Abstract
The purpose of this study was to re-examine Knapp's (1978) model of the stages of relationship development to identify the ways in which communication technologies are used within those stages as romantic relationships progress. The goal was to incorporate technological activities into the descriptions of Knapp's stages of relational growth to better reflect how college students conduct their romantic relationships. Undergraduate students (N = 251) completed a survey, including a measure of their relationship stage (Welch & Rubin, 2002) as well as measures of their uses of Facebook, texting, and cell phone calling in the context of the relationship. Results of discriminant analyses revealed that relationship stages were accurately identified by specific Facebook, texting, and phone calling behaviors. Suggestions are offered for integrating these behaviors into Knapp's (1978) model of relational development.
Journal Title
Iowa Journal of Communication
Volume
49
Issue
1
First Page
22
Last Page
45
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Duran, Robert L. and Kelly, Lynne
(2017)
"Knapp's Model of Relational Development in the Digital Age,"
Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 49:
No.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol49/iss1/5
Copyright
©2017 Iowa Communication Association
