ATTITUDES | PERSUASION Flashcards
a positive, negative or mixed evaluation of an object that is expressed as some level of intensity – nothing more, nothing less
ATTITUDE
the process by which we form an attitude toward a neutral stimulus because of its association with a positive or negative person, place, or thing.
EVALUATIVE CONDITIONING
the process by which attitudes are changed
PERSUASION
two routes of persuasion
CENTRAL ROUTE AND PERIPHERAL ROUTE TO PERSUASION
the process by which a person thinks carefully about a communication and is influenced by the strength of its arguments.
rational and critical way of thinking
CENTRAL ROUTE
where people think about the information they receive in personally significant messages.
elaboration
people assess the validity of their thoughts
SELF-VALIDATION HYPOTHESIS
the process by which a person does not think carefully about communication and is influenced winstead by superficial cues
PERIPHERAL ROUTE TO PERSUASION
Human thoughts and feelings are influenced by the physical position, orientation, and movements of our bodies.
EMBODIMENT EFFECTS ON ATTITUDES
Embodiment effects on attitudes:
nodding their heads
agreed more with arguments
Embodiment Effects of attitudes:
arm flexing
associated with pleasant judgements
two track distinction between central routes help explain why persuasion can seem logical or illogical
the route chosen depends on the recipient’s ability and motivation to process the messages.
ROUTE SELECTION
influenced by three factors:
source
message
audience
PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION
the source speaks clearly
the message is important
the audience us bright, attentive, involved, cares about the issue, and has time to absorb information
CENTRAL ROUTE
the source speech is too fast to comprehend.
the message is trivial or overly complex.
the audience is distracted, pressed for time, or uninterested.
PERIPHERAL ROUTE
inconsistent cognition arouses psychological tension that people become motivated to reduce
Leon Festinger
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
the desire for cognitive consistency can lead ro irrational and maladaptive behavior
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
People can justify their own behavior, even when it is inconsistent with their attitudes.
JUSTIFYING ATTITUDE-DISCREPANT BEHAVIOR
a condition in which people freely perform an attitude-discrepant behavior without receiving a large reward.
INSUFFICIENT JUSTIFICATION
a phenomenon in which the punishment for a behavior is not severe enough to prevent people from engaging in that behavior.
INSUFFICIENT DETERRENCE
People alter their attitudes to justify their suffering
Coming to like what we suffer for
JUSTIFYING EFFORT
People tend to make their decisions seem even better after they have made them
When good choices get even better
Justifying difficult decisions
- unwanted negative consequences
- personal responsibility
- physiological arousal
- attribute the arousal to their behavior
4 STEPS FOR AROUSAL AND REDUCTION OF DISSONANCE
