4 - Attitudes and Persuasion Flashcards
when does motivation to reduce cognitive dissonance occur
when inconsistencies are self-relevant as affects positive sense of self
what are the 4 conditions for cognitive dissonance
realise dissonance has neg consequences
behaviour is of own free will
physical discomfort
attributing physiological arousal to action
how can we directly change attitudes (not maladaptive coping)
evaluate and find new info to support a new attitude in line w the behaviour
describe maladaptive coping
convincing self the inconsistency and cognition are unimportant through negative means e.g. mockery
how can we indirectly reduce cognitive dissonance
self-affirmations to remind self of positive thoughts about self and remind of importance of attitudes to maintain positive self-view
what did the $1 $20 study find
$20 had no cog dissonance as attributed lying to reward
$1 had CD and changed att after lying
describe effort justification
reducing dissonance between att and bhvr by telling self lots of effort was put in so outcome is more +ive than it really was
why do initiation ceremonies increase enjoyment of being part of the ingroup
when doing something unpleasant, look for +ive aspects and downplay -ive, assoc +ive w the group
when do we value the outcome of the effort put into something
when experiencing something aversive but we have put effort in
why did the group undergoing the severe initiation enjoy the discussion in the study more
invested more psychologically and offset dissonance of effort and boringness w cognition that they enjoyed it
with post-purchase cognitions, what info is attention paid to
any that supports info supporting the decision to purchase the product
how do fear appeals work
making people uncomfortable to persuade them by offering a solution to the problem
why would fear appeals not work
if in denial and see problem as unsolvable
acquiring info through facts and trying to be influenced through emotional appeals and vice versa
what cues are we more likely to focus on under cog load
central
what does motivation depend on
need for cognition - how much fulfilment and enjoyment is derived from thinking about things
define peripheral cues
aspects of the message which aren’t rational arguments but may have a +/-ive influence and need little processing
what is needed for peripheral attitude shifts
strong peripheral cues
without motivation, what do we rely on instead
message’s speed and length
when are attitude shifts less stable
through the peripheral route
why may attitudes stay the same
if no more new info is received
study found high personal involvement caused what
attention to be paid to argument strength regardless of peripheral cues and increased motivation
study found low personal involvement caused what
argument strength is irrelevant, more attention paid to argument strength
study found what about distraction through cog load
least distracted could differentiate between strong/weak arguments, most distracted could not
distraction manipulation inhibits what
the dominant cognitive response which is to produce counter-arguments
