In this pioneering study, the authors
deal with the nature and theory of meaning and present a new, objective
method for its measurement which they call the semantic differential.
This instrument is not a specific test, but rather a general technique of
measurement that can be adapted to a wide variety of problems in such areas
as clinical psychology, social psychology, linguistics, mass communications,
esthetics, and political science. The core of the book is the authors' description,
application, and evaluation of this important tool and its far-reaching
implications for empirical research.