Student Surveys; Teacher Student Relationship IDENTIFIERS *Communication Behavior; Role

A study examined the relationships between cognitive differentiation and three methods of influence. A brief summary of cognitive differentiation examined the historical formulation, the organizational applications, and the measures and methods involved. Similarly, a review of organizational influence summarized the importance of influence as well as the organizational and leadership applications of influence. Subjects for the study were 238 students attending a mid-sized midwestern university who were selected from a wide range of liberal arts classes. Subjects completed the Role Category Questionnaire. Results indicated that the relationship between cognitive differentiation and influence was positive for team influence behaviors and charismatic influence behaviors. Findings suggest that differentiated individuals did not use more reward/punishment/manipulation influence behaviors than did less differentiated subjects. (Includes 2 tables of data; contains 18 references.) (Author/CR