In early 1983, we conducted a field study of 21 essay examination topics for the writing portion of the College-Level Academic Skills Test, an examination required of all sophomores in Florida colleges and universities. We decided to use the opportunity to experiment with the wording of essay topics. Does it matter, we asked, whether a topic is addressed to a writer (you) or is couched in impersonal or neutral terms? Does it make any difference whether a topic's is cast as a question or an imperative? These are admittedly small changes, but they reflect rival opinions on the best model for constructing essay topics. Some people are convinced that topics cast in personal language have a negative influence on writers, causing them to write rambling, self-centered discourse rather than traditionally-structured expository essays. Others argue that the influence of personal topics is positive, that they are likelier to evoke genuine responses and help make for more detailed, substantial essays than do neutral or impersonally-stated topics. We have noticed that while advocates of both positions tend to defend them staunchly, they have done so virtually without the benefit of experimental research information. The study we report on here was one attempt to provide just such information. We rewrote each of the 21 topics in two versions, and we cast them in the same general format, with an introductory statement followed by a charge to the writer. In eleven of the topics, we combined a personal manner of address (P) with either a question (Q) or an imperative (I) charge. In the remaining ten topics, we combined a neutral (N) manner of address with either of the charges. This allowed us to compare essays written on the same topics in contrasting versions. Here is an example of each version:
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Brossell et al. (1984) studied this question.