THE RHETORICAL USE OF RANDOM SAMPLING: CRAFTING AND COMMUNICATING THE PUBLIC IMAGE OF POLLS AS A SCIENCE (1935–1948)

The scientific pollsters (Archibald Crossley, George H. Gallup, and Elmo Roper) emerged onto the American news media scene in 1935. Much of what they did in the following years (1935–1948) was to promote both the political and scientific legitimacy of their enterprise. They sought to be recognized as the sole legitimate producers of public opinion. In this essay I examine the, mostly overlooked, rhetorical work deployed by the pollsters to publicize the scientific credentials of their polling activities, and the central role the concept of sampling has had in that pursuit. First, they distanced themselves from the failed straw poll by claiming that their sampling methodology based on quotas was informed by science. Second, although in practice they did not use random sampling, they relied on it rhetorically to derive the symbolic benefits of being associated with the “laws of probability.”     

Hearing and Seeing Musical Expression

Everybody assumes (1) that musical performances are sonic events and (2) that their expressive properties are sonic properties. This paper discusses recent findings in the psychology of music perception that show that visual information combines with auditory information in the perception of musical expression. The findings show at the very least that arguments are needed for (1) and (2). If music expresses what we think it does, then its expressive properties may be visual as well as sonic; and if its expressive properties are purely sonic, then music expresses less than we think it does. And if the expressive properties of music are visual as well as sonic, then music is not what we think it is—it is not purely sonic.     

SUPERIORS' ARGUMENTATIVENESS AND VERBAL AGGRESSIVENESS AS PREDICTORS OF SUBORDINATES' SATISFACTION

Corporatist theory of job productivity is reviewed and ideas about organizational communication are explored from the perspective of recent conceptions of argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness. A hypothesis is derived that the more subordinates perceive their superiors are high in argumentativeness and low in verbal aggressiveness, the more the subordinates also wilt be argumentative and have job satisfaction. A study is reported that surveyed 216 subordinates in a variety of organizations in a major metropolitan and industrial section of the midwest. Canonical correlation analysis revealed three significant roots that suggested considerable support for the research hypothesis. Implications of the results are discussed, particularly in terms of corporatist theory.     

Aesthetic Experts,Guides to Value

A theory of aesthetic value should explain the performance of aesthetic experts, for aesthetic experts are agents who track aesthetic value. Aesthetic empiricism, the theory that an item's aesthetic value is its power to yield aesthetic pleasure, suggests that aesthetic experts are best at locating aesthetic pleasure, especially given aesthetic internalism, the view that aesthetic reasons always have motivating force. Problems with empiricism and internalism open the door to an alternative. Aesthetic experts perform a range of actions not aimed at pleasure. Yet their reasons for acting are aesthetic. Since aesthetic values figure in aesthetic reasons, we can read a nonempiricist theory of aesthetic value off aesthetic experts’ reasons for acting.     

Combined Effects of Masculine Gender‐Role Stress and Sexual Prejudice on Anger and Aggression Toward Gay Men

This study was designed to examine the extent to which masculine gender‐role stress, sexual prejudice, and antigay anger collectively facilitate antigay aggression. Participants were 135 heterosexual men who completed a structured interview assessing masculine gender‐role stress, sexual prejudice, anger in response to a vignette depicting a non‐erotic male–male intimate relationship (i.e., partners holding hands, kissing), and past perpetration of antigay aggression. The results indicate that the association between masculine gender‐role stress and antigay aggression is partially mediated by antigay anger among sexually prejudiced men. These findings contribute to theoretical understanding of antigay aggression. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.     

Verbal Aggression in Marriages A Comparison of Violent,Distressed but Nonviolent,and Nondistressed Couples

This study examines verbal aggression in the disputes of abusive couples. Verbal aggression is defined as both a predispositional trait and a relational pattern, so it is viewed within a system theory framework. Specifically, the study considers the relationship between verbal aggression and marital distress, the level of agreement between couples in reporting their verbally aggressive behavior, and the level and type of reciprocity in their verbal aggression. A sample of 82 couples representing violent, nonviolent distressed, and nondistressed relationships completed self-report instruments on verbal aggression and argumentativeness for themselves and their spouses and marital satisfactionfor themselves. Results show that abusive couples experience less marital satisfaction, less accurately recall each other's behavior, and have significant reciprocity in their verbal aggression compared to nonviolent distressed and nondistressed couples.