The use of arguments containing increasingly technical materials has grown significantly in the recent years. Specifically, arguments that are used to justify military expenditures or to allege violations of international agreements are becoming more sophisticated. This study examines the dissemination and use of technical argument in claims made by the United States government that the Soviet Union violated chemical and biological treaties in Southeast Asia and Afghanistan. This study employs the Jowett-O'Donnell method for analyzing propaganda to determine the extent and effectiveness of the government's claims. The study concludes that propaganda was used extensively by the government in order to justify new weapons programs and that the propaganda campaign was effective because of the technological orientation of its claims.

One hundred thirty-five undergraduate students were queried at North Texas State University. Perceptions of self-disclosure as a compliance-gaining tactic were surveyed. A fifteen item questionnaire was utilized. Fourteen questions were tested by an analysis of variance. One question was tested by chi-square. Data indicated that self-disclosure was viewed as an effective compliance-gaining tactic for both males and females; but females were perceived as more effective than males utilizing the tactic. Self-disclosure utilized as a compliance-gaining tactic was perceived as appropriate by both males and females. Results indicated females and males have similar perceptions regarding the appropriateness of utilizing the self-disclosure tactic. Male and female raters did not differ significantly from each other.

This study surveyed the willingness of adolescents to self-disclose in different situations. One hundred and forty high school students were surveyed in a suburban, southwestern city. The survey included Gordon Chelune's Self-disclosure Situations Survey, Michael Leary's Social Anxiety Survey, and a 40-item situational survey created to test students' self-disclosure willingness in normal situations. It was hypothesized that students would more readily disclose to peers than parents or counselors; that they would more readily disclose in warm, informal settings than cold, formal ones; and that there would be a significant negative correlation between social anxiety and self-disclosure. There was a small but significant negative correlation between social anxiety and students' willingness to disclose only in a warm setting. The other hypotheses were proved.