Outlines the elements of the human rhetorical potential, arguing for a psychologically plausible theory of meaning. Examines recent work in cognitive neural science to see if the human rhetorical potential is biologically, or neurologically, plausible. Suggests further research on the human rhetorical potential as it relates to discourse…

Communication scholars have only recently begun to consider internal processes of thought as essential components of interpersonal communication. In 1964 a reorientation of thinking to include intrapersonal processes as integral to the communication process was first urged. The "hidden other" refers to the wellspring of the mind and its…

Observes that three dominant perspectives on intentionality--the encoder, decoder, and interactional--emerge from communication literature. Explains that the encoder perspective links intent to conscious activity, whereas the decoder perspective associates intent with observable actions. Notes that the interactional perspective attempts to unite…

Examines research (in communication theory and in cognitive neural sciences) which supports the view that mindful and mindless communicative behavior coexist and operate in complementary fashion during information processing. Argues that current communication pedagogy does not reflect this emerging model and that adaptations in content and…

Responds to an article in the same issue regarding research methods for conversational cognition. Reviews goals and methods of cognitive science, provides a model of conversation that contrasts the interests of cognitive science and communication, summarizes research on conversation that serves both fields, and contrasts that with the research…

Considers how some forms of communication accommodate distance between sender and receiver. Formulates concepts and axioms that serve as principles for the general communication context, distance or proximate. Discusses how these concepts matter to theoretical models and the teaching of communications. (HB)

Gestalt theory deals with the act of thinking and the construction of concepts in a situated manner, and, therefore, could be used to study how meaning is extracted from a visual display. Using the Gestalt framework of form cues and their usage patterns in the perception of, and learning from, visual media, researchers could study frame, line…

Sets bibliometrics in the context of the sociology of science by tracing the influences of Robert Merton, Thomas Kuhn, and D. J. Price. Explores the discovery of strong empirical relationships among measured communication and information that capture important features of social process and cognitive change in science. (SR)

Suggests that claims about cognition can be made at four levels--biological, implementation, algorithmic, and rational--but that theoretical claims about conversational cognition can most usefully be pursued at the rational and algorithmic levels. Proposes criteria and reviews promising methods for studying conversational cognition, in an effort…

Although gestural communication is largely visuo-spatial, the extent to which a visual model is necessary for the development of gesture is unclear. This article summarizes recent research on gesture production by congenitally blind speakers and discusses the implications of these results for the hypothesized link between gesture and thought.…

Information processing theories have been very useful in psychology. The application of information processing literature to communication, however, requires definitions of audiences and definitions of messages relevant to information-processing theories. In order to establish the relevant aspect of audiences, a multiple-stage model of audiences…

It has been said that the contribution of Franz Rosenzweig and Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy to the social sciences is their understanding of speech and time. Rosenstock-Huessy criticized modern communication theory because it assumes that one communicates to express thought, claiming instead that because speech necessitates the presence of a listener,…

Literature concerning human information processing is examined for its implications and extensions into the realm of input processing during second language learning. It is argued that learners can process input solely for meaning, and that once meaning can be accessed automatically, attention can be directed to certain "non-important" structures…

Develops a neuropsychological model of political information processing based on the independence and interdependence of emotion and cognition. Discusses studies and presents findings suggesting that primitive emotional responses may be activated, even without the audience's awareness, and attributed to a political source, even though no conscious…

Communication researchers should ask more explicit questions concerning the processes by which mediated messages can create, modify, or reinforce beliefs about social actors and social environments. There are four general categories into which to divide variables concerning processing strategies for mediated social information: source…