Discusses Theodore Weld's "American Slavery As It Is," the largest selling antislavery text prior to "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Argues that it signaled a key moment in the abolitionist's efforts to represent slavery. Maintains that it helped to set in place a vocabulary of images that has implications for race relations today. (SR)

Explains rhetorical structure theory's conception of relations and why it has appeal in the domain of text generation. Outlines problems resulting from the widespread adoption of the relational concept. Surveys suggestions about how a standard set of relations could be motivated. Presents a new methodology consisting of gathering and classifying a…

Identifies five speech act exchange forms and their communicative functions as forms that the conversational partners used in the course of their interactions. Identifies variables that influence the use of these exchanges within the interaction. (SR)

Uses content analysis to show that, although "Ms." magazine sometimes compromised its promise to be a mass-mediated forum for feminist debate, its current format (ad-free, to do away with conflicts experienced between editors' ideology and advertisers' wishes) has allowed "Ms." to present a renewed vision of feminism. (SR)

Analyzes the corporate annual report as a vehicle of information and usefulness to the institutional investor. Finds that 51% of institutional investor respondents ranked the annual report as the most useful and informative source of five distinct information sources. (SR)

Examines three cognitive theories which account for variations in verbal disagreement tactics. Finds that, of 40 dyadic interactions, planning measures strongly correlate with the use of integrative conflict tactics, and the individual difference measure is strongly associated with the quality of plans. Suggests that integrative models are needed…

Applies a model of impression management to explore the process whereby women in organizations present themselves to others and the impressions they create. Devotes particular attention to how these impressions influence women's experiences in organizations. Suggests future research direction for clarifying the impact of gender impression and…

Describes a set of terms (viscosity, hidden dependencies, imposes guess-ahead, abstraction level, and secondary notation) intended as a set of discussion tools for nonspecialists to converse about the structural features of a range of information artifacts. Explains the terms using spreadsheets as an example. (SR)

Offers a general introduction to the concept of "going meta," in which prior communications are made the subject of communication. Provides brief illustrations of its far-reaching applications to the study of rhetoric and communication. Describes going meta as a rhetorical balancing act, and illustrates this using televised political…

Presents a comprehensive review of research from Latin America on alternative communication. Points out fundamental understanding about communication revealed in Latin American research. Points to ways this body of work can enrich scholarship worldwide and aid in the quest for understanding and implementing democratic communication forms. (SR)

Examines how journalists use three narrative strategies (synecdoche, omission, and personalization) to assert their authority in their retellings of the John F. Kennedy assassination. Finds that, by giving themselves a central position within the story, journalists make the assassination story as much about American journalists as about Kennedy's…

Studies how certain types of communication with supervisors and co-workers affects burnout and job satisfaction. Proposes and tests a model relating supportive communication (participation in decision making with supervisors and strength and breadth of communication links with co-workers) to burnout. (SR)

Examines the role of vocal cues in children's cognitive representations of texts. Finds that, in general, vocal cues influenced the speed and likelihood of constructing inferences but that cues failed to enhance memory for explicit text concepts. Discusses developing a model specifying the relationship between vocal cues and text understanding.…

Assesses reader reactions to a broad range of lexical, syntactical, and text layout conditions, both in isolation and interactively. Finds that, although the role of these elements in affecting readers' perceptions is not as critical as was presumed, certain perceptions are significantly affected by specific lexical, syntactical, and layout…

Examines the assumptions, methods, and findings of computer-mediated communication (CMC) research and suggests that negative relational effects are confined to narrow situational boundary conditions. Suggests that communicators develop individuating impressions of others through accumulated CMC messages. (MG)