To test several hypotheses related to source credibility, comprehension, and homophily of the source, a study was designed. The 124 college students from a basic communication course who served as subjects were presented a message on the effects of slavery in America by either a homophilous source, who wore his hair standing out from his head or…

This keynote address suggests that inflation (not monetary, but intellectual, emotional, and social) bars the lay public from accepting art as part of the curriculum. If wild claims (inflation) for art education ceased, and core curriculum were demonstrably well taught, the lay public would trust educators to teach art as well. (KC)

Presents an analysis of the effects of a television newscaster's sex and race on audience perceptions of credibility. (Author/GW)

The rhetoric of the final four months of Hitler's Reich is examined, including arguments that Germany could still win the war based on moral and logical grounds, and later appeals based on source credibility, historical analogy, and terror. (JF)

Examines the types of primary data writers use as the basis for reasoned arguments, judgments and decisions. Explains how a statement is accepted as a fact or opinion and the relationship between as well as the verifiability of a statement. (MH)

The Embellishment score on the Memory-For-Designs Test (MFD) may be a useful predictor of confabulation. Male (N=16) patients who were judged by staff to be habitual confabulators embellished their drawings on the MFD twice as frequently as a group of 16 patients of similar age (40-80) and diagnosis judged to be nonconfabulators. (Author)

Many individuals are concerned with the erroneous image of science and scientists that is given to the public by the media. To improve the situation, it is suggested that individuals and organizations protest to movie studios and networks when inaccuracies appear and when scientists are portrayed in a denigrating manner. (Author/MA)

Outlines points for achieving credibility in public speaking situations. Available from: Association Management, American Society of Association Executives, 1101 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. (MH)

Reviews research concerning the role played by variations in the timing of communicator identification as one aspect of the effect that communicator credibility has on persuasive communication. Claims that variations in the timing of the identification of the source of a persuasive communication can produce substantial differences in persuasive…

Concludes that more than half of the stories on network newscasts contained anonymous source attributions. (FL)

Examines the use of puffery in magazine ads for automobiles between 1930 and 1980 to see if advertisers varied the amount of puffery used in relation to increased pressures from government regulation. Finds puffery declined as regulatory pressures increased. (FL)

In a geopolitical context, the means of establishing deterrence is premised on the military capability of a country and the perceived willingness of a leader to use force as a means to achieve policy goals. A key function of rhetoric is to establish the personal ethos of a leader regarding their willingness to use force. During the Cold War the…

An attempt was made to apply to the academic deanship finding by D. Thomas and J. Gabarro that executives of color who succeed in business possess three personal resources: confidence, competence, and credibility. Through the use of relational regression techniques, researchers examined deans perceptions of leadership success, competence,…

Reports that while "personalism"/surveillance and competence/trust ratings predict user satisfaction with newspapers, bias ratings do not. (FL)