7: Persuasion Flashcards
Persuasion
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
Peripheral route to persuasion
Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness
Credibility
Believability. A credible communicator is perceived as both 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
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
Primacy effect
Other things being equal, information presented first usually has the most influence
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
Need for cognition
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.”
Cult (new religious movement)
- Distinctive rituals and beliefs related to its devotion to a god or a person
- Isolation from the surrounding “evil” culture
- A charismatic leader
Attitude inoculation
Exposing people to weak attacks upon their attitudes so that when stronger attacks come, they’ll have refutations available.
