The purposes of this study were (a) to develop a new measure to assess doctoral advisees' use of relational maintenance behaviors with their advisors, and (b) to examine both advisees' (n = 636) and advisors' (n = 141) perceptions of their mentoring relationship using mentoring enactment theory (MET; Kalbfleisch, 2002). The results of principal-component analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, Pearson correlations, and a MANOVA indicate that advisees and advisors have similar perceptions of what behaviors advisees engage in to maintain their mentoring relationships. These behaviors are appreciation, tasks, protection, courtesy, humor, and goals. In support of MET, positive relationships were generally found between advisees' use of relational maintenance behaviors and advisors' provision of career support and psychosocial support in both the advisee and the advisor samples. However, these relationships were generally not found when conducting dyadic data analyses. Moreover, advisees' use of relational maintenance behaviors was not dependent on their biological sex.

Following Affection Exchange Theory, the aims of this study were to (a) examine if grandparents' provision of affectionate communication to their grandchildren differs depending on grandparent-grandchild sex and relationship type (i.e., biological/nonbiological) and (b) to examine the relationships between grandparents' provision of affectionate communication and grandchildren's social relationship development. Undergraduate students (N = 184) completed the Affectionate Communication Index (Floyd & Morman, 1998 Floyd , K. , & Morman , M. T. ( 1998 ). The measurement of affectionate communication . Communication Quarterly , 46 , 144 – 162 . [Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar] ) in reference to a specific grandparent as well as self-reported involvement in and attitudes toward close social relationships. Results indicated that grandparents express the same amount of affection for their granddaughters and grandsons, but biological grandparents express more affection for their grandchildren than do nonbiological grandparents. Results further indicated that grandparents' expressed affection was related positively to grandchildren's social activities but related negatively to grandchildren's discomfort with closeness and social isolation.

Extant Facebook research focuses on how Facebook users develop and maintain relationships, while largely neglecting to identify specific communicative behaviors used to develop and maintain relationships through Facebook. Expressions of affection are, in part, used to maintain and develop relationships. Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold. First, this study examined how college students express affection for their close friends through Facebook and identified sex differences in the amount of expressed affection and the perceived appropriateness of expressed affection through Facebook. Second, this study examined the extent to which trait affection given is related to the amount of expressed affection and the perceived appropriateness of expressed affection through Facebook. Undergraduate students identified and confirmed 29 types of expressed affection through Facebook and completed a battery of questionnaires. The results support prior affectionate communication research conducted in face-to-face contexts indicating that women are more likely to express affection and perceive expressions of affection through Facebook as more appropriate than men.

Because the use of affectionate communication may differ across relational contexts (Mansson & Booth-Butterfield, 2011 Mansson , D. H. , & Booth-Butterfield , M. ( 2011 ). Grandparents’ expressions of affection for their grandchildren: Examining grandchildren's relational attitudes and behaviors . Southern Communication Journal , 76 , 424 – 442 . doi: 10.1080/1041794x .2010.508554 [Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar] ), the purpose of this study was to develop a measure to assess grandchildren's received affectionate communication from their grandparents. Participants (N = 662) were young adult grandchildren recruited from two public universities. The results of principal component analyses, Pearson correlations, one-sampled t tests, and multiple linear regressions indicate that grandchildren receive four types of affectionate communication from their grandparents: love and esteem; caring; memories and stories; and celebratory affection. The results further indicate that grandchildren's reports of received affection from their grandparents are related positively to, and generally predictive of, their relational characteristics (i.e., liking, relational satisfaction, and communication satisfaction) with their grandparents. These findings provide a valuable contribution to both the affectionate communication and the grandparent-grandchild literature.

The purpose of this study was to test Affection Exchange Theory (AET) in the grandparent–grandchild (GP-GC) relationship. Specifically, it was hypothesized that grandchildren's reports of received affection from their grandparents would be associated positively with the grandchildren's perceived GP-GC relational characteristics (i.e., trust, commitment, and control mutuality). To that end, 220 young adult grandchildren (i.e., 18–25 years old) completed a series of questionnaires in reference to their relationship with a specific grandparent. The results of multiple regression analyses largely supported the predictions. The findings obtained in this study bolster AET's utility in the context of GP-GC relationships and establish factorial and construct validity of the newly developed Grandchildren's Received Affection Scale.

According to Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (Carstensen, 1995), people become emotionally selective as they grow older and therefore choose to sustain primarily their closest relationships (i.e., family relationships), including their grandparent-granchild relationships. Thus, to provide practical suggestions for grandchildren and parents of grandchildren, the purpose of this study was to examine what grandparents (N = 104) find most rewarding about being grandparents. The participants completed a survey in which they were asked to answer the question: “In your experience, what are the best parts of being a grandparent?” The 586 responses were coded in accordance with Braun and Clarke’s (2006) recommendations for thematic analyses, which resulted in five distinct themes: maturation, mutual affection, pride, shared activities, and teaching and learning.