ComSt 101 Exam 4 Study GuideChapter 9 Social functions of rhetoric Discovering facts Public speakers are expected to be well informed. This means that they must research their topic. Engaging in the rhetorical enterprise means that both speaker and audience find out things about the world they has not previously known. New knowledge.  Testing ideas “An important and peaceful means for testing ideas publicly”. In the process of putting together a public address, communicators test ideas, rejecting those that are illogical or unsupported and accepting others. Audience, by listening with intelligence and b responding critically audiences can demand that rhetoric be well reasoned and well supported.  Persuading Others Knowledge of rhetoric helps lawyers prepare cases, candidatesget elected, lobbyists make their cases, constituents persuade their representative, and committees debate the merits of proposals. Shaping Knowledge Public communication serves to create a body of knowledge. Truth is not something independent of communication; instead, it is a product of communication. Individual within cultures come to accept these facts and ideas as true.  Building Community Rhetoric is a tool that allows us to establish truth, and community. Community buildup by the group of people “who find common cause with one another” Distributing Power Rhetoric connects with power in three ways: 1: personal power. Providing the skills needed for personal success and career advantages. 2: psychological power. The knowledge to shape the way other people think. 3: political power. Give us the voice.  Definition and Example of a belief Beliefs are the opinions that individuals hold about the world and about their place in it. It’s the opinions about what is or is not the case.  Core beliefs if fundamental beliefs held for a long period of time. Some are shared with others (the sun rise from east), and others are highly personal (I believe the world is unfriendly). Peripheral beliefs is relatively inconsequential and less resistant beliefs about who is or is not an authority (my dad will know what to do), facts derived from authorities (it is not good to bottle up your feelings), or matters of personal taste (green is ugly). Examples of persuasive appeals that focus on the affective, cognitive, or behavioral  Internalization  credibility  expertness & trustworthiness Identification  attractiveness  familiarity, similarity, physical attractiveness, liking Compliance  power  legitimacy, control of rewards, ability to act coercively Dimensions of an attitude (hint: appealing to emotions, beliefs, conformity, etc.)It’s Opinions that link an individual to a topic. Attitudes predispose a person to respond to a topic in a particular way. Three dimensions: Affective: What someone feels in regard to a topic “I feel sad whenever I think about hungry kids” Cognitive: What someone knows about a topic “there are X number of hungry kids in America” Behavioral: What someone intends to do in regard to a topic “I will donate money to feed hungry children Identification as a type of influence  Based on the presence of a perceived relationship between the source and receiver. Influence based on creating a personal and positive relationship with audience members.  Internalization as a type of influence Occurs when audience members incorporate message content into their belief systems Occurs when the source possesses credibility Influence based on convincing an audience to accept an argument as part of their belief system The different types of arguments listed in the book (e.g., authoritative, motivational, etc.) Authoritative: Depends entirely on the authority of the source  Motivational: based on the emotional needs of the audience Substantive: connects the data and claim through logic and reasoning Argument from cause When speaker established why something happened Argument from sign Seeks o predict one condition by pointing to another condition associated with it Argument from generalizations Seeks to establish a general conclusion on the basis of the data taken from a small sample of cases Argument from analogy Establish the two situations are alike Maslow’s hierarchy of needs mentioned in the book An order of needs which must be met in order to move to a higher level of needs Biological needs – security needs – belongingness and love need – esteem needs – self-actualization Curiosity needs – aesthetic needs The 4 functions of attitudes mentioned in class Utilitarian Maximized rewards and minimized punishments EX: “parents approve when I wear a seatbelt, thus wearing a seatbelt is good” Ego-defensive Protect self and ego from painful reality EX: “smoking doesn't cause cancer, so I will continue to smoke” Value expression Express our individuality EX: “helping others is important to me, thus I belong to a number of volunteer programs” Knowledge expressive Guild lines to simplify decision making: organize our beliefs EX: “All diet soft-drinks taste the same” Fallacies mentioned in the book (e.g., slippery slope, straw man, etc.) Ad Hominem Attacking someone’s character in areas not relevant to the issue to divert attention from the issue being discussed Slippery Slope Plays on fears, actions will lead to undesirable effect EX: don't let women become educated, or else they wont bear children and the world will die False Dilemma Providing only two possibilities, not giving option for other possibilities EX: “either with us, or against us” Straw Man Oversimplification of an opponent’s argument to make it easier to attack Non Sequitur Making two unrelated ideas come together and seem logical by using words like “therefore”, “hence”, “so forth”. Glittering Generalities Associating self or issue with a vague virtue word Transfer Speaker links own ideas with popular people or issues Plain Folks Speaker attributes an idea to a member of the audiences own group rather than to self Band Wagon Speaker makes it appear that anyone who does not agree will be leftout or fall behind Ad Populum Speaker appeals to popular prejudices Relies on fear and ethnic prejudices more than a