Too Much Emotion

In chapter ten, the too much emotion chapter, I found that the appeal to spite was an interesting topic. I found that an appeal to spite is the hope of getting revenge and is rejected as bad by some people on moral grounds. I thought it was funny how it evokes the two wrongs make a right saying as well. A perfect example of an appeal to spite would be if a friend asked you to help out with something, and another friend reminds you that the other friend never really helps you out anymore with anything. People's ability to play off of emotions is very convenient for those who need to persuade others in a short amount of time. The appeal to spite is one of the most commonly known ways to advertise next to appeal to pity and appeal to fear. Most writers see this very clearly which is why they use it in the first place.

Variation in the Population

Variation in the population was one of the topics in chapter fourteen of the Epstein book that I found to be rather intriguing. Different kinds of variation depends on the size of the sample and the random sampling that is taken from the given sample size. If there is a small sample then the variation will be minimal, whereas if the sample is very large then the sample will have a demanding amount of variation. In the event of a extremely large sample, random sampling is the better way to go about getting a good representative sample of the population. An example of variation in the population would be if someone said that all new Pc computers with microsoft word will have the newest up to date version of microsoft word. That's a hasty generalization for it but it is good because all of the newest PC computers are alike and should have the same basic programs.

Good Group Members/Good Group

Of all the topics discussed throughout the semester, I've found that in the book The Essential Guide to Group Communication by Dan O' Hair and Mary O. Wiemann, chapter two Participating in Small Group Communication was the most interesting. I especially liked the part where the book talked about what makes a good group member, where it discussed the “key competencies for individual success in group work” (O' Hair & Wiemann, 10). These key competencies include applying critical thinking, making use of attributions, monitoring perceptions, and overcoming communication apprehension. I agree with the book on all of these competencies because they help to make a group work better together if every member follows these simple key items. I also thought that the section on what makes a good group was just as helpful as the section on what makes a good group member because now the whole group can follow a set of rules together as well as individually.

Cause and Effect

During the reading for this week's discussion I found that the section on criteria for cause and effect was very interesting. Epstein states that there are certain criteria to go by when using cause and effect with claims.

The cause happened (The claim describing it is true.)
The effect happened (The claim describing it is true.)
The cause precedes the effect it is (nearly) impossible for the cause to happen (be true) and the effect not to happen (be false), given the normal conditions.
The cause makes a difference-if the cause had not happened (been true) the effect would not have happened (been true).
There is no common cause.

I feel that this criteria really helps someone out if they are confused as to how to use it when making a claim, and yet on the other hand it could be quite confusing to others. I think that if people took the time to really think about the criteria it would really help. Without this criteria I think I would have had more trouble understanding how to use cause and effect with claims.