Personal Report of Communication Apprhension

Abstract

The Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) (McCroskey, 1982) measures communication apprehension. Communication apprehension (CA) first appeared in James McCroskey’s 1970 research note in Communication Monographs. Communication apprehension is defined as the level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated (oral) communication encounters. McCroskey was interested in a person’s trait or dispositional anxieties across all or most communication situations. Recent investigations have expanded CA to include state-like communication apprehension, or anxiety associated with particular communication contexts and events. The 24-item, Likert-type PRCA instrument is the most popular and valid measure of trait-like CA. It assesses a person’s CA in four separate communication contexts: public, small group, meeting, and interpersonal. Each of these contexts is represented by six items. In filling out the form, an individual indicates the level of anxiety he or she feels about participating in various oral communication situations in one of these four contexts.