A study was conducted to provide a comparative analysis of the 1984 presidential primary and general election debates, specifically in terms of the formats imposed upon them and the emergent candidate verbal behaviors. Ten Democratic nationally televised primary debates and three bipartisan nationally televised General Election debates were examined, both in terms of their own characteristics and in light of similar debates from past presidential campaigns. The ten Democratic primary debates were the Harvard University Nuclear Arms Control Debate, the Dartmouth College Debate, the Iowa Farm Policy Debate, the Second Iowa Debate, the New Hampshire Debate, the Atlanta Debate, the Columbia University Debate, the Pittsburgh Debate, the Dallas-Fort Worth Debate, and the California Debate. The three bipartisan debates were the Louisville Presidential Debate, the Philadelphia Vice-Presidential Debate, and the Kansas City Presidential Debate. Results make it difficult to determine which debate format--informal or formal--used in either the primaries or the general election debates best showcased candidates' viewpoints. The debates did, however, provide evidence as to the potential for a wide variety of debate formats. (DF)