The purpose of this study was to specify the major parameters of inference in the reasoning behaviors of listeners in their acceptance of conclusions of arguments in the larger process of decision-making. From the 463 undergraduate speech subjects used in the study, 60 were chosen to play the role of "speakers" and 57 were chosen to play…

This report summarizes part of an investigation of audience response to theatrical settings; it proposes a direction for further research which would examine attitudinal relationships among theatre experts and laypersons, scenic designers, and directors; and it describes additional design-oriented quantitative studies. For the major investigation,…

This investigation demonstrates the applicability of Stephenson's Q-Methodology, a psychological instrument, for gathering qualitative data concerning television news audiences. A questionnaire consisting of statements describing a possible news format was distributed to the viewers of three commercial television stations in Baton Rouge,…

The first of three phases to provide the Pennsylvania Public Television Network (PPTN) and its seven component stations with information and procedures for defining, estimating and characterizing audiences, as well as developing programs and assessing reactions to them, this study concentrated on establishing audience definitions. The basic…

Examines the relationship of radio programming sound format to the size of the audience in the major market area of Philadelphia. (MH)

In this brief interview Ben Brodinsky, educational editor and consultant, states that good education publications incorporate both strong content and interesting layout. He notes that education writers and editors are frequently not as familiar as they should be with their audiences' needs and interests. (DS)

Results suggest that the technique employed in static background displays may be an important determinant of a speaker's impact on television viewers. (Author/STS)

Demonstrates that in a replication of a well known social facilitation study, subjects show indications across several measures of being more distracted in audience conditions than when they are alone. Subjects were 55 college students. (MP)

Details a study designed to aid broadcasters in assessing audience correspondence by providing a generalizable interpretation of population segments who contact the media. (MH)

Discusses the structure and forces that determine who reads the various categories of books and what function the books play within the society. (Author)

Examines some of the important assumptions and disputes about publishing as an industry: demand and pricing; profit and subsidy; quality, effectiveness and "optimality"; and the power of the reader. (Author)

Supports the hypothesis that exposure to nonmediated information that conflicts with information gained from a media source would cause an increase in media skepticism. Suggests that media skepticism may be a useful construct for future research in communication processes and effects. (NKA)

Considers the way in which recent apocalyptic religious discourse motivates actions and attitudes toward secular issues by appealing to sacred texts. Traces one such strategy, termed "transfer." (SR)

Examines Mario Cuomo's keynote address at the 1984 Democratic National Convention as a case study in rhetorical interaction. Argues that the keynote setting presented both generic and immediate constraints, which Cuomo resolved through a rhetorical strategy rooted in metaphor as an argumentative technique. (MM)