Lecture 5 - Personal Persuasion Flashcards
What is persuasive communication?
Persuasive communication is a message advocating a particular side of an issue
What was the Yale Method (Hovland & Weiss, 1951) focused on?
Studying conditions under which people are most likely to change attitudes in response to a persuasive message; considered the source of communication, the quality of communication, and the target audience
What are the components of the Yale Method’s persuasion-as-learning model?
Exposure –> Attention –> Comprehension –> Learning –> Retention
What is the ‘halo effect’ in source attractiveness?
The halo effect is the tendency for good traits to cluster (Chain, 1980); attractive sources seem more persuasive, especially when recipients are not thinking deeply (Kang & Herr, 2006)
How does source certainty affect persuasion?
Higher expressed certainty increased persuasion (Wells, Ferguson & Lindsay, 1981; Price & Stone, 2004), even though high certainty doesn’t guarantee accuracy (Kassin, 1985)
What are French & Raven’s (1959) six sources of power?
Coercive, Expert, Information (1965), Legitimate, Referent, and Reward power
How does vividness f argument affect persuasion?
- Vivid arguments (colourful, memorable) generally enhance persuasion (d = .31 for attitudes, d = .39 for behavioural intentions; Blonde & Granola, 2016)
- Linked to identifiable victim effect (Collins et al., 1988)
What characterises a high-quality persuasive argument?
- Clear, logical, highlights consequences, appeals to core values/motivations (Cacioppo, Petty & Snider, 1982)
- Addresses counterarguments (Cacioppo, Petty & Sidera, 1987)
What are the two systems in persuasion processing?
System 1 (automatic, low elaboration) and system 2 (deliberate, high elaboration)
What does the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) propose?
- Elaboration (deep thinking) leads to stronger attitudes
- Both high and low elaboration routes can produce persuasion (Petty & Brinol, 2012; Petty & Wegener)
What influences elaboration likelihood?
- Distraction
- Ability and motivation to process (personal responsibility, need for cognition)
- Personal relevance
What did Cooper et al. (1996) find about complex evidence and juror persuasion?
- Easy to follow evidence leads to central processing (focus on argument)
- Complex evidence with jargon leads to peripheral processing (focus on credentials)
How does expectancy violation impact elaboration?
Surprising or counter-attitudinal messages increase elaboration (Petty et al., 2001; Petty & Baker, 1994)
What is selective attention?
The tendency to attend to information that confirms attitudes and ignore conflicting information (Eagly & Chain, 1998; Hart et al., 2009)
what did Kleinhesselink & Edwards (1975) find regarding selective attention?
Students cleared static (interpreted noisy or unclear information as clear) more often for arguments that supported their existing views
what is selective processing?
Evaluating argument strength and source credibility in ways that support existing beliefs (Kahan, 2012; Edwards & Smith, 1996)
What did Ditto & Lopez (1992) show about critical thinking and unwanted conclusions?
People scrutinise positive evidence when it challenges disliked views
How does cognition influence attitude formation?
Good or bad attributes about something influence attitudes towards it
How does affect (emotion) influence attitude formation?
Positive or negative emotions towards something directly influence attitudes (Guyer et al., 2018; Forgas, 2013)
How does mood impact information processing?
- Good mood promotes heuristic (System 1) processing
- Bad mood promotes central (System 2) processing (Petty & Brinol, 2015; Wegener & Petty, 1994)
How effective are fear-based messages in persuasion?
- Moderate fear combined with clear constructive information can lead to central processing and attitude change
- Extreme fear alone can cause defensive reactions (Leventhal, Watts & Pagano, 1967; Aronson, 2008; Emery et al., 2014; Petty, 1995)
