Explains that Type I error is a risk undertaken whenever significance tests are conducted, and the chances of committing a Type I error increase as the number of significance tests increases. Notes that adjusting the alpha level because of the number of tests conducted in a given study has no principled basis, commits one to absurd beliefs and…

Tries to distinguish the key insights from some distortions by clarifying the goals of experiment-wise error control that D. O'Keefe correctly identifies as vague and open to misuse. Concludes that a better understanding of the goal of experiment-wise error correction erases many of these "absurdities," but the clarifications necessary…

Responds to Daniel O'Keefe's "Against Familywise Alpha Adjustment," where O'Keefe maintains that one should never attempt to control Type I error introduced when many statistical tests are conducted. Argues that alpha adjustment should be applied only in the narrowly circumscribed instance when the researcher wants to make a strong claim…

Responds to other articles in this colloquy. Notes that they propose that alpha adjustment can appropriately be mandated when the set of tests concerns the key claims of a single theory. Considers how consistent application of this reasoning commits one to bizarre beliefs and research practices--which suggests that this reasoning does not provide…

The fact that little research has been conducted on the penalties for violating communication rules precipitated this study exploring the consequences of a superior lying to a subordinate and of a subordinate lying to a superior. The subjects were 82 college students who filled out attribution scales regarding the superior and subordinate depicted…

Presents a review and meta-analytic summary of existing studies of metaphor's persuasive effects. Indicates that metaphor appears to exert a small effect on perceptions of source dynamism, but shows no demonstrable impact on competence or character. Concludes that the superior organization explanation of metaphor's persuasive impact was most…

Makes a case for attending to developments in the study of attitude. Considers how the attitude construct has been conceptualized. Examines contemporary thinking about attitudes and draws out implications of that thinking for the study of persuasion. (RS)

Reviews the general nature of ethos or image as it pertains to the physician. Discusses its rhetorical constituent elements of trustworthiness, expertness, goodwill and charisma that give these concepts such a vital role in effective public relations. (SR)

Argues that value-expressive attitudes and social-adjustive attitudes are based in a person's values. Indicates formation of these attitudes among the undergraduate student subjects depended more on the match between the value-content of the persuasive messages and the extent to which the message recipients hold those values than their level of…

A study examined the relationship between communicator attitudes and communication behavior by having 122 college students complete the RHETSEN scale of communication attitudes and the Communicator Style Measure. The RHETSEN scale characterizes communication attitudes according to three communicator types: (1) the "rhetorically…

Antecedents of linguistic nonimmediacy were examined in a four-factor analysis of covariance with repeated measures design. Immediacy refers to the language of a message expressing a close relationship to the referent, while nonimmediacy suggests that the language expresses a more distant relationship. Subjects in the study were 118 college…

A study was conducted to identify the independent and conjoint influence of attitude similarity and initial interactions on interpersonal attraction to relative strangers. The 124 college students who were participants in the study were informed that they would be working on a project with either an attitudinally similar or dissimilar stranger…

Supports the hypothesis that initial interaction has a greater positive influence on attraction to dissimilar strangers, than to similar strangers. Does not support the hypotheses that initial interaction has a positive influence regardless of attitude similarity or that attitude similarity is more attractive than dissimilarity regardless of level…

Investigates the standards by which people judge communication in families. Presents three investigations that examine communication standards in family relationships. Suggests that both distressful ideals and unmet ideals are associated with family satisfaction. Notes that the results were consistent with the notion that family communication…

Two surveys were conducted to determine the attitudes of public relations practitioners and educators regarding whether public relations practitioners should be licensed. Questionnaires were mailed to public relations practitioners to obtain data for the first survey, and a second survey was mailed several months later to public relations…