Argumentation is fundamentally exhortative: arguments can be understood as invitations to emulate the lives of those who make the arguments. The human exemplar of an argument's substance, e.g. Jesus Christ as exemplar of Christianity, is the paradigm for this theory in which the arguer's identity is seen both as equal in importance to and…

Seeks to determine the effect of argumentativeness and verbal aggression on the image of participants in the CBS news interview of George Bush by Dan Rather. Finds that both concepts have a significant relationship to communicator image. Reports that verbal aggressiveness negatively affected Bush's image but positively influenced Rather's. (MG)

A study investigated the impact of a one-time persuasive message presented to subjects across two media--audio and audiovisual. A second variable, distraction, was also examined for its induced impact on conferring resistance to the message. Subjects were 170 college undergraduates, 46 of whom were assigned to a control group that did not see or…

Presents three experiments examining the relationships among plan complexity, access to planned actions, and verbal fluency while pursuing a persuasion goal. Finds that complex planners are less fluent than less complex planners under high access to action alternatives, and that reduced fluency is not induced by decreasing self-confidence. (SR)

A study analyzed the delivery of dabaters participating in the final rounds of the CEDA (Cross Examination Debate Association) National Tournament from 1989-1991. Transcripts of the final rounds were used to determine the words-per-minute and the number of pieces of evidence read per speech. Three statistical measures were used to analyze the…

A study tested the prediction that men's and women's relative responses to the Argumentativeness Scale will change if the items are worded consistently so as to make more or less salient the content and process dimensions of arguing. Respondents, 564 students enrolled in basic public speaking courses at Ball State University, were each provided…

Drawn from a 1978 Speech Communication Association seminar, this collection of papers and other materials explores the subject of argumentation as epistemology. The first paper reviews several critiques of traditional argumentation theories and offers directions for new theories, and the remaining eight papers offer responses to the ideas and…

This paper presents two research studies on the use of dogmatism as a predictor of verbal communication behavior. The studies examined the effects of dogmatism on the formulation of written and oral persuasive messages by comparing college students' scores on the Rokeach D and California F Scales with a content analysis of the written or oral…

Analyzes the visual and verbal content of the 1984 televised debates between Walter Mondale and Ronald Reagan. Asserts that the televised depiction of the debates visually structured portions of them in a manner inconsistent with their verbal content. Focuses on clash, when candidates engaged in arguments of attack or defense. (MS)

A study focused on the effects of forensic participation on two specific traits--argumentativeness and verbal aggression. Two hundred eighty-one high school forensic students participating at a large western forensic tournament in the beginning of the 1990 academic year completed D. A. Infante's Argumentative and Verbal Aggression Scales. Results…

Discusses research evidence concerning the persuasive effects of three variations in the articulation of an advocate's supporting argumentation. Finds that greater explicitness in identification of the sources of information and in the completeness of an argument significantly enhance persuasive effectiveness and perceived credibility; greater…

A study examined how beliefs about arguing are related to the general motivation to argue. Subjects, 505 undergraduate students, were administered the Argumentativeness Scale and a beliefs-about-arguing measure. The scale contained 10 items for measuring the general tendency to approach arguments and 10 items for measuring the general tendency to…

This paper researched persuasive tactics used by college age females on college age males. Previous evidence indicates that nonverbal persuasion is more effective than verbal persuasion. The topics explored in previous research on persuasion consisted of physical attractiveness, indirect knowledge of influence, tactics used by children and college…

Investigates university department chairs' use of compliance-gaining techniques and the influence of these techniques on faculty job satisfaction and ratings of chair performance. Finds that department chairs most frequently use compliance-gaining techniques from the power classification labeled "values/obligations." (SR)

Three methodological improvements were incorporated into a two-channel study that tested the relationships between communication cues, dynamic/conversational delivery styles, and four dimensions of source credibility--dynamism, competence, evaluation, and trustworthiness. The methodological improvements included a molar rather than molecular…