This article addresses a recurring inconsistency in the epistemic interpretation of the Family Communication Patterns scales, widely used by mass communication researchers interested in the family. The traditional linkage to coorientation is reviewed, and a more direct interpretation is proposed, beginning with a face-valid reading of items commonly used in the scales. Results from a survey of 161 adolescents and their parents confirm that subjects associate the scales with underlying dimensions of conformity or control and openness or supportiveness. Subjects also associate objectives of interpersonal harmony with concept orientation rather than socio-orientation, as has been previously claimed. These findings provide a basis for clarifying and expanding theory and improving research methods. © 1991, Sage. All rights reserved.