Chapter 5: Persuasion Flashcards
1
Q
Information-based persuasive communication changes?
A
attitude
2
Q
Cognitive response theory??
A
- a model of persuasive that assumes that the impact of a message on attitudes depends on the though invoked by the message
- the message itself can evoke + or - thoughts
3
Q
Cognitive response theory:
-positive thoughts can lead to? Negative?
A
- positive thoughts lead to adoption of advocated position.
- negative thoughts lead to the rejection of the advocated position
- *bases on strong and weak arguments
4
Q
What are the two models of persuasive messages?
A
- systematic-heuristic model
- elaboration likelihood model
5
Q
Persuasive messages:
- Systematic-heuristic model?
A
- two types of processing can occur in response to a persuasive message….. systematic processing = thought provoking …heuristic processing= mental shortcut (don’t pay much attention to the message)
6
Q
Persuasive messages:
- Elaboration likelihood model?
A
- specific the conditions under which people think carefully about the content of message.
- *two types of processing = central route to persuasion and the peripheral route to persuasion
7
Q
Persuasive messages:
- Elaboration likelihood model:
L> central route to persuasion?
A
- focusing on the argument
- if those arguments are strong and compelling, persuasion is likely. If they are weak arguments, thoughtful people will notice that the arguments aren’t very compelling and will counter-argue.
8
Q
Persuasive messages:
- Elaboration likelihood model:
L> the peripheral route to persuasion?
A
- looking at other things
- focusing on cues that trigger acceptance without much thinking. In these situations, easily understood familiar statements are more persuasive than novel statements with the same meaning.
- occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues such as a speaker’s attractiveness **
9
Q
What did Petty et al (1995) find with respect to the different persuasion routes?
A
- the central route processing can lead to more enduring change than the peripheral route
- by not thinking superficially but deeply, any changed attitude will more likely persist, resist attack and influence behaviour
- persuasion via the peripheral route often produces superficial and temporary attitude change.
10
Q
Explain the study by Hauser (2005)
A
- study assessing the effectiveness of abstinence education find some increases in a titles supporting abstinence but little long term impact on sexual behaviour.
- * changing attitude is easier than changing behaviour*
11
Q
Explain Albarracin et al, 2003 study
A
- HIV prevention education tends to have more effect on attitudes toward condoms than on condom use.
12
Q
In both Albarracin and Hauser’s studies what was found to be shared between the two?
A
- changing behaviour as well as attitudes seems to require people to actively process and rehearse their own convictions
13
Q
What is persuasion?
A
the process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes or behaviour
14
Q
Culture shaping usually occurs how?
A
top down ……
15
Q
Surveys before the war with Israel?(think Canadians vs Americans)
A
- found that Canadians opposed military action against Iraq by about 2:1 while Americans favoured it by the same margin (Burkholder, 2003)..Once the war began support for it rose for a time to more than 3:1 in the US. Except for Israel, people surveyed in all other countries were opposed to the attack.
16
Q
Compare systematic processing and heuristic processing! Which are analogous to the processes of Elaboration likelihood model?
A
- systematic processing occurs when people attend to and think about the message (central route is analogous to this)
- Heuristic processing occurs when people rely on simple cues rather than the strength of the arguments (peripheral route is analogous to this)
17
Q
Motivation and Ability:
- Systematic/central route processing occurs when?
A
- recipient of message is motivated to expend the energy needed to process the information
- recipient of message has the ability to process the information
- more enduring attitude change = systematic/central vs peripheral BUT they can change back in either route
18
Q
Heuristic Persuasion (peripheral route): - attitude change results from?
A
-cues that indicate that the position advocated in a message is valid
- relies on factors other than the strength of the argument presented
cues = relevance of the message, credibility of the communicator, likability of the communicator, attractiveness of the communicator and positive mood and emotion.
19
Q
Credibility?
A
- believability
- A credible communicator is perceived as both expert and trustworthy
- *the effects of source credibility diminishes after month or so
20
Q
Sleeper effect?
A
- a delayed impact of a message, occurs when we remember the message but forget a reason for discounting it.
21
Q
How to appear credible?
A
- speak confidently
- say things the audience agrees with
22
Q
How to appear trustworthy?
A
- speech style affects this
Hemsley et al (1978)-> if while testifying, videotaped witnesses looked their questioner straight in the eye instead of gazing downward, they impressed more people as believable - it is also higher if the audience believes the communicator is not trying to persuade them
-also if they argue against their own self interest
23
Q
Norman Miller et al (1976) and trustworthiness and credibility?
A
- these increase when people talk fast. People who listened to tape-recorded messages rated fast speakers (about 190 words per minute) as more objective, intelligent and knowledgeable than slow speakers. They also found rapid speakers more persuasive.
- *communicators gain credibility if they appear to be expert and trustworthy.
24
Q
Attractiveness of the communicator?
A
- having qualities that appeal to an audience An appealing communicator (often someone similar to the audience) is most persuasive on matters of subjective presence.
- it can exist in many forms such as physical….arguments especially emotional ones are more influential if they come from beautiful people.
- similarity - we tend to like people that are similar to us
- this is why sales person mimic and mirror!
- people tend to respond better if the message comes from someone in our group
25
Factor X? (Goethals and Nelson, 1973)
-is whether the topic is one of subjective preference or objective reality. When the choice concerns matters of personal value, taste or way of life similar communications have the most influence. But on judgements of fact - confirmation of relief by a dissimilar person does more to boost confidence. A dissimilar person provides a more independent judgement.
26
Rational vs emotional appeals?
| - Cacioppo and Hovland study
- well educated/analytical people are more response to rational appeals that are less educated or less analytical people.
27
Rational vs emotional appeals?
-Chaiken and Petty study
(think about the two routes and the type of people that use them)
-thoughtful, involved audiences travel the central route; they are most responsive to reasoned arguments. Disinterested audiences travel the peripheral route; they are more affected by how much they like the communicator.
28
Rational vs emotional appeals?
| - the importance of how peoples attitudes were formed?
- when peoples initial attitudes are formed primarily through emotion, they are more persuaded by later emotional appeals; when their initial attitudes are formed primarily through reason, they are more persuaded by later intellectual arguments.
29
What are the size persuasion principles?
- authority
- liking
- social proof
- reciprocity
- consistency
- scarcity
30
Persuasion Principles:
| - authority?
- people defer to credible experts
31
Persuasion Principles:
| - liking?
- people respond more affirmatively to those they like
32
Persuasion Principles:
| - social proof?
- people allow the example of others to validate how to think, feel and act.
33
Persuasion Principles:
| - reciprocity?
- people feel obliged to repay in kind what they've received.
34
Persuasion Principles:
| - consistency?
- people tend to honour their public commitments
35
Persuasion Principles:
| - scarcity?
- people prize what' scarce
36
The Message:
| - Reason vs Emotion: fear?
- arousal of fear has been used in many health related attitude change messages
* *fear framed vs positively framed messages.
* * the more frightened people are the more they respond
37
The effects of good feelings on the message?
| - Janis et al?
-messages become more persuasive through association with good feelings.
L> they found that students were more convinced by persuasive messages if they were allowed to enjoy peanuts and pepsi while reading them
38
Good feelings often chance persuasion partly by?
- enhancing positive thinking and party by linking good feelings with the message.
- people in good moods make faster more impulse decisions, they rely on peripheral cues.
39
The effects of arousing fear:
| -Banks et al (1995) study?
- women who had no obtained mammograms view and educational video on them.
- of those who reviewed a positively framed message (emphasizing that getting a mammogram can save your life through early detection), only half got a mammogram within 12 months. Of those who received a fear framed message (emphasizing that not getting a mammogram can cost you your life), two thirds got a mammogram within 12 months.
40
The effects of arousing fear:
| - fear framed messages work better when trying to prevent good/bad outcomes?
- bad outcomes (such as cancer) than when trying to promote a good outcome (such as fitness)
41
The effects of arousing fear:
| - what about when the fear pertains to a pleasurable activity?
- Elliot Aronson (1997)
| - the result often is not behavioural change but denial
42
The effects of arousing fear:
| - fear arousing messages are more effective if you do what?
- lead people not only to fear the severity and likelihood of a threatened event but also to perceive a solution and feel capable of implementing it.
43
Discrepancy interacts with communicator credibility...disagreement produces?
- discomfort and discomfort prompts people to change their opinions. The effect of large versus small discrepancy depends on whether the communicator is credible.
* ** if the communicator is a credible authority and your audience isn't much concerned with your issue go for it: advocate an extreme view.
44
One sided versus two-sided appeals:
| - Carl Hovland et al (1949) study design?
- two radio broadcasts
- they argued that war in the Pacific would last at least two more years.
- one was one sided - did not acknowledge the existence of contradictory arguments such as the advantage of fighting only one enemy instead of two
- one was two sided - mentioned and responded to the opposing arguments.
45
One sided versus two-sided appeals:
| - Carl Hovland et al (1949) study results?
- one sided appeal was most effective with those who already agreed. An appeal that acknowledged opposing arguments worked better with those who disagreed.
46
One sided versus two-sided appeals:
| - some experiments have revealed what about two sided arguments?
- it is more persuasive and enduring if people are (or will be) aware of opposing arguments.
47
One sided versus two-sided appeals:
| - audience awareness of views?
- 2 opposing argument sides = less bias ...can't counter argue with you
48
One sided versus two-sided appeals:
| - primary effect?
- other things being equal, information presented first usually has the most influence
49
One sided versus two-sided appeals:
| - recency effect?
- information presented last sometimes has the most influence. Recency effects are less common than primary effects.
50
One sided versus two-sided appeals:
| - recency effect causes?
- forgetting creates the recent effect. When enough time separates the two and when the audience commits itself
51
Channel of communication?
- the way the message is delivered - whereto face to face , in writing , on film or in some other way.
52
A persuasive speaker must deliver a message that not only gets attention but?
also is understandable, convincing, memorable and compelling.
53
Advertising exposure helps make an unfamiliar candidate?
familiar
| *moreover repression can make things believable
54
What other factors can help make a message more persuasive?
- rhyming, also increase fluency and believability.
| - whatever makes for fluency (familiarity, rhyming) also makes for credibility
55
Persuasion decreases as what increases?
as the significance of the issue increases
56
Does active experience strengthen attitudes?
YES
- more so, attitudes more often endure and influence our behaviour when rooted in our own experience. Experience based attitudes are more confident, more stable and less vulnerable to attack.
57
Media influence: The two-step flow:
| -Elihu Katz (1957) study?
- observed that much of the medias effects operate in two step flow of communication: from media to opinion leaders to the rank and file. Opinion leaders are individuals perceived as experts. They may include talk show hosts and editorial columnists; doctors, teachers and scientists.
58
Media influence: The two-step flow:
| -what is two step flow of communication?
- the process by which media influences often occurs through opinion leaders, who in turn influence others
59
Media influence: The two-step flow:
| -even if the media had little direct effect on people's attitude, they can still have what?
have a big indirect effect
60
Comparing media:
| - What is the order of persuasiveness ?
- live, videotaped, audiotaped and written
| * *messages are best comprehended and recalled when written.
61
What type of people are the easiest to influence?
- those with moderate self esteem
62
The Audience:
- Age
L> two explanations for persuasion?
- life cycle explanation
| - generational explanation
63
Explain life cycle explanation
- attitudes change as people grow older (ex: become more conservative)
64
Explain generational explanation
- attitudes do not change; older people largely hold onto the attitudes they adopted when they were young. Because these attitudes are different from those now being adopted by young people today a generation gap develops.
65
What are important formative years?
teens and early twenties. Attitudes are changeable during this time and the attitudes formed then tend to stabilize through middle adulthood.
66
In central route persuasion, whats crucial is not the message but?
the responses it evokes in a persons mind.
67
Forewarned is forearmed if you care to counter-argue:
| - Freedman and Sears (1965) ?
- warned one group of high school students they were going to hear a talk entitled "Why teenagers should not be allowed to drive". Those forewarned did not budge their opinions. Those not forewarned did budge.
68
What three things with respect to Counter arguing were discussed in class ?(3)
- forewarning
- distraction
- need for cognition
69
Distractions disarms counter-arguing ?
- verbal persuasion is enhanced by distracting ppl with something that attracts their attention just enough to inhibit counter arguing.
- distractions are especially effective when the message is simple
70
Couter-arguing
| - 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 terms such as " I only think as hard as I have to"
* *the more we think about an issue the more we take the central route
71
Counter-arguing:
| Cacioppo, Petty et al - different ways to stimulate people's thinking?
- by using rhetorical questions
- by presenting multiple speakers (for ex: three speakers, each give one argument instead of one speaker giving three)
- by making ppl feel responsible for evaluating or passing along the message
- by repeating the message
- by getting people's undistracted attention.
* *they stimulate thinking which makes stronger messages more persuasive and (bc of counter-arguing) weak messages become less persuasive.
72
What is a cult?
- a group typically characterized by (1) the distinctive ritual of its devotion to a god or person, (2) isolation from the surrounding "evil" culture, and (3) a charismatic leader. (a sect by contrast is a spinoff from a major religion).
73
Cults:
| - the greater the ____, the more the need to justify it.
- personal commitment
74
Cults:
| - successful cults typically have what?
- a charismatic leader that attracts and directs the members.
75
Cults:
| -Cult researcher Margaret singer (1979) noted what?
- middle class caucasian youths are more vulnerable because they are more trusting
76
Cults:
| - the message?
- vivid, emotional messages and the warmth and acceptance with which the group showers them can be very appealing.
77
Cults:
| - The audience?
- recruits are often young people under 25
| - less educated people who like the simplicity of the message and find it difficult to counter argue.
78
Describe the variables known to affect the impact of persuasion communications
- Communicator ( credibility, expertise, trustworthiness and attractiveness) -----> Message content ( reason vs emotion, discrepancy, one sided vs two, primacy vs recency)--> Channel (active vs passive, personal vs media)--> Audience ( analytical or image conscious, age)
79
Grouping effects:
| - Stark and Bainbridge (1980), social implosion?
- external ties weaken until the group collapses inward socially, each person engaging only with other group members
80
How can persuasion be resisted?
- public commitment ?
- Kiesler (1971)?
- attitude inoculation?
- you can resist persuasion by making a public commitment to your position. (less likely to change your opinion)
- Mildly attack their position. Kiesler found that when committed people were attacked strongly enough to cause them to react, but not so strongly as to overwhelm them, they become even more committed.
- exposing people t weak attacks on their attitudes so that when stronger attacks come, they will have refutations available.
81
Grouping effect:
- poison parasite defence?
L> Robert Cialdini et al (2003)
- one that combines a poison (strong counter arguments) with a parasite (retrieval cues that bring those arguments to mind when seeing the opposites aids).
82
Grouping effect:
| - McAlister et al (1980) inoculating children against peer presser to smoke?
- had high school students inoculate students in grade seven against peer pressure to smoke. The grade seven students were taught to respond to advert implying that liberated women smoke by saying she's not that liberated if she's smoking. They also acted role plays after being called chicken or not smoking they answered with id be a real chicken if I smoked to impress you. The inoculated children were half as likely to begin smoking as unincoulated students at another middle school.
83
What is group think?
- cohesive group + leader everyone looks up to. No one wants to go against the group therefore making the beliefs stronger.
