An exploratory investigation of characteristics of compulsive talkers

The "talkative" person may well be as much of a communication problem as the reticent one. In this study, 28 undergraduates who were identified by acquaintances as talking too much were compared to 224 "normals" on a series of variables thought to be associated with compulsive talking. Talkers differed from "normals" in their self-reports of verbal activity (PVB scores). Talkers also reported that they were more argumentative, less apprehensive, and had more positive attitudes about communication than "normals." No differences in self esteem or locus of control were found between these groups.