The development of rhetorical theory in America∗

Expanding upon the Social Value Model of Rushing and Frentz, this essay argues that the fundamental values of the American Western myth exist in the paradoxical form of Individualism vs. Community. Four historical eras are discussed in terms of how the Western film rhetoric of each was patterned in response to threats to the myth. Early Westerns enacted a pattern of “dialectical emphasis” (of Community): classic Westerns, “dialectical reaffirmation “; sixties Westerns, “dialectical emphasis” (of Individualism). It is claimed that reaffirmation of the dialectical tension between the values best strengthens the archetype, and thus America's image of itself. In contrast, the current revival of Western rhetoric, as depicted in the political realm in the elections of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and in the popular culture realm in The Electric Horseman, Urban Cowboy.,and “Dallas,” enacts a pattern of dialectical pseudo‐synthesis, and thus is seriously subversive of the fundamental archetype.     

The rhetorical structure of science? A multidisciplinary analysis of article headings

An effective structure helps an article to convey its core message. The optimal structure depends on the information to be conveyed and the expectations of the audience. In the current increasingly interdisciplinary era, structural norms can be confusing to the authors, reviewers and audiences of scientific articles. Despite this, no prior study has attempted to assess variations in the structure of academic papers across all disciplines. This article reports on the headings commonly used by over 1 million research articles from the PubMed Central Open Access collection, spanning 22 broad categories covering all academia and 172 out of 176 narrow categories. The results suggest that no headings are close to ubiquitous in any broad field and that there are substantial differences in the extent to which most headings are used. In the humanities, headings may be avoided altogether. Researchers should therefore be aware of unfamiliar structures that are nevertheless legitimate when reading, writing and reviewing articles.     

The value of goodness‐of‐fit indices in meta‐analysis: A comment on Hall and Rosenthal

In a useful article regarding testing for moderator variables in meta‐analysis, Hall and Rosenthal (1991) suggest, among other things, that when the sample of studies is large enough, it is acceptable to use ordinary inferential statistics such as the analysis of variance to test for moderator variables. However, because meta‐analytic data points (effect sizes) differ in important ways from those for which ordinary inferential statistics were designed, we recommend that analysts use conventional meta‐analytic statistics, which are at least potentially more informative about the literature in question. Hall and Rosenthal also suggest that tests of effect size variability should play a minimal role in meta‐analytic model tests. We concur that these tests of homogeneity cannot alone test for moderator variables and that at least tests between mean effect sizes should be performed. However, consistent with Hedges and Olkin's (1985) meta‐analytic framework, we show how homogeneity tests provide additional and valuable information regarding how completely a moderator (or set of moderators) explains the variation of effect sizes. Therefore, these goodness‐of‐fit statistics may prove quite valuable, especially in meta‐analyses of highly variable study outcomes. We further recommend that in meta‐analyses for which study outcomes are already consistent, analysts should continue to perform model tests if they have theoretical expectations about moderators. We discuss these and other meta‐analytic model testing concerns.     

The bases of successful market entry: The liability of size and of newness in E‐commerce

Abstract

Even though e‐commerce almost disappeared from public discussion, it still assumes a vital role in the strategic management of most enterprises. New entry in e‐commerce, whether as a new business segment of an established company or as a new enterprise, is likely to deal with the liabilities of size and newness. The aim of this paper it to discuss if those factors have an impact on the implementation and success of B2C e‐commerce. We chose the online book market as our reference market and drew a random sample of retailers and publishers with an online shop. The quality of the web presence, indirect success (number of links to a particular site) and direct success (turnover of the web shop) were compared in subsamples constructed by the use of median splits according to age and size. Younger companies and larger companies were found to have a web presence of higher quality and were more successful than older or smaller companies. We conclude that the liabilities of newness do not seem to have an adverse performance impact in e‐commerce. However, when a market entry is considered, new players must ensure that they can commit enough resources to build a high quality web presence.     

The emergence of the anti‐hero in the contemporary drama

A brief discussion of the protagonist as he appears in the Western Theatre of today. An examination of new conditions of heroism as envisioned by playwrights in the Contemporary theatre.     

The media and the crisis of democracy in the age of Bush‐2

In this study, I demonstrate the consequences of the triumph of neoliberalism and media deregulation for democracy. I argue that the tremendous concentration of power in the hands of corporate groups who control powerful media conglomerates has intensified a crisis of democracy in the United States and elsewhere. Providing case studies of how mainstream media in the United States have become tools of conservative and corporate interests since the 1980s, I discuss how the corporate media helped forge a conservative hegemony, failed to address key social problems, and promoted the candidacy of George W. Bush in the 2000 US presidential election.     

The effects of humor on perceptions of compliance‐gaining in the college classroom

The purpose of this study is to explore humor as a factor in students’ perceptions of college teacher compliance‐gaining in the classroom. Four hundred twenty‐eight college students reported the frequency of their college teachers’ uses of compliance‐gaining tactics, the frequency of humor uses with compliance‐gaining tactics, and the effectiveness of humor used with compliance‐gaining tactics. Results revealed positive and significant relationships between humor uses and uses of particular compliance‐gaining strategies. Findings suggest that students perceive teachers to use humor more frequently with certain compliance‐gaining tactics. Moreover, students reported that certain compliance‐gaining tactics are perceived as more effective than others.     

The rhetoric of farmer‐labor agitators

To forge a dynamic protest movement requires the rhetorical efforts of aggressive agitators who capitalize on feelings of frustration and discontentment. Beginning in 1915 Midwestern farmers and laborers were effectively united for political action by organizers who assiduously practiced the oratory of attack.     

The loudness of side‐tone∗

"Communication” is examined as a cultural term whose meaning is problematic in selected instances of American speech about interpersonal life. An ethnographic study, focusing on analysis of several cultural “texts,” reveals that in the discourse examined here, “communication” refers, to close, supportive, flexible speech, which functions as the “work” necessary to self‐definition and interpersonal bonding. “Communication,” thus defined, is shown to find its place in a “communication” ritual, the structure of which is delineated. The use of the definition formulated, and of the ideational context which surrounds it, is illustrated in an analysis of a recurring public drama, the “communication” theme shows on the Phil Donahue television program. Implications of the study are drawn for ethnography as a form of communication inquiry.     

The development of persuasive communication strategies in kindergarteners through twelfth‐graders

Previous research has documented age‐related developments in the differentiation and abstractness of the system of interpersonal constructs employed in perceiving persons and the relationship of such developments to qualitative changes in persuasive strategies. This study extended the analysis of the interrelations among these developments within a broad age range. In addition to other findings, the quality of persuasive strategies was demonstrated to be strongly related to developments in differententiation in early childhood and to abstractness in later childhood and adolescence.     

The gods are drinking milk! Word‐of‐mouth diffusion of a major news event in India

The objective of this study is to explore whether the US media overemphasized recalled Chinese products in 2007 and, if so, how news coverage in the US media differed from that of the Chinese media. By using a framing analysis of the coverage in two US media and two Chinese media, this study pursues answers to these questions. After comparing the news coverage of the recalled Chinese products and a real world indictor, this study found that neither US nor Chinese media mirrored the real world phenomenon as it was. By comparing news coverage of the issue in The New York Times and The Associated Press with China Daily, and The Xinhua News Agency, the study found that news coverage of the recalled issues differed significantly in terms of the sources used, the nationality of the source, the dominant frames employed, and the attribution of responsibility for the problems. In particular, Chinese media more frequently employed government officials as their main sources, which inherently increased the use of thematic frames. By contrast, US media often used episodic frames. Likewise, American media approached the issues using ‘Customers' Worries’ and ‘Broken System’ frames, whereas Chinese media often attempted to defend the quality of Chinese products and criticized Western media for exaggerating the issues. Owing to the news framing process, US audiences might have acquired more negative images of Chinese products and China in general. By contrast, their Chinese counterparts might have experienced increased antipathy and distrust concerning the American media.     

The presentation of image in Charles H. Percy's whistle‐stop tour of 1966

The Whistle‐Stop Campaign of Charles Percy appeared to have a significant effect upon the outcome of his senatorial race with Paul Douglas. This study explores the development and execution of the whistle‐stop campaign and assesses its probable effect on the election.     

The experience and expression of romantic jealousy in same‐sex and opposite‐sex romantic relationships

This study examines and compares how males and females in same‐sex and opposite‐sex romantic relationships experience and express romantic jealousy. Undergraduates at a large, southern university and visitors at a metropolitan Pride Celebration (N = 149) completed measures assessing cognitive and emotional jealousy experience, jealousy expression, and demographic information. The reported usage of two of Guerrero, Andersen, Jorgensen, Spitzberg, and Eloy's (1995) communicative responses to jealousy typology significantly varied by sexual orientation and sex. Specifically, gay males were significantly more likely to use violent communication/ threats than were heterosexual males. Further, lesbians reported using manipulation attempts to a significantly lesser degree than did heterosexual participants and gay males. In contrast, levels of cognitive and emotional jealousy experience did not significantly differ by sexual orientation or sex. Implications for these findings are presented in light of the broader study of close opposite‐sex and same‐sex romantic relationships.     

Rhetoric in les Petites‐Ecoles of port‐royal

This study focused on patterns of verbal behavior embedded in the interview process rather than on externalfactors as predictors of outcome. A Markov model was used to map the relationships between interviewer styles, time, and patterns of communication. Each interview was conceptualized as a system, and the categories of verbal behavior were treated as the finite number of states the system could ocupy. Thirteen‐state and three‐state models of the interview systems were constructed which displayed both state probabilities and transition probabilities of the system's states. The basic finding was that although each interview system had different probability structures, the structure of any one system was quite stable over time.     

The psycho‐physical determinants of voice quality

This study revealed that trait communication apprehension, as measured by the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA‐24), correlates significantly with state anxiety, as measured by the Spielberger state anxiety measure, in each of four contexts. The multiple correlation between PRCA and state anxiety across four situational contexts was .69. The results are interpreted as consistent with the theoretical relationships advanced and as supportive of the PRCA as a cross‐situational predictive instrument.     

The rhetoric of a lobbyist: Benjamin Franklin in England, 1765‐1775

During his ten‐year stay in England as a colonial representative, Benjamin Franklin exhibited the qualities of a skillful lobbyist. He was committed to, and accurately represented, American interests; he urged moderation on British leaders and moderate resistance on his own clients; he based his major appeal to the British Government on the grounds of practical self‐interest.