Chelsie Akers

Biographic Data

ID199644
NAMEChelsie Akers
GIVEN NAMESChelsie
FAMILY NAMEAkers
SIGNATUREAKERS C
AFFILIATIONSUniversity of Arizona
VERIFIEDNo
TOTAL WORKS7
TOTAL CITATIONS32
AUTHOR COUNT7
EDITOR COUNT0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2016
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2023
H-INDEX4

  • The Implications of Communication Technologies for Supportive Conversations

    A Rain, Corey A Pavlich et al.ARTICLECommunication Methods and Measures2023Cited by: 3References: 9

    Although turn-level dynamics involving the back-and-forth exchange of talk between support seekers and providers form the foundation for supportive conversations, they have largely been overlooked by researchers studying the implications of communication technologies for social support. To address this gap, we demonstrate the utility of examining turn transitions using configural frequency analysis to investigate patterns of talk that mark and di…

  • Mutual influence in support seeking and provision behaviors during comforting conversations

    Open AccessA Rain, Stephen A Rains et al.ARTICLEHuman Communication Research2022

    Mutual influence is central to prominent supportive communication theories but remains understudied. We conduct a turn-level analysis to investigate mutual influence in the unfolding nature of conversations among 334 stranger dyads discussing a personal problem. We examine how the types of messages produced by support seekers influence the immediate response from providers, and how that provider response impacts the next message produced by suppo…

  • The evolution of supportive conversations

    A Rain, Anjali Ashtaputre et al.ARTICLECommunication Monographs2021Cited by: 4References: 8

    Despite widespread agreement about the benefits of social support, much remains to be learned about the dynamic nature of supportive communication. We examined the evolution of supportive conversations by investigating changes within support seeking and provision behaviors over the course of a discussion. Across two existing datasets, the results showed that support seekers’ use of approach behaviors, avoidance behaviors, and exonerating justific…

  • The role of support seeker expectations in supportive communication

    A Rain, Chelsie Akers et al.ARTICLECommunication Monographs2020Cited by: 6References: 9

    This project examined the influence of social support seekers’ expectations on their perceptions, behaviors, and the outcomes of supportive conversations. An experiment was conducted in which participants were grouped into dyads and randomly assigned to the role of support seeker or support provider. Seekers’ expectations about the (un)helpfulness of providers were manipulated prior to their conversation. Seekers’ expectations influenced their ev…

  • Examining the quality of social support messages produced face-to-face and in computer-mediated communication

    A Rain, Chelsie Akers et al.ARTICLECommunication Monographs2019Cited by: 6References: 8

    The hyperpersonal communication model was used to investigate the implications of the reduced social cues in computer-mediated communication (CMC) for the production of social support messages. Participants were randomly assigned to interact with a confederate seeking help about a problem for which the confederate was or was not responsible. The interactions took place either face-to-face or in one of two CMC conditions. The results were partiall…

  • Computer-mediated communication (CMC) and social support

    Open AccessA Rain, Stephen A Rain et al.ARTICLEJournal of Social and Personal…2017Cited by: 3References: 46

    Despite the growth in research examining the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) for exchanging social support, there remains much to learn about the support-related implications of CMC. An experiment was conducted to examine the influence of the reduced social cues associated with CMC on the outcomes of supportive interaction. Participants discussed a stressor with a confederate either face-to-face or via CMC and received informational …

  • The Implications of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) for Social Support Message Processing and Outcomes

    Open AccessA Rain, Stephen A Rain et al.ARTICLEHuman Communication Research2016Cited by: 10References: 38

    Widespread use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) for exchanging social support has raised questions about the support-related implications of CMC. This study drew from the dual-process theory of supportive message outcomes and examined the implications of CMC for support message processing and outcomes. We hypothesized that the reduced social cues in CMC would encourage greater elaboration on support message content and lead support messag…