwan, B., Hesse, C., Boren, J., Dinsmore, D., & Pavlich, C. (2017). Social inclusion predicts lower blood glucose and low-density lipoproteins in healthy adults. Health Communication.
• Mansson, D., Floyd, K., & Soliz, J. (2017). Affectionate communication is associated with emotional and relational resources in the grandparent-grandchild relationship. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships.
• Floyd, K. (2016). Affection Deprivation Is Associated With Physical Pain and Poor Sleep Quality. Communication Studies. doi:10.1080/10510974.2016.1205641
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  Social bonds are necessary for human survival and affectionate communication is paramount for their formation and maintenance. Consequently, affection deprivation—the condition of receiving less affectionate communication than desired—is associated with social pain, and contemporary research indicates that social pain has substantial neurological overlap with physical pain. Thus, it was proposed that affection deprivation would be associated with the sensation of physical pain as well as with poor-quality sleep. Three studies involving a total of 1,368 adults from nearly all U.S. states and several foreign countries revealed significant associations between affection deprivation, physical pain, and multiple facets of disturbed sleep.
• Floyd, K. (2016). Affection Deprivation is Conceptually and Empirically Distinct From Loneliness. Western Journal of Communication, 81(4), 446-465. doi:10.1080/10570314.2016.1263757
• Floyd, K. (2016). Affection deprivation is associated with physical pain and poor sleep quality. Communication Studies.
• Floyd, K., & Ray, C. D. (2016). Thanks, but no thanks. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 34(8), 1260-1276. doi:10.1177/0265407516673161
• Floyd, K., Veksler, A. E., McEwan, B., Hesse, C., Boren, J. P., Dinsmore, D. R., & Pavlich, C. A. (2016). Social Inclusion Predicts Lower Blood Glucose and Low-Density Lipoproteins in Healthy Adults. Health Communication. doi:10.1080/10410236.2016.1196423
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  Loneliness has been shown to have direct effects on one's personal well-being. Specifically, a greater feeling of loneliness is associated with negative mental health outcomes, negative health behaviors, and an increased likelihood of premature mortality. Using the neuroendocrine hypothesis, we expected social inclusion to predict decreases in both blood glucose levels and low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and increases in high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). Fifty-two healthy adults provided self-report data for social inclusion and blood samples for hematological tests. Results indicated that higher social inclusion predicted lower levels of blood glucose and LDL, but had no effect on HDL. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
• Menegatos, L., Lederman, L., & Floyd, K. (2016). When Parents Talk About College Drinking: An Examination of Content, Frequency, and Associations with Students' Dangerous Drinking. Health Communication.
• Floyd, K., & Denes, A. (2015). Attachment Security and Oxytocin Receptor Gene Polymorphism Interact to Influence Affectionate Communication. Communication Quarterly.
• Floyd, K., Generous, M. A., Clark, L., Simon, A., & McLeod, I. (2015). Empathic Communication by Physician Assistant Students: Evidence of an Inflation Bias. Journal of Physician Assistant Education.
• Pauley, P. M., Floyd, K., & Hesse, C. (2015). The stress-buffering effects of a brief dyadic interaction before an acute stressor.. Health communication, 30(7), 646-59. doi:10.1080/10410236.2014.888385
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  Although previous studies have confirmed that affectionate interaction can reduce the effects of stress, whether or not this effect is due more to habituation or the accumulation of affection remains an area of debate. The goal of the present study was to determine how specific acts of affection mitigate the effects of stress. Sixty mixed-sex dyads (half platonic friends and half dating partners) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, affectionate interaction, quiet rest with the friend/romantic partner present, or separation from the friend/romantic partner, before one of the partners experienced a series of stressful activities. Results revealed that participants in the affection condition experienced the smallest increase in cardiovascular arousal regardless of relationship status. Participants' endocrine responses were more nuanced and depended on both their biological sex and the nature of the relationship with the companion. Given that these systems did not act in concert with one another, results provide mixed evidence for both an accumulation and habituation effect.
• Pauley, P. M., Floyd, K., & Hesse, C. (2016). The Stress-Buffering Effects of a Brief Dyadic Interaction Before an Acute Stressor. Health Communication.
• Veksler, A. E., & Floyd, K. (2016). Helping Students through Expressive Writing: Effects of Different Types of Writing Instructions on Break-up Related Distress, Global Perceived Stress, and Self-Esteem. Journal of the Communication, Speech, and Theater Association of North Dakota.
• Floyd, K. (2014). Empathic Listening as an Expression of Interpersonal Affection. International Journal of Listening.
• Floyd, K. (2014). Humans Are People, Too: Nurturing an Appreciation for Nature in Communication Research. Review of Communication Research.
• Floyd, K. (2014). Interpersonal Communication's Peculiar Identity Crisis. Communication Studies.
• Floyd, K. (2014). Relational and Health Correlates of Affection Deprivation. Western Journal of Communication.
• Floyd, K. (2014). Taking Stock of Research Practices: A Call for Self-Reflection. Communication Monographs.
• Floyd, K., Hesse, C., Boren, J. P., & Veksler, A. E. (2014). Affectionate Communication Can Suppress Immunity: Trait Affection Predicts Antibodies to Latent Epstein-Barr Virus. Southern Communication Journal.
• Hesse, C., Floyd, K., Rauscher, E. A., Frye-Cox, N. E., Hegarty, J. P., & Peng, H. (2013). Alexithymia and Impairment of Decoding Positive Affect: An fMRI Study. Journal of Communication.
• Floyd, K. (2011). Endocrinology in Communication Research. Communication Research Reports, 28(4), 369-372. doi:10.1080/08824096.2011.616246
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  Endocrinology--the study of hormones and hormonal activity--offers promising new avenues for adjudicating social behavior. This paper introduces its methods and discusses several considerations necessary for researchers who wish to incorporate such methods into their own communication research.
• Hesse, C., & Floyd, K. (2011). Affection mediates the impact of alexithymia on relationships. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(4), 451-456. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.11.004
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  Abstract Previous research has shown alexithymia leading to a deficit in the ability of an individual to build and maintain relationships. Using the tenets of Affection Exchange Theory, the current study hypothesized a mediating role of trait affection in the relationship between alexithymia and both attachment behavior (specifically, anxious/avoidant and the need for intimacy) and an individual’s self-reported number of close relationships. Participants (N = 921) filled out self-report measures of all variables, and the hypotheses were tested using a path analysis. Findings largely supported the predictions, with affection partially mediating the relationship between alexithymia and anxious/avoidant attachment and fully mediating the relationship between alexithymia and the need for intimacy and the number of close relationships. One sex interaction was also found, with the relationship between alexithymia and the need for intimacy becoming significantly stronger for women than for men. Implications and directions for future research are explored.
• Hesse, C., & Floyd, K. (2011). The impact of alexithymia on initial interactions. Personal Relationships, 18(3), 453-470. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01311.x
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  This study proposed several hypotheses predicting a deficit in the ability of alexithymic individuals to present themselves as attractive to a relational partner during an initial interaction. Both alexithymic and nonalexithymic individuals participated in a 10-min interpersonal exercise with a stranger of the opposite gender. Relational partners were more attracted to nonalexithymics than alexithymics. Partners perceived higher levels of several relational messages from nonalexithymics than alexithymics and lower levels of formality and dominance. Finally, the relational message of intimacy fully mediated the relationship between group membership (alexithymic or nonalexithymic) and social attraction. The authors suggest several implications and directions for future research, such as the need to include psychological traits in theoretical examinations of communication competence.
• Mikkelson, A. C., Floyd, K., & Pauley, P. M. (2011). Differential Solicitude of Social Support in Different Types of Adult Sibling Relationships. Journal of Family Communication, 11(4), 220-236. doi:10.1080/15267431.2011.554749
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  The sibling relationship is one of the longest relationships in people's lives, and it is one of the most diverse as it occurs in many different forms. The current investigation seeks to identify differences in the amount of social support received in adult sibling relationships. The sample consisted of 411 participants in 6 different types of sibling relationships: identical twins, fraternal twins, full biological siblings, half-biological siblings, stepsiblings, and adopted siblings. Employing of ideas of discriminative parental solicitude, we developed a hypothesis about which types of siblings receive the most social support from their siblings. The basic prediction was that siblings who are more genetically related to one another receive more social support than siblings who are less genetically related. Results supported these predictions, even when social and relational explanations were controlled.
• Pauley, P. M., Morman, M. T., & Floyd, K. (2011). Expressive Writing Improves Subjective Health Among Testicular Cancer Survivors: A Pilot Study. International Journal of Men's Health, 10(3), 199-219. doi:10.3149/jmh.1003.199
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  The present pilot study examined the efficacy of a brief expressive writing intervention for helping testicular cancer (TC) survivors manage psychological, relational, and health complications associated with treatment and recovery. 48 men reported on mental health, quality of life, and sexual health, then took part in a 5- week expressive writing intervention. Afterward, all participants again reported on the same measures used in the pre-test. A total of 28 men completed at least two writing sessions and were included in the analysis. Results revealed that, compared to men in both the negative expression and control conditions, men in the positive expression group experienced improvements in their mental health over the course of the 5-week trial.
• Floyd, K., Pauley, P. M., & Hesse, C. (2010). State and Trait Affectionate Communication Buffer Adults' Stress Reactions. Communication Monographs, 77(4), 618-636. doi:10.1080/03637751.2010.498792
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  The present study tested the prediction that affectionate communication is positively associated with the release of oxytocin in response to stressors. One hundred participants completed questionnaire measures about their personal relationships prior to participation in a laboratory session that included a series of standard laboratory stressors. Both state and trait affectionate communication predicted increases in oxytocin during exposure to stressors, an effect that was not moderated by sex. The results demonstrate the stress-buffering effect of affectionate interaction.
• Floyd, K., & Ray, G. B. (2009). Human affection exchange: IV. Vocalic predictors of perceived affection in initial interactions. Western Journal of Communication, 67(1), 56-73. doi:10.1080/10570310309374758
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  This investigation examines the relationship between speakers' vocal characteristics and receivers' and observers' perceptions of speakers' affectionate intentions toward receivers in initial interactions. Hypotheses drawn from affection exchange theory were tested in an experimental procedure involving 48 triads of previously unacquainted young adults. Results revealed that (1) speakers' fundamental frequency was linearly related to observers' perceptions of speakers' affection level; (2) speakers' variation in fundamental frequency was linearly related to receivers’ and observers' perceptions of speakers' affection level; (3) speakers' vocal intensity was unrelated to perceptions of their affection level; and, (4) speakers' fundamental frequency interacted with speakers' sex to influence receivers' perceptions of speakers' affection level.
• Floyd, K., & Riforgiate, S. E. (2008). Affectionate Communication Received from Spouses Predicts Stress Hormone Levels in Healthy Adults. Communication Monographs, 75(4), 351-368. doi:10.1080/03637750802512371
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  Recent research on the communication of affection illuminates its implications for mental and physical health. In particular, affectionate communication has been shown to covary with healthy hormonal variation and accelerated recovery from stress. The present study focuses on the association between marital affection and hormonal markers of stress regulation, including cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), and their ratio. Twenty healthy adults and spouses provided independent reports of their propensity for verbal, nonverbal, and support-based expressions of affection prior to providing saliva samples that were assayed for cortisol and DHEA-S. As hypothesized, spouses’ reports of verbal, nonverbal, and supportive affection significantly predicted participants’ waking cortisol levels, cortisol change, and cortisol:DHEA-S ratio. Participants’ own reports of affection were predictive of cortisol:DHEA-S ratio for verbal affection behaviors only, and were not predictive of participants’ waking co...
• Hesse, C., & Floyd, K. (2008). Affectionate experience mediates the effects of alexithymia on mental health and interpersonal relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 25(5), 793-810. doi:10.1177/0265407508096696
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  Affection has long been found to be a foundational force in any sort of human relationship, influencing such areas as relational closeness, stress, and depression. One psychological condition that may influence the communication of affection is alexithymia, which hinders the ability of an individual both to experience and to express emotion. On the basis of affection exchange theory, we hypothesized a mediating effect of affectionate communication on the association between alexithymia and relational and mental health indices. Participants (N = 347) provided self-reports of alexithymia, affectionate communication, depression, stress, relational closeness, nonverbal immediacy, happiness, and relational affection. Findings implicated affectionate communication as a mediator of the relationships between alexithymia and several of the outcome measures.
• Floyd, K., Hesse, C., & Haynes, M. T. (2007). Human Affection Exchange: XV. Metabolic and Cardiovascular Correlates of Trait Expressed Affection. Communication Quarterly, 55(1), 79-94. doi:10.1080/01463370600998715
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  Recent research on the communication of affection has begun to illuminate its implications for mental and physical health. Specifically, when compared to non-affectionate people, self-report studies have indicated that highly affectionate people are less susceptible to depression and stress, and endocrine studies have shown that highly affectionate people have more differentiated 24-hour cortisol rhythms (a pattern indicative of adaptive physiological stress management). The present studies extend this knowledge by focusing on the associations that trait affection has with cardiologic (resting heart rate), vascular (resting blood pressure), and metabolic (glycosylated hemoglobin) properties of physical health. Participants in both studies provided self-assessments of their trait levels of expressed affection and received affection (the latter for use as a covariate). Resting heart rate and blood pressure were assessed in the first study, and glycosylated hemoglobin was assessed in the second study. Result...
• Floyd, K., Mikkelson, A. C., Hesse, C., & Pauley, P. M. (2007). Affectionate Writing Reduces Total Cholesterol: Two Randomized, Controlled Trials. Human Communication Research, 33(2), 119-142. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2958.2007.00293.x
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  In two 5-week trials, healthy college students were randomly assigned either to experimental or control groups. Participants in the experimental groups wrote about their affection for significant friends, relatives, and/or romantic partners for 20 minutes on three separate occasions; on the same schedule, those in the control groups wrote about innocuous topics. Total cholesterol was assessed via capillary blood at the beginning of the trials and again at the end. Participants in the experimental groups experienced statistically significant reductions in total cholesterol. Control participants in the first study experienced a significant increase during the same period, whereas those in the second study did not. Cholesterol changes were largely unmoderated by linguistic features of the writing produced in the intervention. Potential therapeutic implications are discussed.
• Floyd, K., Mikkelson, A. C., Tafoya, M. A., Farinelli, L., Valley, A. G., Judd, J., Haynes, M. T., Davis, K. L., & Wilson, J. (2007). Human affection exchange: XIII. Affectionate communication accelerates neuroendocrine stress recovery.. Health communication, 22(2), 123-32. doi:10.1080/10410230701454015
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  Contemporary theory in interpersonal communication and health psychology supports the prediction that engaging in affectionate behavior within established relationships has a direct effect on the alleviation of stress symptoms following exposure to an acute stressor. Participants in this study were exposed to a series of standard laboratory stressors and were subsequently assigned either to an experimental group or to 1 of 2 control groups. Those in the experimental group were instructed to write a letter to a loved one in which they expressed their feelings of affection for that person. Those in 1 control group thought about a loved one but did not engage in any communicative behavior, and those in the other control group simply sat quietly. All 3 conditions were compared with respect to their levels of salivary free cortisol, an adrenal steroid hormone that is instrumental in the body's neuroendocrine stress response. Results indicated that, compared to the control groups, those in the experimental group experienced accelerated cortisol recovery following exposure to the acute stressors.
• Floyd, K., Mikkelson, A., Tafoya, M., Farinelli, L., La Valley, A., Judd, J., Davis, K., Haynes, M., & Wilson, J. (2007). Human affection exchange: XIV. Relational affection predicts resting heart rate and free cortisol secretion during acute stress. Behavioral Medicine, 32(4). doi:10.3200/BMED.32.4.151-156
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  Participants in the present study reported the amount of affectionate communication characterizing the personal relationship they currently identified as their most affectionate relationship. The authors subsequently measured their resting heart rate and baseline salivary cortisol, and then exposed participants to a series of standard laboratory stressors. The authors monitored changes in the participants' heart rates and cortisol levels during exposure to the stressors. Results indicated that levels of verbal and supportive affectionate communication in the primary relationship were inversely associated with resting heart rate and with the magnitude of free cortisol increase in response to the acute stressors. The authors discuss implications for the association between relational communication and health. Copyright © 2007 Heldref Publications.
• Floyd, K. (2006). Human Affection Exchange: XII. Affectionate Communication is Associated with Diurnal Variation in Salivary Free Cortisol. Western Journal of Communication, 70(1), 47-63. doi:10.1080/10570310500506649
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  ABSTRACT The present study tested the general hypothesis that, irrespective of the amount of affectionate communication one typically receives, the amount of affectionate communication one typically expresses to others is associated with the body's ability to handle stress. Twenty healthy young adults reported on their trait levels of expressed and received affection and then took four saliva samples over the course of a normal workday. The saliva samples were assayed for levels of free cortisol, an adrenal steroid hormone associated with physiological responses to stress. Controlling for received affection, expressed affection was strongly and positively associated with waking cortisol values and with aggregate values. It was also strongly and positively related to the magnitude of morning-to-evening decrease in cortisol levels, a rhythm indicative of an adaptive ability to handle stress. Theoretic and methodological implications are discussed.
• Floyd, K. (2006). Physiology and human relationships: An introduction to the special issue. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 23(2), 187-188. doi:10.1177/0265407506062465
• Floyd, K., & Morman, M. T. (2006). Good Fathering: Father and Son Perceptions of What It Means to Be a Good Father. Fathering, 4(2), 113-136. doi:10.3149/fth.0402.113
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  The present article details two exploratory studies on the nature of fatherhood and on the behavioral and psychological characteristics that define a good father. In the first study, 374 adult men who were fathers of at least one child responded to an open-ended question regarding the attributes of a good father. Inductive analyses of their responses yielded a 20-item list of referents. The second study involved 99 pairs of fathers and adolescent or young adult sons who responded to the same question. Their responses were coded along the same dimensions and were compared within dyads and with the results from the first study. Implications for future study on fatherchild relationships are discussed.
• Parks, M. R., & Floyd, K. (2006). Making Friends in Cyberspace. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 1(4), 0-0. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.1996.tb00176.x
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  The importance of computer-mediated communication (CMC) for comparing the group that communicates face-to-face (FtF) in cyberspace is discussed. In online relationship, network convergence would imply not only that participants were introduced one another's online contacts, but also to people in their real-life social network. The growth of CMC poses new challenges for understanding of social relationships both in cyberspace and in general. The goal of such understanding is to provide an empirical reference point for evaluating conflicting visions of social life in cyberspace by exploring the prevalence and development of personal relationships.
• Ray, G. B., & Floyd, K. (2006). Nonverbal expressions of liking and disliking in initial interaction: Encoding and decoding perspectives. The Southern Communication Journal, 71(1), 45-65. doi:10.1080/10417940500503506
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  This experiment investigated nonverbal behaviors associated with the encoding and decoding of liking and disliking in initial interaction. Forty-eight adults interacted with participant confederates in an 8-minute problem-solving activity. Beginning at the midpoint of the activity, confederates were instructed to communicate, through nonverbal channels, that they either really liked or really disliked their partners. Kinesic and vocalic behaviors were measured to allow for examination of the encoding patterns chosen to communicate these messages. Participants and third-party observers provided their perceptions of confederates and their behaviors, to allow for examination of the behaviors that were decoded as expressions of liking and disliking. Results of this study allowed the examination of the simultaneous encoding and decoding of nonverbal behaviors, the precise measurement of vocalic behaviors, and a clarification of nonverbal behaviors most influential in reaching judgments of liking and disliking.
• Floyd, K., & Haynes, M. T. (2005). Applications of the Theory of Natural Selection to the Study of Family Communication. Journal of Family Communication, 5(2), 79-101. doi:10.1207/s15327698jfc0502_2
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  If one's goal is to account for patterns of variation in the communicative behaviors of family relationships, then we contend that no single theory explains as many aspects of family interaction, or explains them with as much depth, as does Darwin's (1859) theory of natural selection. In this article, we delineate the major precepts of the theory (and of associated theories that have been derived from it) and apply them to a number of relational phenomena in the marital and parent-child subsystems. We then speculate as to why the theory has not been widely used in family communication research, despite the breadth and depth of its explanatory power, and we offer suggestions to scholars wishing to incorporate principles of natural selection and evolutionary psychology into their research on families.
• Floyd, K., & Morman, M. T. (2005). Fathers’ and sons’ reports of fathers’ affectionate communication: Implications of a naïve theory of affection. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 22(1), 99-109. doi:10.1177/0265407505049323
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  According to Robey, Cohen, and Epstein (1988), children may hold a naive theory of affection, whereby they believe that their parents’ affection for them is a finite resource for which they must compete against their siblings. Parents, conversely, are unlikely to view their own affection in the same way. Although research on naive theories is often conducted with youngsters, we speculated that even adult children may perceive that they compete with their siblings for their parents’ affection, and we tested the naive theory of affection in a study of 115 dyads of adult men and their adult sons. As hypothesized, the sons’ numbers of brothers and sisters were associated inversely with sons’ reports of how much affection they received from their fathers but were unrelated to fathers’ reports. Fathers’ and sons’ reports of fathers’ affection were also linearly related to each other, but fathers reported being more affectionate with their sons than their sons reported them being. Results suggest that naive theo...
• Tusing, K. J., Mikkelson, A. C., Halone, K. K., Hess, J. A., Miczo, L. A., & Floyd, K. (2005). Human affection exchange: VIII. Further evidence of the benefits of expressed affection. Communication Quarterly, 53(3), 285-303.
• Erbert, L. A., & Floyd, K. (2004). Affectionate Expressions as Face-Threatening Acts: Receiver Assessments. Communication Studies, 55(2), 254-270. doi:10.1080/10510970409388618
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  Although expressions of affection may be regarded as a form of support between relational partners, affectionate communication has the potential also to be threatening to senders’ and receivers’ face needs, especially in nonromantic relationships. On the premise that a given communicative act can support positive face needs while simultaneously threatening negative face needs, this study applied politeness theory to the task of predicting receivers’ responses to affectionate messages from adult platonic friends. Results indicated that direct, unequivocal affectionate messages were the most supportive of positive face and also the most threatening to negative face, while indirect, equivocal messages supported positive face and threatened negative face the least. A curvilinear relationship emerged between the directness of affectionate messages and receivers’ intentions to reciprocate them, with the most direct and most indirect messages being most likely to be reciprocated. The implications of these findin...
• Floyd, K. (2004). An Introduction to the Uses and Potential Uses of Physiological Measurement in the Study of Family Communication. Journal of Family Communication, 4(3), 295-317. doi:10.1080/15267431.2004.9670137
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  Physiological measurement has not been widely used in family communication research, despite numerous associations that exist between physiological markers and communication processes and outcomes. This article discusses some of the most commonly measured physiological markers in the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system and gives examples of studies that have linked these markers to various aspects of emotion, attachment, and relationship quality. Logistical issues surrounding the measurement and analysis of these markers are also addressed. Measurement of several important physiological processes can be incorporated into existing research paradigms in the field of family communication with relative ease, and such a move would be fruitful for those researchers wishing for a more complete understanding of how people experience various communicative events.
• Floyd, K., Sargent, J. E., & Corcia, M. D. (2004). Human affection exchange: VI. Further tests of reproductive probability as a predictor of men's affection with their adult sons.. The Journal of social psychology, 144(2), 191-206. doi:10.3200/socp.144.2.191-206
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  The authors examined the communication of affection in men's relationships with their fathers. Drawing from Affection Exchange Theory, the authors advanced four predictions: (a) heterosexual men receive more affection from their own fathers than do homosexual or bisexual men, (b) fathers communicate affection to their sons more through supportive activities than through direct verbal statements or nonverbal gestures, (c) affectionate communication between fathers and sons is linearly related to closeness and interpersonal involvement between them, and (d) fathers' awareness of their sons' sexual orientation is associated with the amount of affection that the fathers communicate to them. Participants were 170 adult men who completed questionnaires regarding affectionate communication in their relationships with their fathers. Half of the men were self-identified as exclusively heterosexual, and the other half were self-identified as exclusively homosexual or bisexual. The results supported all predictions substantially.
• Floyd, K., & Erbert, L. A. (2003). Relational message interpretations of nonverbal matching behavior: an application of the social meaning model.. The Journal of social psychology, 143(5), 581-97. doi:10.1080/00224540309598465
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  The social meaning model asserts that some nonverbal behaviors have consensually recognized relational meanings within a given social community. According to this perspective, the interpretations made by encoders, decoders, and 3rd-party observers of the same nonverbal behavior should be congruent. The authors applied the model to the identification of relational message interpretations of nonverbal matching behavior. Confederates either matched or did not match the nonverbal behaviors of conversational participants while being watched by nonparticipant observers. All three nonconfederate participants provided interpretations of the confederates' relational messages. As the authors had expected, there were moderate correlations between the 3 perspectives, with observers usually providing less favorable assessments than the conversational participants. The authors also examined the influence of positive and negative stimulus behavior on relational message interpretations.
• Floyd, K., & Mikkelson, A. C. (2003). Effects of brain laterality on accuracy of decoding facial displays of emotion. Communication Quarterly, 51(4), 419-437. doi:10.1080/01463370309370165
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  The human face is capable of producing numerous unique expressions and comprises the primary nonverbal channel for the communication of emotion. In this study, we investigated the effects of sex and neurological hemispheric dominance on the ability to decode facial expressions of emotion accurately. On the basis of a battery of measures assessing handedness, familial sinistrality, and immune disorders, we classified participants as having standard, anomalous, or mixed hemispheric dominance. Consistent with previous studies, we found that hemispheric dominance and sex interacted to influence participants' abilities to decode facial displays of affect from photographs. Specifically, mixed dominant females had the highest accuracy in the decoding of facial emotion, whereas mixed dominant males had the lowest accuracy. We discuss these findings within the context of communibiology and comment on their implications for the study of neurology and social behavior.
• Floyd, K., & Morman, M. T. (2003). Human affection exchange: II. Affectionate communication in father-son relationships.. The Journal of social psychology, 143(5), 599-612. doi:10.1080/00224540309598466
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  The father-son dyad might be the most socially significant male-male relationship in the life course, yet its negative qualities have been the sole focus in most research on the relationship. One communicative aspect that has received little scholarly attention is the expression of affection between fathers and sons, despite the strong correlation of affectionate communication with positive involvement, closeness, and relational satisfaction for fathers and sons. In 2 studies, the authors tested hypotheses about father-son affection that were derived from affection exchange theory (K. Floyd, in press). Results indicated that U.S. men are more affectionate with biological sons than with stepsons or adopted sons and that they are more affectionate with their biological sons than their biological sons are with them.
• Floyd, K., & Morr, M. C. (2003). Human affection exchange: VII. Affectionate communication in the sibling/spouse/sibling‐in‐law triad. Communication Quarterly, 51(3), 247-261. doi:10.1080/01463370309370155
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  This study sought to investigate affectionate communication among members of sibHng/spouse/sibling‐in‐law triads as well as the influence of such communication on relational quality. Under the principles of Affectionate Exchange Theory, affectionate communication among these family members may ultimately serve the evolutionary mandates of viability and procreation. Three hundred twenty‐seven participants, comprising 109 sibling/spouse/sibling‐in‐law triads, completed surveys about their communication of affection, relational satisfaction, and closeness. Consistent with predictions, spouses reported communicating more affection to each other than did siblings, who reported communicating more affection than siblings‐in‐law. The communication of affection by spouses and siblings showed a significant correlation, as did the communication of affection by siblings and siblings‐in‐law, and these correlations were significant even when controlling for the affection communicated in the third relationship in the tr...
• Floyd, K. (2002). Human affection exchange: V. Attributes of the highly affectionate. Communication Quarterly, 50(2), 135-152. doi:10.1080/01463370209385653
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  The present study examines differences in the individual‐and social‐level characteristics of high‐affection and low‐affection communicators. One hundred nine adults completed extensive questionnaires about their happiness, attachment patterns, susceptibility to depression and stress, mental health, social activity, relationship satisfaction, and other variables. Results revealed that highly affectionate people are advantaged in numerous psychological, mental, emotional, social, and relational characteristics, relative to those who communicate little affection to others.
• Morman, M. T., Morman, M. T., Floyd, K., & Floyd, K. (2002). A “changing culture of fatherhood”: Effects on affectionate communication, closeness, and satisfaction in men's relationships with their fathers and their sons. Western Journal of Communication, 66(4), 395-411. doi:10.1080/10570310209374746
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  Fatherhood is a familial role that is historically bound, in the sense that it is subject to social, economic, and political influences that can change expectations for how fathers should act. In this essay, we discuss the cyclical nature of shifts in cultural prescriptions for North American fathers and echo arguments raised elsewhere that fatherhood is currently in the midst of such a shift, away from the authoritarian, emotionally detached father and toward the involved, nurturant father. We reason herein that such a shift should manifest itself in observable differences between the qualities of men's relationships with their fathers and the qualities of their relationships with their own sons. A study involving 139 father‐son dyads revealed that men felt closer to, were more satisfied with, and expressed more verbal, nonverbal, and supportive affection with, their sons than with their own fathers. These findings emerged from both fathers' and sons' reports. Moreover, fathers reported feeling greater c...
• Burgoon, J. K., Buller, D. B., & Floyd, K. (2001). Does Participation Affect Deception Success? A Test of the Interactivity Principle. Human Communication Research, 27(4), 503-534. doi:10.1093/hcr/27.4.503
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  Communication episodes may range from highly interactive to noninteractive. The principle of interactivity refers to the constellation of structural and experiential features associated with interactivity that systematically affect communication processes and outcomes. One such feature is degree of participation. In deceptive interchanges, senders may engage in dialogic (high participation, two-way) or monologic (low participation, one-way) communication. According to the principle of interactivity, dialogue should advantage deceivers relative to monologue due to increased mutuality between sender and receiver and greater opportunities for deceivers to improve their performance over time. An experiment in which friends or strangers alternated between deceiving and telling the truth to a partner under dialogue or monologue conditions tested this principle. All hypotheses received some support. Relative to monologue, dialogue created snore mutuality among strangers. Dialogue also enabled deceivers to better manage their informational content, speech fluency, nonverbal demeanor, and image, resulting in less accurate deception detection by partners. These results support the interactivity principle and interpersonal deception theory, from which the principle emanated.
• Floyd, K. (2001). Human affection exchange: I. Reproductive probability as a predictor of men’s affection with their sons. The Journal of Men's Studies, 10(1), 39-50. doi:10.3149/jms.1001.39
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  The present study examines the communication of affection in men's relationships with their fathers and with their sons. Drawing from affection exchange theory and contemporary theorizing about fat...
• Floyd, K., & Morman, M. T. (2001). Human affection exchange: III. discriminative parental solicitude in men's affectionate communication with their biological and nonbiological sons. Communication Quarterly, 49(3), 310-327. doi:10.1080/01463370109385631
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  Although several investigations have addressed the nature of communication in men's relationships with their sons, relatively few have focused on positive interaction patterns, such as the exchange of affection, even though affection is of considerable importance to relational maintenance and satisfaction. According to affection exchange theory, affection is such a valuable relational resource because of the contributions it makes to humans’ long‐term viability and reproductive success. As such a resource, it should, thus, be governed by adaptive motivations, among which is the motivation for parents to invest in their children in ways that maximize their long‐term evolutionary success. Using the theory of discriminative parental solicitude, we predicted differences in the amount of affection men communicate to their biological sons, adopted sons, and step‐sons. We tested our predictions in two studies involving a total of 384 males. We discuss implications of the results for explaining the superordinate ...
• Burgoon, J. K., & Floyd, K. (2000). Testing for the motivation impairment effect during deceptive and truthful interaction. Western Journal of Communication, 64(3), 243-267. doi:10.1080/10570310009374675
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  According to the motivation impairment effect (MIE) hypothesis, deceivers who are highly motivated to succeed should suffer detrimental effects on nonverbal performance but facilitative effects on verbal performance relative to deceivers who are less motivated. This should make highly motivated deceivers’ lies more detectable when receivers have access to nonverbal channels. Burgoon (1998) articulated a number of problems with the reasoning underlying the motivation impairment hypothesis and with the data used to support it. Drawing on a more recent theory of interpersonal deception, the current investigation challenges the MIE hypothesis by advancing the alternative predictions that (a) motivation often enhances both verbal and nonverbal performance and (b) does so irrespective of whether deception or truthtelling is occurring. Results from multiple operationalizations of motivation and performance support these predictions.
• Floyd, K. (2000). Affectionate same-sex touch: the influence of homophobia on observers' perceptions.. The Journal of social psychology, 140(6), 774-88. doi:10.1080/00224540009600516
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  The author extended the proposition (V. J. Derlega, R. J. Lewis, S. Harrison, B. A. Winstead, & R. Costanza, 1989) that the fear of being seen as homosexual accounts for the common finding that U.S. women engage in more same-sex touch than do U.S. men. The author proposed a theoretic model positing that the magnitude of homophobia's influence on behavior and on reactions to behavior is proportional to the likelihood that the behavior is sexual in nature. An experiment involving reactions to same-sex embraces demonstrated that, although homophobia was negatively related to evaluations of same-sex affectionate touch, the magnitude of the relationship covaried with the probability that the touch was sexual. The implications of these findings for longer range theory development are discussed.
• Floyd, K. (2000). Attributions for nonverbal expressions of liking and disliking: The extended self‐serving bias. Western Journal of Communication, 64(4), 385-404. doi:10.1080/10570310009374683
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  Although the desire to be liked and appreciated is among the most fundamental in the human experience (Maslow, 1970; Rotter, Chance, & Phares, 1972), the expression of liking has the potential to generate negative as well as positive outcomes, which may in part be a function of what attributions are made for such expressions. The present experiment extends a common principle of attribution‐making, the self‐serving bias, to predict and explain participants’ and nonparticipant observers’ attributions for a confederate's nonverbal expressions of liking or disliking. Results indicated that (1) for participants but not for observers, expressions of disliking were more likely to elicit attributions than were expressions of liking; (2) participants were more likely to make attributions than were observers; (3) participants made more external, uncontrollable attributions for expressions of disliking than did observers; and, (4) participants made more internal, controllable attributions for expressions of liking t...
• Floyd, K., & Morman, M. T. (2000). Affection received from fathers as a predictor of men's affection with their own sons: Tests of the modeling and compensation hypotheses. Communication Monographs, 67(4), 347-361. doi:10.1080/03637750009376516
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  The present study takes a developmental approach to predicting the amount of affectionate communication fathers give their own sons by examining the amount of affection men received from their own fathers. Two developmental orientations are addressed: the modeling hypothesis, which predicts that positive behavior patterns exhibited by parents will be replicated in their children's own parenting, and the compensation hypothesis, which predicts that negative parenting behaviors are compensated for in children's parenting of their own children. We combined these approaches to advance a hybrid prediction that, when applied to affectionate communication, calls for a curvilinear relationship between the affection men received from their own fathers and the affection they give their own sons. Five hundred six men who were fathers of at least one son participated in the current study, and the results provided direct support for a combined modeling‐compensation hypothesis.
• Floyd, K., & Morman, M. T. (2000). Reacting to the verbal Expression of affection in same-sex interaction. The Southern Communication Journal, 65(4), 287-299. doi:10.1080/10417940009373177
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  In an attempt to account for the common finding that men engage in less same‐sex touch than women do, Derlega, Lewis, Harrison, Winstead, and Costanza (1989) proposed that because touch can be interpreted as sexual, same‐sex touch is curtailed as a function of one's level of homophobia. Floyd (in press) extended this argument into a model that predicts not only individuals’ own behavior, but also their reactions to behaviors they observe. The present experiment was designed to test this model within the realm of verbal expressions of affection. Two hundred twenty‐one adults read a transcript of a conversation between two men or two women in which one communicator said “I love you” to the other. Participants made evaluative judgments of the conversational behavior and provided attributions about the type of relationship the communicators have. Results indicate that homophobia negatively predicts evaluative assessments of the behavior and makes salient a romantic attribution for the communicators’ relations...
• Floyd, K. (1999). All touches are not created equal: Effects of form and duration on observers' interpretations of an embrace. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 23(4), 283-299. doi:10.1023/a:1021602926270
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  While several investigations have been directed at identifying the interpretations and perceptual outcomes of nonverbal behaviors, many have presented the stimulus behaviors in a static and unidimensional form that does not take into account the potential influences of their form, duration, or other dynamic features. The present experiment examined the effects of form and duration on observers' perceptions of, and attributions about, an embrace. One hundred sixty-four participants observed a videotape of two communicators enacting one of three forms of embrace for one of three durations. The results indicate that the egalitarianism of an embrace and its duration influence perceptions of its expectedness, its evaluation, how intimate it is interpreted to be, and what kind of relational attributions are made about the communicators.
• Floyd, K. (1999). All touches are not created equal: Effects of form and duration on observers' interpretations of an embrace. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 23(4). doi:10.1023/A:1021602926270
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  While several investigations have been directed at identifying the interpretations and perceptual outcomes of nonverbal behaviors, many have presented the stimulus behaviors in a static and unidimensional form that does not take into account the potential influences of their form, duration, or other dynamic features. The present experiment examined the effects of form and duration on observers' perceptions of, and attributions about, an embrace. One hundred sixty-four participants observed a videotape of two communicators enacting one of three forms of embrace for one of three durations. The results indicate that the egalitarianism of an embrace and its duration influence perceptions of its expectedness, its evaluation, how intimate it is interpreted to be, and what kind of relational attributions are made about the communicators. Kory Floyd is assistant professor of communication at Cleveland State University. The author thanks the students who served as research assistants in these studies.
• Floyd, K. (1999). To Match or Not to Match: Effects of Behavioral Congruence on Interpersonal Connectedness. Journal of Social Psychology, 139(3), 309-322. doi:10.1080/00224549909598387
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  Abstract This study examined interactions among 96 American college students and tested the prediction that adaptation patterns influence perceptions of interpersonal connectedness. It was proposed that matching positive behavior and not matching negative behavior is interpreted as communicating the most connectedness. Matching negative behavior and not matching positive behavior carries the opposite connotative meaning. These predictions were partially supported. Although the interaction of adaptation and the valence of the stimulus behavior affected the students' encoded meanings of connectedness, it did not influence the extent to which receivers actually felt more connected to senders. This finding suggests the importance of examining multiple perspectives in interaction research rather than presuming that any 1 perspective accurately characterizes the dyad or group.
• Floyd, K., & Burgoon, J. K. (1999). Reacting to nonverbal expressions of liking: A test of interaction adaptation theory. Communication Monographs, 66(3), 219-239. doi:10.1080/03637759909376475
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  An intuitive notion regarding expressions of liking is that they are consistently associated with positive relational outcomes. However, when such expressions go unreciprocated, they can leave the sender in a face‐compromising position and may end up damaging the relationship. The current experiment applied interaction adaptation theory to the task of predicting when nonverbal expressions of liking will be reciprocated Ninety‐six adults were paired with same‐sex strangers and induced to expect the strangers either to like or dislike them and to desire that the strangers either like or dislike them. The strangers, who were trained confederates, enacted nonverbal behaviors associated either with liking or disliking during a short experimental interaction with participants. Participants enacted nonverbal liking behavior when they desired the same from confederates, largely irrespective of participants’ expectations or confederates’ actual behaviors. Conversely, participants enacted disliking behavior when th...
• Floyd, K., & Voloudakis, M. (1999). ATTRIBUTIONS FOR EXPECTANCY VIOLATING CHANGES IN AFFECTIONATE BEHAVIOR IN PLATONIC FRIENDSHIPS. The Journal of Psychology, 133(1), 32-48. doi:10.1080/00223989909599720
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  Abstract Although affectionate communication is vital for the maintenance of close, personal relationships, it has the potential to generate negative as well as positive outcomes, which may in part be a function of what attributions are made for affectionate expressions. The present experiment applied principles of attribution theory to unexpected changes in affectionate communication within dyads of adult platonic friends. Results indicated that attributions are more often made for decreases in affection than for increases. Contrary to the prediction of the fundamental attribution error, all the participants more often made external, noncontrollable attributions for changes in affectionate behavior, and the intimacy level of the friendship moderated this effect. Finally, the types of attributions made were associated with a recipient's evaluations of the giver's affectionate behavior and his or her assessment of the giver's character.
• Floyd, K., Floyd, K., Voloudakis, M., & Voloudakis, M. (1999). Affectionate Behavior in Adult Platonic Friendships Interpreting and Evaluating Expectancy Violations. Human Communication Research, 25(3), 341-369. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2958.1999.tb00449.x
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  Affection is a central component of communicative processes in close personal relationships. Despite its importance, however, individuals expressing affection can incur a number of interpersonal risks, especially in nonromantic relationships where opportunities for misattribution on the part of the recipient may be high. Therefore, it is important to understand individuals' expect at ions for the kind and intensity of affectionate behavior they anticipate in their personal relationships. Although extant research has identified a number of influences on expectancies for affection, this study extends existing knowledge by examining how individuals react to expectancy-violating changes in affectionate behavior. An experiment involving 40 pairs of adult platonic friends revealed that unexpected changes in affectionate involvement produce changes in cognitive assessments and behavioral reactions on the part of the recipient, and that violative situations are differentially valenced according to the direction of change in affectionate involvement. These findings are interpreted as support for the tenets of expectancy violations theory.
• Morman, M. T., Morman, M. T., Floyd, K., & Floyd, K. (1999). Affectionate communication between fathers and young adult sons: Individual‐and relational‐level correlates. Communication Studies, 50(4), 294-309. doi:10.1080/10510979909388501
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  Men's relationships with their fathers may be among the most important and influential same‐sex relationships they form in the life course. Although several studies have examined issues such as aggressiveness, conflict, and dysfunction between fathers and adult sons, far less attention has been paid to more positive communication behaviors in such relationships. The present study examines the individual‐ and relational‐level correlates of affectionate behavior in adult paternal relationships, using data from 55 pairs of fathers and their young adult biological sons. As predicted by the gendered closeness perspective, results indicated that fathers and sons communicate affection more through the provision of social support than through direct verbal or nonverbal expressions. Furthermore, results found that fathers are more affectionate toward young adult sons than sons are toward fathers. Affection was largely associated with psychological femininity and the endorsement of father‐son affection as an approp...
• Floyd, K., & Morman, M. T. (1998). The measurement of affectionate communication. Communication Quarterly, 46(2), 144-162. doi:10.1080/01463379809370092
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  Affection is central to the communicative processes of personal relationships. While several empirical investigations have examined the communication of affection, there is little consistency from study to study in how affectionate communication is operationally defined, making it difficult to interpret the findings of such research and to compare findings across studies. The present paper reports the results of a multi‐phase scale development procedure and two supplemental studies, involving a total of 781 participants, utilizing and validating a new self‐report measure of affectionate communication. The resulting scale, the Affectionate Communication Index, is offered as a practical and psychometrically sound operational definition for the overt communication of affection in personal relationships.
• Floyd, K. (1997). Brotherly love II: A developmental perspective on liking, love, and closeness in the fraternal dyad.. Journal of Family Psychology, 11(2). doi:10.1037/0893-3200.11.2.196
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  This research examined the nature of closeness, liking, and love among 59 dyads of full biological, nontwin adult brothers and the correlations of these variables with age. Five dimensions of relational development were measured and used in stepwise regressions to determine what predicted closeness, liking, and love in these fraternal dyads. It was expected that love would be predicted by expressive relational qualities, such as self-disclosure, whereas closeness and liking would be predicted by more instrumental qualities, such as commitment or interdependence. These predictions were generally supported. Moreover, liking and love were shown to remain relatively constant over time, whereas closeness decreased as brothers grew older. Comparisons with other male-male relationships were also made, and implications for the research and therapeutic setting are offered.
• Floyd, K. (1997). Communicating affection in dyadic relationships: An assessment of behavior and expectancies. Communication Quarterly, 45(1), 68-80. doi:10.1080/01463379709370045
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  Affectionate communication is critical for the development and maintenance of personal relationships. However, affectionate behavior varies widely across relationships. While the limited extant research on affectionate communication has suggested variables that influence what affectionate expressions are typical in various relationships, no studies have looked specifically at what influences individuals' expectations for affectionate communication. The present study examines affectionate behavior in platonic friendships and individuals' perceptions of the appropriateness and importance of affection in such friendships. It hypothesizes that when levels of relational closeness are held constant, biological sex and the sex composition of the dyad will influence actual affectionate behavior, perceived affectionate behavior, the reported appropriateness of affectionate behaviors, and the intensity of the behaviors accounted for in each effect. Substantial support for the predictions was obtained.
• Floyd, K., & Morman, M. T. (1997). Affectionate communication in nonromantic relationships: Influences of communicator, relational, and contextual factors. Western Journal of Communication, 61(3), 279-298. doi:10.1080/10570319709374578
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  Despite its importance for healthy relational development, the overt communication of affection is inherently risk‐laden and subject to normative expectancies for appropriateness. The present study examines a number of individual, relational, and contextual factors that individually and collectively influence the perceived appropriateness of communicating affection in nonromantic dyadic relationships. An experiment involving 386 subjects was conducted to assess the influence of biological sex, sex composition, relational type, and the privacy and emotional intensity of interactive contexts. Predictions regarding their influence were substantially supported.
• Manusov, V., Floyd, K., & Kerssen-griep, J. (1997). Yours, Mine, and Ours Mutual Attributions for Nonverbal Behaviors in Couples' Interactions. Communication Research, 24(3), 234-260. doi:10.1177/009365097024003002
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  In this article, we argue that nonverbal cues act much like other behaviors in triggering attribution making in couples' interactions. In a test of this contention with 60 couples, we found that negative behaviors were more likely than positive nonverbal cues to be noticed, satisfaction was related to attributions for positive behaviors, mutual attributions for the same behaviors differed significantly, and self-other attributional differences were enhanced by relational satisfaction. These results extend previous applications of attribution theory by providing some validation for the use of attribution theories with nonverbal behaviors and by showing that attribution making occurs in a way that reflects the mutually occurring, dyadic level of interpersonal communication.
• Burgoon, J. K., Buller, D. B., Floyd, K., & Grandpre, J. (1996). Deceptive Realities Sender, Receiver, and Observer Perspectives in Deceptive Conversations. Communication Research, 23(6), 724-748. doi:10.1177/009365096023006005
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  Deceptive interpersonal interactions are an ideal venue in which to examine the issue of reality. Interpersonal deception theory offers a framework for considering why deceivers (by convention called senders), coparticipants (i.e., targeted receivers), and observers arrive at discordant views of reality. Deceivers' ulterior motives lead them to construct through communication a version of reality contrary to what they hold to be true. Due to adherence to Gricean principles of cooperative discourse, conversational demands, and the nature of the relationship between participants, interlocutors as well as nonparticipative observers may be inclined to accept the alter reality created by senders rather than apprehend the “true” state of affairs. Recent research findings are reviewed, and original data from a pilot investigation of deception strategies are presented to illustrate ways in which senders may perpetrate deception and the extent to which receivers and observers recognize such machinations.
• Floyd, K. (1996). Brotherly love I: The experience of closeness in the fraternal dyad. Personal Relationships, 3(4), 369-385. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.1996.tb00122.x
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  The present research explicates the experience of closeness in dyadic relationships between brothers. A total of 160 respondents comprising 80 intact brother dyads described situations or events in which they felt particularly close to each other. Phenomenological analyses identified five themes characterizing the experience of closeness among brothers: shared conversation, solidarity, companionship, shared perceptions and memories, and surviving shared adversity. Some of these themes confirmed prior research on siblings or male-male relationships, whereas others have not emerged in previous studies. Results are discussed in relation to contemporary appeals for a more inclusive theoretical approach to the study of close relationships.
• Floyd, K. (1996). Communicating closeness among siblings: An application of the gendered closeness perspective. Communication Research Reports, 13(1), 27-34. doi:10.1080/08824099609362067
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  Relational research has suggested repeatedly that women's relationships are closer and more meaningful than men's. This conclusion is often defended with empirical reports that women self disclose more intimately than men do. Wood and Inman (1993) and others have suggested that men's relationships are not inherently less close than women's, but that men manifest closeness in ways that are more instrumental and less verbally oriented. The present paper refers to this position as the “gendered closeness perspective.” While this perspective has been tested empirically within the context of close friendships, this research examines the relationships of same‐ and opposite‐sex siblings to determine how the perspective applies in a familial context. Results indicate limited support for the “gendered closeness” perspective, primarily in same‐sex relationships.
• Parks, M. R., & Floyd, K. (1996). Making Friends in Cyberspace. Journal of Communication, 46(1), 80-97. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.1996.tb01462.x
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  Journal Article Making Friends in Cyberspace Get access Malcolm R. Parks, Malcolm R. Parks 1Malcolm Parks (PhD, Michigan State University, 1976) is associate professor of Speech Communication at the University of Washington. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Kory Floyd Kory Floyd 2Kory Floyd is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of Arizona. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Communication, Volume 46, Issue 1, March 1996, Pages 80–97, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1996.tb01462.x Published: 07 February 2006
• Parks, M. R., & Floyd, K. (1996). Meanings for Closeness and Intimacy in Friendship. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 13(1), 85-107. doi:10.1177/0265407596131005
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  Closeness and intimacy are fundamental, but poorly defined, concepts in the study of personal relationships. We sought to contribute to a more precise understanding of closeness and intimacy by first examining participants' meanings for closeness in friendships, and then by comparing meanings for closeness with participants' meanings for intimacy. In a self-report survey 270 college students were asked what made their same-sex and cross-sex friendships close and how close-ness was expressed. Thirteen different meanings for close-ness were derived. Individuals assigned an average of three meanings for closeness, with the most common being self-disclosure, support, shared interests and explicit expression of the value of the relationship. Native meanings for closeness differed relatively little across sexes and relational types. Respondents envisioned three possible relationships between closeness and intimacy. Just under half the respondents appeared to view them as equivalent terms, while the remaining re...
• Floyd, K., & Parks, M. R. (1995). Manifesting closeness in the interactions of peers: A look at siblings and friends. Communication Reports, 8(2), 69-76. doi:10.1080/08934219509367612
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  The present study examines the manifestation of relational closeness in the interactions of friends and siblings. Two hundred thirty‐three volunteers reported on three interactions with a target other during the two‐week period of study. For each interaction, respondents indicated the extent to which disclosive behaviors and shared activities contributed to their overall relational closeness. Analyses by gender and relationship type revealed that verbal behaviors were more important to the closeness of women's relationships than men's, but that shared activities were not more important to men than to women. Verbal behaviors were also more important to the closeness of friendships than they were to sibling relationships. The results are discussed as they relate to current theory and practice in the study of relational closeness.
• Floyd, K. (1994). Perceptions of gender similarities and differences of fifth-grade students. Psychological Reports, 74(2), 689-690. doi:10.2466/pr0.1994.74.2.689
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  In the present study, 36 fifth-grade students indicated their perceptions of how men and women are the same and how they are different, following Nemerowicz's 1979 work. Responses were coded into the categories employed by Nemerowicz, who asked these two questions, and into new categories where needed. Subjects' perceptions were compared with those identified by Nemerowicz to see how such perceptions have changed since 1979.

Proceedings Publications

• Floyd, K. (2017). Affectionate Communication Is Associated With Emotional and Relational Resources in the Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship. In NCA.

Presentations

• Floyd, K. (2017, February). Deficient social connection corresponds with politically conservative thought. Western States Communication Association.
• Floyd, K. (2017, October). Hatred and political affiliation: Questioning the dominant narrative. International Conference on Hate Studies.
• Floyd, K., Ray, C., van Raalte, L., Stein, J., & Generous, M. (2017, November). Interpersonal touch buffers pain sensitivity in romantic relationships, but heightens sensitivity between strangers and friends. National Communication Association.
• Generous, M., Floyd, K., & Mongeau, P. (2017, February). Wait-My family can affect my sex life? Examining associations between family communication patterns and young adults' sexual self-concepts. Western States Communication Association.
• van Raalte, L., Floyd, K., Mongeau, P., & Burleson, M. (2017, November). The influence of cuddling on relational health for cohabiting couples. National Communication Association.
• Floyd, K. (2016, April). Affection deprivation is conceptually and empirically distinct from loneliness. Central States Communication Association.
• Floyd, K., Generous, M., Clark, L., McLeod, I., & Simon, A. (2016, November). Cumulative risk on the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) predicts empathic communication by physician assistant students. National Communication Association.
• Floyd, K., Veksler, A., McEwan, B., Hesse, C., Boren, J., Dinsmore, D., & Pavlich, C. (2016, August). Social inclusion predicts lower blood glucose and low-density lipoproteins in healthy adults. International Association for Relationship Research.
• van Raalte, L., Kloeber, D., Veluscek, A., & Floyd, K. (2016, November). Exploring the harmful effects of unwanted affection. National Communication Association.
• Floyd, K. (2015, February). Affection deprivation is associated with physical pain and poor sleep quality. Western States Communication Association.
• Floyd, K., & Ray, C. (2015, November). Thanks, but no thanks: Negotiating face threats when rejecting offers of unwanted social support. National Communication Association.
• Floyd, K., Generous, M., Clark, L., Simon, A., & McLeod, I. (2015, May). Empathic communication between physician assistant students and patients: Perceptual differences and genetic antecedents. International Communication Association.