Communication apprehension and student dating patterns: A replication and extension

This study attempted to replicate and extend an earlier study by McCroskey and Sheahan. McCroskey and Sheahan's finding that desire for dates and communication apprehension were unrelated was replicated. However, other hypotheses derived from the previous study were not supported. Communication apprehension was unrelated to the actual number of dates, the probability of accepting a blind date, or the amount of contact prior to dating. In addition, McCroskey and Sheahan's theoretic explanation was not supported. Communication apprehension was related to dating exclusivity in a limited way. Exclusive daters had a greater desire for dates, more actual dates, more prior contact, and a smaller probability of accepting a blind date.