Describes the practical and persuasive functions of technical writing in business; outlines the tasks of the technical editor as they relate to direct communication and accuracy. (MAI)

Unintended effects of television production techniques are explored using behavioral as well as attitudinal means. Results extend previous investigations into visual presentation techniques by indicating their summative effects. (CMV)

Describes techniques for the analysis of the rhetoric of cereal boxes. (DD)

The "praxis argument" emphasizes knowing "how" rather than knowing "that"; the acquisition of skills and tools rather than the learning of facts. Author challenges this view and its domination of curriculum planning within schools. (Author/RK)

Argues that Kohlberg's reasons for abandoning the content of morality, what he calls "the bag of virtues", are not defensible and that the "bag of virtues" approach to moral education is necessary to his theory of stimulating moral development through cognitive stimulation. (Author/RK)

The author, a comprehensive school head, considers the chances of cooperation between the public schools and the state schools. (Editor/RK)

Develops a typology of persuasive attack strategies. Identifies two key components of persuasive attack: responsibility and offensiveness. Describes several strategies for intensifying each of these elements. Applies this analysis to "Dateline NBC"'s allegations that Wal-Mart's "Buy American" campaign was deceptive. Concludes…

Finds that request forms that addressed an obstacle were perceived to be more conventional and more polite than were request forms that did not specify an obstacle. Shows refusers generated more unstable obstacles when no time was proposed, and conversely, that time-ambiguous requests were met with more stable obstacles than were time-specific…

Tests effectiveness of inoculation treatments on 790 undergraduate students. Probes relationship between threat and involvement, their role in inoculation, and nature of cognitive processes triggered via inoculation. Suggests inoculation elicits threat, threat contributes to resistance, and resistance is most pronounced for more involved receivers…

Explores whether individuals have implicit theories of persuasion. Examines how persuasive strategies are cognitively represented--identifies types of tactics in attitude change and social acceptability of persuasive strategies. Finds implicit theories of persuasion reflect the audience's familiarity with the topic. Finds also that implicit…

Works from a constructivist framework to adapt an existing hierarchy of person-centered persuasion to analyze student performance in 42 dyadic verbal disagreements. Finds that students using person-centered tactics were rated by their partners as more persuasive: partners' level of construct differentiation appeared to mediate these effects; but…

Examines the pitfalls of teaching and conceiving of writing in terms of content and form. Suggests that writing instructors and their students should think in rhetorical terms: how discourse responds to other discourse or to its audience, i.e., how it most effectively gets the job done. (TB)

Attempts to work out a way of understanding and teaching argument that prepares students to participate in serious deliberations on issues that face them every day. Examines two contrasting styles of argument, competitive and collaborative, and where the middle ground between the two lies. (TB)

Comments on van Dijk's paper (1995) exploring the relations between language and ideology. The article argues that the definitions and distinctions established in the first part of van Dijk's paper are burst open by his detailed textual analysis in the second part. The article concludes that this paper shows why the study of ideology should…