Using Semantic Networks to Define the Quality of Arguments
Tillman Russell, Torsten O. Reimer · Communication Theory · 2018
Communication researchers have deplored the absence of theory-driven criteria of argument quality in persuasion. Probabilistic Persuasion Theory (PPT) aims to offer theoretical criteria which define the quality of arguments, a priori. Past experimental research tested the validity and distinctiveness of cues as argument quality criteria. Drawing on semantic network theory, the present research introduces two new criteria of argument quality—attribute degree centrality and attribute tie strength. Analyses of semantic network data collected on over-the-ear headphones attributes from the environment and cognitive representations are reported. The analysis demonstrates how degree centrality and tie strength can be measured and how semantic networks can be used to distinguish strong and weak arguments.