Argument

This chapter presents information on argument structure, reviewing the characteristics of inductive and deductive arguments and presenting examples of subtypes of these arguments. It also details the components of the jurisprudence model of argument (also known as Toulmin's model). Next, the chapter reviews literature on four characteristics of arguments that are particularly relevant message design research: argument order, message sidedness, justification explicitness, conclusion explicitness. Argument appeals commonly used in academic research and commercial advertising are discussed: arguments from consequences, identity-based appeals, moral appeals, sex-based appeals, and normative appeals. Finally, the chapter reviews approaches to conceptualizing and measuring argument quality.