The course of study described in this book aims to enlarge the normal purview of literary study to include the subjective cases and purposes for reading and coming to literary judgments. Although the sequence of the four phases in this study should be maintained, the time spent on each phase may last a semester, a year, or longer. The four phases…

Argues the benefits of introducing S. I. Hayakawa's "abstraction ladder" to students. Discusses its implications for developing good writing and thinking skills and ways to use it with students. (RAE)

Contends that a modern theory of the composing process can be based directly on evolutionary theory as it relates to the origins and history of consciousness. (Author)

Seeks to provide a conceptual framework which will illuminate the similarities and differences among major theories of rhetorical criticism. (MH)

Challenges studies supporting Kohlberg's claim of invariance in the development of moral judgment which maintain that subjects' preferred responses to moral dilemmas are based on higher stages of thinking. Findings indicate language rather than levels of thinking is a significant factor in subjects' response preferences. (CM)

Discusses three motives for and approaches to question-asking, and concludes that the approaches augment and complement each other by accentuating different aspects of the speech communication process. (MH)

Contemporary dispute among teachers of rhetoric between those who prefer the classical tradition of rhetoric and those who champion an epistemic view of rhetoric has antecedents among the disputes of the ancient Greek scholars. Some of the vital themes of epistemology can be traced back to Protagoras of Abdera, one of the two great leaders of the…

This paper examines past theories and conceptions of epistemology and the work of some key theorists currently working in the field, in the hope of motivating the development of an expanded conception and redescription of epistemology. The paper uses as a metaphor for the study six blind men who describe an elephant as like a rope, a tree, a fan,…

A multidimensional model of the growth of moral reasoning is described that is significantly different from those proposed by Kohlberg and Piaget. A study that tests several aspects of the model on university students is reported. The suggestion that well-developed chains of reasons are a prerequisite for the emergence of metaethical reasoning was…

Because university teachers tend to be intellectually lazy and avoid sound, rigorous thought, it is emphasized that they should weigh evidence, assess arguments fairly, and take a partial stand on values and philosophies they hold. (ND)

Describes characteristics of successful problem solvers and reports programs at all educational levels designed to help students improve their skills. (Author/MLF)

The conversion model of formal reasoning was examined for its ability to predict the decisions made by college students when solving concrete and abstract syllogisms. Results supported the model's contentions that reasoner's decisions reflect natural language processes in the encoding of syllogistic premises, and follow rationally from…

Four experiments compared three alternative models of linear syllogistic reasoning: (1) linguistic; (2) spatial; and (3) mixed linguistic-spatial. The mixed model, indicating the importance of both verbal and spatial ability, was supported by all four experiments, and for about three-fourths of the undergraduate students studied. (Author/GDC)

Compares science and art as modes of reflective activity in order to remedy confusion concerning the notion of disciplined-based art education. Referring to the work of John Macmurray, the author suggests that there is a discipline unique to the arts that differs from the disciplines proper to intellectual modes of reflection. (KO)