Writing and revising persuasive documents: Cognitive demands

• Published in: Journal of educational psychology 1982-08, Vol.74 (4), p.557-567
• Main Authors: Glynn, Shawn M, Britton, Bruce K, Muth, K. Denise, Dogan, Nukhet
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cognitive Processes; Human; Persuasive Communication; Sentence Structure; Verbal Ability; Written Language
• ISSN: 0022-0663; 1939-2176
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-0663.74.4.557

In 2 experiments, 40 graduate and 60 undergraduate students wrote preliminary and final drafts of a persuasive document. In Exp I, the need for Ss to comply with mechanics (i.e., punctuation and spelling), to form complete sentences, and to sequence their ideas, respectively, were eliminated one at a time from preliminary-draft formats. The elimination of sentence-formation and sequence operations produced corresponding increments in persuasive argument production. In Exp II, Ss with average verbal ability (as assessed by the Scholastic Aptitude Test) benefited more from the elimination of these structure operations than did Ss with low verbal ability. When allowed to freely choose their typical preliminary-draft format, Ss with average verbal ability usually selected proposition-based formats (e.g., lists, outlines, and diagrams) that dispensed with the need for structure operations. Ss with average verbal ability also produced more sentences, more arguments per sentence, and fewer mechanical errors than did those with low verbal ability. In both experiments, comparatively few new arguments were constructed during revision. (21 ref)