We measured objective and subjective characteristics of 99 memoranda and
derived indices of selected message characteristics (positive emphasis and you-
attitude) and message reinforcers (benefits and threats). Employed business
practitioners reacted to the memoranda as though the messages had been
received at work and reported perceived message tone, commitment to comply
with the message, and reader satisfaction. We used regression analysis to test
several relationships predicted from a stimulus-response model.
The study (a) provides some of the first empirical support for the concepts of
positive emphasis and you-attitude; (b) supports the stimulus-response model
developed in the paper, suggesting that it might merit additional research; (c)
raises questions about current academic conceptions of positive emphasis and
you-attitude; and (d) suggests additional research questions concerning, for
example, the virtues of brevity and the effects of message organization.
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