CHAPTER 7: PERSUASION
Persuasion
The process by which a message induces
change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.
Central Route to Persuasion
Occurs when interested people focus on the
arguments and respond with favorable
thoughts. Exposing people to weak attacks on
their attitudes, which then stimulates thinking in
support of the initial attitude.
Peripheral Route to Persuasion
Occurs when people are influenced by
incidental cues, such as a speaker's
attractiveness.
The Elements of Persuasion
(1) the communicator, (2) the message,
(3) how the message is communicated, and
(4) the audience.
Credibility
Believability. A credible communicator is
perceived as both expert and trustworthy. A
communicator is said to be credible when he or
she is perceived as both an expert and
trustworthy.
Sleeper Effect
A delayed impact of a message that occurs
when an initially discounted message becomes
effective, such as we remember the message
but forget the reason for discounting it.
What Gives A Person Credibility?
a. perceived expertise
b. speaking style
c. perceived trustworthiness
Six Persuasion Principles
(1) authority, (2) liking, (3) social proof,
(4) reciprocity, (5) consistency, and
(6) scarcity
Attractiveness
Having qualities that appeal to an audience. An
appealing communicator (often someone
similar to the audience) is most persuasive on
matters of subjective preference.
Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon
The tendency for people who have first agreed
to a small request to comply later with a larger
request. Cults like Jim Jones's People's Temple
typically recruit and retain members by using
this phenomenon.
Lowball Technique
A tactic for getting people to agree to something.
People who agree to an initial request will often
still comply when the requester ups the ante.
People who receive only the costly request are
less likely to comply with it.
Door-in-the-face Technique
A strategy for gaining a concession. After
someone first turns down a large request (the
door-in-the-face), the same requester
counteroffers with a more reasonable request.
Primacy Effect
Other things being equal, information presented
first usually has the most influence. When two
messages are back to back, followed by a time
gap, the primacy effect usually occurs.
Recency Effect
Information presented last sometimes has the
most influence. Recency effects are less
common than primacy effects.
Channel of Communication
The way the message is delivered—whether
face-to-face, in writing, on film, or in some other
way.
Two-step Flow of Communication
The process by which media influence often
occurs through opinion leaders, who in turn
influence others.
Two Main Audience Characteristics
(1) age, and (2) thoughtfulness
Need For Cognition
The motivation to think and analyze. Assessed
by agreement with items such as "The notion of
thinking abstractly is appealing to me" and
disagreement with items such as "I only think as
hard as I have to."
Attitude Inoculation
Exposing people to weak attacks upon their
attitudes so that when stronger attacks come,
they will have refutations available.
How Do People Resist Persuasion?
A prior public commitment to one's own position,
stimulated perhaps by a mild attack on the
position, breeds resistance to later persuasion.
*Fear-arousing messages work best when they
try to prevent a bad outcome, such as cancer.
*According to Myers, the most effective
instructors get their students to think actively.
*Studies have shown that if people are aware of
opposing arguments, a two-sided presentation
is more persuasive and enduring.
*Nora, a single mom, needs to ask her parents
for money. To minimize their objections to her
request, she should have her busy, distracting
little toddler along when she makes her request.