To determine the public's responses to the 1988 presidential debates, the System for the Multiple Level Observation of Groups (SYMLOG) was used to analyze how values positions connected to interpersonal styles. Subjects, 157 students from either a mid-sized Southern university or a large Midwestern university and 21 non-students drawn from people who had gathered to watch the first debate at the Democratic headquarters in a mid-size southern city, responded to a set of questions. Findings confirmed that: (1) the winner of the debate was predicted by post-debate preference after the first debate; (2) the winner of the debate was predicted by perceptions of the candidate that projected the strongest personal image, the greatest credibility, the most logical arguments, and the strongest emotional appeals; (3) vote intention was predicted by the SYMLOG value positions; (4) perceptions of strongest personal image, candidate credibility, and candidate ability to use logical argument and present emotional appeals were predicted by SYMLOG value positions; and (5) actual voting choice was predicted by the post-debate preference after the first debate. Findings also showed that if subjects did not watch the debates, they were not able to report their perceptions of which candidates won the debates and that the self-report SYMLOG dimension did not predict one of the candidates. (Sixteen tables of data and three figures are included, and 22 references are appended.) (MS)