DEVELOPMENTS IN CHILDRENS PERSUASIVE MESSAGE PRACTICES

Sixty children, enrolled in second, fourth, and sixth grade, responded to a series of tasks designed to measure six persuasive message pract ices: creating consensus about a problem, advocating a proposal, creat ing an impressive message, motivating the other to act, seeking credib ility, and building the other's self-concept. Except for message impre ssiveness and seeking credibility, there were systematic age changes i n each persuasive message practice. The findings are interpreted with a conception of rhetorical competence, and implications for instructio nal practice are discussed.