Chapter 8: Persuasion

Question 1

elaboration likelihood model (ELM)

Answer 1

… to explain how people change their attitudes in response to persuasive messages. The core idea is that people | in certain contexts process persuasive messages rather mindlessly and effortlessly and on other occasions deeply and attentively.

Question 2

the central route to persuasion

Answer 2

… occurs when people think carefully and deliberately about the content of a persuasive message (Figure 8.1). They attend to the logic and strength of the arguments and evidence presented in the message

Question 3

peripheral route to persuasion

Answer 3

…, people primarily attend to peripheral | aspects of a message—relatively superficial, easy-to-process features of a communication that are tangential to the persuasive information itself.

Question 4

source characteristics

Answer 4

Questions about who delivers a persuasive message have to do with …

Question 5

Attractiveness

Answer 5

… …communicators can promote attitude change through the peripheral route

Question 6

Credibility

Answer 6

… More generally, the sheer … of a messages source can sway opinions under circumstances that promote the peripheral route to persuasion

Question 7

The sleeper effect

Answer 7

… is an effect that occurs when a persuasive message from an unreliable source initially exerts little influence but later causes attitudes to shift

Question 8

Certainty

Answer 8

… That sources who express their views with … and confidence tend to be more persuasive

Question 9

Message characteristics

Answer 9

…: By now you should be able to anticipate the answer from the perspective of the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM): it depends on the audience motivation and ability to process the message

Question 10

Message quality

Answer 10

…: high-quality messages are more persuasive in general, especially for people who are strong in motivation and ability. Messages are of higher quality when they appeal to core values of the audience; when they’re straightforward, clear, and logical; and when they articulate the desirable consequences of taking the actions suggested by the message

Question 11

Vividness

Answer 11

… When information is vivid—colorful, interesting, and memorable it tends to be more effective. In fact, vivid but misleading information can often trump more valid and relevant information that’s not as flashy

Question 12

Fear

Answer 12

…: In short, it appears that fear-eliciting persuasive messages that provide information that can be acted on can be highly effective

Question 13

Culture

Answer 13

… Not surprisingly, it’s important to tailor a message to fit the norms, values, and outlook of the cultural group of your audience

Question 14

Audience characteristics

Answer 14

…: Researchers have discovered a range of audience characteristics that can influence whether a persuasive message is likely to be effective.

Question 15

Need for cognition

Answer 15

… People differ in their need for cognition, the degree to which they like to think deeply about things. As you might imagine, people with a high need for cognition are more persuaded by high-quality arguments and are relatively unmoved by peripheral cues of persuasion. By contrast, people who have a lower need for cognition are persuaded more by easier-to-process, peripheral cues

Question 16

Mood

Answer 16

… As anyone who’s ever tried to win the heart of another can attest, its easier to persuade when the person you’re trying to woo is in the right mood. The effects of mood on persuasion can also be more nuanced. Duane Wegener and Richard Petty suggest that persuasive efforts tend to be successful when the mood of the message matches the mood of the audience

Question 17

Age

Answer 17

… Who is more likely to be persuaded by messages, younger people? As you might have guessed, its younger people

Question 18

metacognition

Answer 18

…—the thoughts we have about our thoughts—can influence attitude change. The idea is that we have primary cognitions, the thoughts themselves, as well as secondary cognitions, reflections on the thoughts we just had

Question 19

The self-validation hypothesis

Answer 19

… maintains that feeling confident about our thoughts validates those thoughts, making it more likely that we’ll be swayed in their direction

Question 20

agenda control

Answer 20

…: media of all types substantially con’ tribute to shaping the information we think is broadly true and important.

Question 21

thought polarization hypothesis

Answer 21

A less obvious reason is that public commitments engage us in more extensive thoughts about a particular issue, which tends to produce more extreme, entrenched attitudes. Abraham Tesser labeled this idea the …