Reports two studies investigating the training of employment interviewers, focusing on: (1) differences in the way trained and untrained interviewers used applicant characteristics to evaluate acceptability for employment, and (2) the manner of conducting the interview, applicants' reactions to the interviewer, and the interviewer's evaluation of…

Argues that the plurality of tensions among the commodified market economy and more heroic traditional norms of excellence engendered "social dramas" in the presentation of the 1984 Winter Olympic games. Applies Turner's narrative phases of social drama in order to appreciate the moments of rhetorical urgency and reflective possibility within the…

Examines the orderly process of rhetorical composition and inquires whether that system can be implemented as an expert system on a computer or word processor, in order to expand our understanding of the human composition process. (SR)

Considers two issues in cultivation research. Examines relationships between television exposure and positive statements of social perceptions, and tests a model of instrumental media uses and effects. Finds television exposure to be unrelated to social attitudes, while program selectivity is related to all social attitudes except interpersonal…

Reports on a study that recorded conversations about math in elementary classrooms. Notes a wide range of functions that the students employed in their talk, and that group size and leadership greatly affected the way in which language was used. Observes a process of mirroring that offers an important way by which mathematics "register"…

Discourse analysis addresses questions regarding both spoken and written communications and can be applied to purposes and practices of information study that appear in books and journals in the field. Applications of discourse analysis to information include investigation of the social, political, and technical implications of the word…

Reports on the rationales used by viewers in determining winners and conclusions about televised political campaign debates. Studies responses of 370 viewers of the 1992 presidential and vice presidential debates. Analyzes data and determines trends suggested by the results. (HB)

Considers the linguistic choices of candidates in the 1992 presidential election debates as intending to display presidential character and as suggestive of an ability to satisfy voters' needs. Analyzes the three candidates' dimensions of perceived character and ability to address needs. (HB)

Describes why televised vice presidential debates are worthy of more sustained study. Identifies five purposes of vice presidential debates. Examines critically the 1992 vice presidential debate in light of these purposes. Considers the debate format's effects and the argument strategies of the participants. (HB)

Describes how two researchers developed a dialogic collaborative research agenda that has proven to be beneficial and stimulating for both participants. Advocates collaborative research as a means of productive intellectual activity. (HB)

Reports on a survey of staff members of a state legislature comparing preferences for face-to-face, telephone, written, and electronic mail communication channels. Finds preferences significantly related to the type of communication task undertaken and that, in some instances, electronic mail was preferred over either the telephone or face-to-face…

Examines the 18th-century rhetorical convention of misogynist satire and how it shaped attitudes toward women speakers. Focuses not so much on the formal properties of the satire but on its convention and content as modes of insinuation. Surveys prominent journals, newspapers, magazines, and reviews of the period. (TB)

Explored how hand gestures help interlocutors coordinate their dialogue. Analysis of dyadic conversations and monologues revealed that requirements of dialogue uniquely affect interactive gestures. Gestures aided the speaker's efforts to include the addressee in the conversation. Gestures also demonstrated the importance of social processes in…

Finds that student discussion in peer-led groups enabled students to express themselves more fully, permitted them to explore topics of interest, and allowed them to recognize and resolve episodes of conflict better than students in teacher-led groups. Suggests that decentralized participation structures produced richer and more complex…

Examines coverage in three leading newspapers, finding that explicit assessments of the 1992 presidential candidates' character were present in seven percent of all news articles and one-third of op-ed items, with the vast majority unfavorable. Shows that Bill Clinton was consistently assessed as a "slippery obfuscator," George Bush as…