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Snyder's Self-Monitoring Scale and Lennox and Wolfe's Revised Self-monitoring Scale: An examination of their relationship with communicator competence and awareness

John Andrew Roob, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Abstract

The self-monitoring construct currently is operationalized by three different scales: Snyder's (1974) Self-Monitoring Scale (SMS), Lennox and Wolfe's (1984) Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS), and Snyder and Gangestad's (1986) 18-Item Self-Monitoring Scale. Of the three self-monitoring scales, Snyder's (1974) SMS has been applied the most by researchers. However, Snyder's scale has been criticized for its low interrelations among its three subscales and its counterintuitive relationship with social anxiety. Lennox and Wolfe sought to remedy these problems with the SMS by revising it. The outcome of their work was the RSMS. Snyder and Gangestad's 18-Item Self-Monitoring Scale has received little attention in social science research. Thus, the focus of this study was on Snyder's SMS and Lennox and Wolfe's RSMS. This study extends self-monitoring research by comparing the two self-monitoring scales with communicator competence and communication skills measures. The common bond between communicator competence and self-monitoring is interaction management. Four research questions were posed: (1) What is the relationship between communication competence and self-monitoring, as operationalized by (Lennox and Wolfe's (1984) RSMS) and (Snyder's (1974) SMS) (1a) How do the RSMS (1984) and the SMS (1974) compare in their relationship to communication competence? (2) Is there a difference in awareness of one's own communication skills between high self-monitors, as measured by Lennox and Wolfe's (1984) RSMS, and high self-monitors, as measured by Snyder's (1974) SMS, and (3) Are high self-monitors more aware of their communication skills than low self-monitors. Results indicated that the RSMS was more highly correlated with the Communicator Competence Questionnaire than the SMS. RSMS high self-monitors rated themselves as more aware of their conversational communication behavior and that of a conversational partner's than did SMS high self-monitors. RSMS high self-monitors also rated themselves as more aware of the communication behaviors in a recalled conversation than did RSMS low self-monitors. On the other hand, there was no difference in communication behavior awareness between SMS high and low self-monitors. Finally, RSMS high self-monitors rated their conversational performance higher than RSMS low self-monitors and SMS high self-monitors.

Subject Area

Communication

Recommended Citation

Roob, John Andrew, "Snyder's Self-Monitoring Scale and Lennox and Wolfe's Revised Self-monitoring Scale: An examination of their relationship with communicator competence and awareness" (1994). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9510978.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9510978

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