This study investigated cognitive impairment as a function of reflective fear arousal and also the relationship between the creation of cognitive impairment and resulting attitude change. A three-part measuring instrument was developed to assess attitudes, evaluate perception of alleged danger, and determine credibility. The subjects were 112…

Richard M. Weaver had a profound influence on the contemporary American conservative movement in general and on many of its leading spokesmen. Weaver is of interest to the student of rhetoric not only because of his philosophical and ideological contributions to American conservatism, but also because he is the proponent of a unique brand of…

At the sixth annual Cal-State Hayward Conference in Rhetorical Criticism, upper division and graduate students from 11 western colleges and universities presented papers on the theory, history, and criticism of rhetoric. Panels of faculty members from the same colleges and universities selected the three best papers for commendation and…

This study tested predictions made for attitude change interactions between the source-message orientation of recipients of a persuasive communication and variables differentiating media and interpersonal communication. The variables were source orientation, message orientation, physical presence of source, and expected interaction with source.…

In spite of the material seeking to define rhetoric and approaches to its study, few attempts have been made to stipulate qualities of "rhetorical acts meriting critical attention" or critical outcomes that serve social or professional functions. Rhetorical criticism, to be useful, must perform a unique function for society as well as for the…

Traditional concepts of speech ethics are based on either "national value" or "formula value" theories. The national value theory asserts that the ethical standards by which a speaker and a speech are evaluated must reflect established societal mores. The formula value theory delineates a set of rules for the student to follow in the process of…

This study related selected principles of rhetorical analysis to teaching as it actually occurs in the classroom. The Aristotelian definition of rhetoric as the means of discovering all the available means of persuasion is central to teaching, in that the entire endeavor of education rests upon the premise that children, as they grow, need and…

A general framework for viewing the relationship between attribution processes and perceived source credibility is proposed. Based upon this framework, an experimental study was conducted examining perceived source credibility as a function of causal attributions in messages. Three independent variables were incorporated into a 2x2x2 factorial…

John Austin's notion of illocutionary force is explored within the context of the speech act in the total speech situation; definitions of locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts are reviewed. It is argued that illocutionary acts are performatives that occur within a complete communication situation in which the key element is the…

Reports that, for Dutch viewers, the televised debates between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter helped develop a presidential preference, regardless of the viewers' own political orientations, and that the debates may have benefited Carter. (GW)

Describes how the four traditional kinds of writing (description, narration, exposition, and argumentation) are used in advertising and suggests ways that advertising and the four modes may be used to teach composition. (DD)

Describes an exercise in learning about persuasion using a NASA exercise in group decision-making centered on a theoretical crash landing on the moon. Students experience the power of the authoritative voice, the persuasive power of facts, the bandwagon approach, and group manipulation. (TJ)

A Martian sums up his feelings on the state of art education in England. (RK)

There is a great need for an improvement in the health of all citizens--but particularly in the health of students. Considers how to bring this about. (Editor/RK)

Examines the extent that educational institutions are proper instruments of "socialization" and whether they should encourage belief in the existence of absolute moral values. Attempts to show that even those educational theorists who have realized that education is civilization have failed to apply this insight in dealing with these two central…