Chapter 5–Persuasion Flashcards
What are Cialdini’s 3 social influence tactics? (Persuasion)
Foot in the door phenomenon
Door in the face technique
Lowballing technique
Describe the door-in-the-face technique (persuasion)
A strategy for persuading someone to agree to your request.
- First, you ask a unreasonable request that they reject
- Second, you ask a more reasonable request (the one you actually want them to agree to)
Works because of:
- reciprocity (they feel like you’re doing them a favour)
- contrast effect (later request seems more reasonable because its framed in contrast to the initial request)
Describe the foot-in-the-door phenomenon (persuasion)
- People who have first agreed to a small request tend to comply later with a larger request, because they’re already doing this much, why not do a little bit more?
Describe the low-ball technique (persuasion)
People who agree to an initial request will often still comply when the requester ups the cost for whatever reason.
People who receive only the costly request are less likely to comply with it.
What is persuasion?
The process by which messages induce change in beliefs, attitudes or behaviours
What is the central route to persuasion? When can it occur?
(Elaboration Likelihood Model)
Central route persuasion: a way of influencing someone’s attitude or beliefs through careful thought and logical reasoning.
Occurs when messages target system 2 thinking:
- people are motivated to think deeply about a message
- people are able to think deeply about a message
Results of persuasion will last LONG; more likely to influence behaviour
What is the peripheral route to persuasion? When can it occur?
(Elaboration Likelihood Model)
Peripheral route persuasion: a way of influencing someone’s attitudes or beliefs through superficial cues (like the attractiveness of the spokesperson) rather than the content of the message itself
Occurs when a message targets system 1 thinking:
- when people use heuristics
- when people use incidental cues to make snap judgements
What four factors make persuasion effective?
- Who says it (communicator)
- What is said (the message)
- How it is said (the channel)
- To whom it is said (the audience)
How can the communicator cause effective persuasion (who says it)
If the communicator seems credible. They can do that by:
1. Speak clearly without hesitating
2. Speak fast
3. Give eye contact
HALO EFFECT: If the communicator is attractive. Works best when persuading on matters of subjective preference
How can the message cause effective persuasion (what is said)
The message can persuade by
1. Associating with good feelings—ppl in good moods make quicker, less reflective judgements
2. Arousing fear (ONLY if message offers a solution, and isn’t something ppl are inherently terrified of)
How can the channel cause effective persuasion (how it is said)
Face-to-face appeals work best
Print media can be effective for complex messages
Mass media can be effective when the issue is minor/unfamiliar and in the hands of the right ppl
How can the intended audience cause effective persuasion (to whom it is said)
The age of the audience makes a difference:
- young ppl’s attitudes are more subject to change
How do cults succeed
Eliciting behavioural commitments (Chapter 4)
Applying principles of effective persuasion (Chapter 5)
Isolating members in like-minded groups (Chapter 7)
How can persuasion be resisted?
- Strong attitudes cause confirmation bias (avoiding info that doesn’t align with attitude)
- Reactance: resisting persuasive messages if ppl feel coerced/manipulated
- Attitude inoculation: a mild attack on one’s attitude builds resistance to later persuasion
What is attitude inoculation?
Attitude inoculation: a mild attack on one’s attitude builds resistance to later persuasion
What is a cult?
Group characterized by:
- A distinctive ritual of devotion to a god or person
- Isolation from the surrounding “evil” culture
- Charismatic leader
Describe the difference between the primacy effect and the recency effect. When is one more active than the other?
Primacy effect: information that came first has the most influence
Recency effect: info presented last sometimes has the most influence
Recency effect is most influential only when the gap between presentations of information is larger; the larger it is the more likely the recency effect
Describe selective attention
The extent to which people’s attitudes bias information (relevant to the attitude) they attend to
Describe selective exposure
The extent to which peoples attitudes bias the information (relevant to that attitude) they expose themselves to
Describe selective memory
The extent to which people’s attitudes bias the recall and recognition information relevant to that attitude
Describe the sleeper effect—how misinformation spreads
- At first a message is dismissed because its unreliable source
- Overtime, people forget where the info came from but remember the info itself
- Eventually the info becomes more persuasive because its lack of credibility is no longer as strongly associated with it
How does the two-step flow of communication increase a message’s persuasiveness
- Opinion leaders (ex. Influencers) receive info from mass media
- Opinion leaders pass on this information to the general public, who trust their judgment more than the original source
How does authority play into persuasion
People tend to over rely on authority as a way of knowing.
- much more likely to comply with people who have authority (Milgrim shock study)
