Examines the influence of party affiliation on voter learning and perceptions of candidates' images and issue stances; the manner in which image-based cognitions interact with learning; and the way image and issue perceptions are interrelated in voters' minds. Indicates that image and issue perceptions interact and are often integrated via…

Explores the role of national identity formation in the democratization of the Russian Federation, analyzing arguments of the 1993 and 1995 Duma elections and the 1996 Russian presidential campaign. Contends results of these elections say more about the search for Russian identity in the wake of social and economic change than they do about the…

Examines the strategies used by actor Hugh Grant (in his appearances on talk shows) to help restore his reputation after he was arrested for lewd behavior with a prostitute. Uses this case as a springboard to contrast entertainment image repair with political and corporate image repair, arguing that important situational differences can be…

Investigates college students' judgments about a controversial Holocaust-denial advertisement and its suitability for publication in their college newspaper. Finds that those with interests at stake perceived the advertisement as especially likely to influence others, and that third-person effects and publication decisions were a function of…

Suggests that applicant impression management (AIM) is more harmful to employment interviewing than is currently suspected. Offers a conceptual model of AIM that is consistent with employment interviewing practice. Presents and critiques three arguments used to defend AIM. Examines a model for helping employers conduct interviews that minimize the…

Notes that it is important for educators to remember to avoid battles with critics who tie up and wear down educators with arguing--not arguments--because it drains limited time and energy and pulls them away from more important things like working with children. Suggests that it is more effective to prepare a thoughtful, reflective response…

Proposes and tests a measure for narrative coherence and fidelity. Finds that the Narrative Coherence and Fidelity Measure had satisfactory interitem Cronbach alpha reliabilities for both Coherence and Fidelity, and that Coherence and Fidelity scores predicted variance in the persuasiveness of oral and written narratives. (SR)

Analyzes the discourse of radio personality Rush Limbaugh, pointing out that he uses the following rhetorical strategies to deliver his political message: anecdotes, stories, and metaphors; double bind; contingency; rapport; authority; humor; emotional words; pacing; questions; missing words; and absolutes. (PA)

Investigates how argument structures are related to perceptions of communicators in conversational argument (viewed as convergence-seeking discourse represented in minimally rational structures). Finds that complex arguments are judged as appropriate in discussions of important topics, and overall are judged more favorable than simple arguments…

Uses think-aloud protocols to triangulate previous research on the cognitive editing of messages. Finds evidence for existence of all but one of Hample and Dallinger's editorial standards that arguers (undergraduate students) apply in deciding whether to suppress or produce an idea in persuasive discourse. Shows these editorial standards are used…

Identifies patterns of argument that characterize majority and minority communication in 34 discussions among small groups of students in decision-making situations. Finds that winning and losing subgroups argue differently (as do minority and majority subgroups overall) and that consistency in argument is a strong predictor of subgroup success.…

Describes research that was conducted to discover principles for the design of educational tasks that provoke collaborative argumentation, concentrating on the relationship between question asking and argumentation. Discusses results from experiments with three different collaborative learning tasks involving university students and examines the…

Finds that: undergraduate students used a greater number of strategies when confronting a positively predisposed target who refused to comply; beyond an initial opening gambit, negative sanctions were employed more extensively against positively predisposed targets; and, overall, a pattern of compliance-gaining behaviors involving a gradual shift…

Notes that one way to expose students to the problems associated with profanity is to tie the exploration and discussion of the issue to the persuasive writing assignment that is common in many undergraduate business communication courses. Presents a discussion of such an assignment. (SG)

Examines how teachers can use principles of persuasion to structure lessons and units of study to help students in conceptual reorganization and growth of cognitive problem- solving processes, reviewing research on persuasion as a change process and on the viability of persuasion as a metaphor for teaching, and discussing the implications of the…