Lecture 6: Alpha & Omega strategies for change

Question 1

What are the three main resistance strategies according to Fransen et al. (2015)?

Answer 1

• Avoidance
• Contesting
• Empowering

Question 2

What is the avoidance resistance strategy?

Answer 2

Strategies aimed at not seeing or hearing the message. You don’t even process the message often times.

Question 3

What is the contesting resistance strategy?

Answer 3

Actively refuting the message by challenging it

Question 4

What is the empowering resistance strategy?

Answer 4

Reassuring the self or one’s existing attitude. We don’t focus on the message, but we defend or reassure ourselves.

Question 5

which two types do we have for motivations we can have for our behavior?

Answer 5

Alpha and omega

Question 6

What is the approach-avoidance conflict?

Answer 6

A child would like to retrieve the ball in the sea, this could be the motivation for stepping forward to get it.
At the same time the waves might scare him, so to protect himself he might hold-back

Question 7

What are two different tactics to promote attitudinal or behavioral change?

Answer 7

• Increase approach forces with Alpha strategies

- Decrease avoidance with Omega strategies

Question 8

What are the three types of avoidance with omega strategies?

Answer 8

• Physical avoidance
• Mechanical avoidance
• Cognitive avoidance

Question 9

What is physical avoidance?

Answer 9

Just leave the room, nee-nee stickers

Question 10

What is mechanical avoidance?

Answer 10

Zapping, zipping, muting or skipping ads

Question 11

What is cognitive avoidance?

Answer 11

Also known as selective exposure/attention, so not paying interest in it but only to the things we like.

Question 12

How do we neutralize avoidance with omega strategies?

Answer 12

Sidestep resistance:

• Disguise the sender i.e., use influencers
• Disguise the persuasive intent
• Viral and (E-)WOM marketing
• Redefine the interaction (i.e., Genius Bar, make it cooperative and not selling)
• Minimizing the request
• Raise the comparison (i.e. now half the price!)
• Pushing the choice into the future (i.e., buy now, pay later)

Question 13

How can you neutralize contesting with omega strategies?

Answer 13

• Address resistance directly
• Consume resistance
• Distract resistance
• Disrupt resistance

Question 14

What happens when you neutralize contesting by addressing resistance directly?

Answer 14

Identify what causes the resistance and take that away

• For example, counter argue it with two-sided advertising (two points of view)
• Use safety cues and warranties

Question 15

What happens when you neutralize contesting by consuming resistance?

Answer 15

Deplete the audience, consume their willingness to resist
- Conform them when they are low on self-control at the end of the day for example. Then people lack the willingness or ability to resist

Question 16

What happens when you neutralize contesting by distracting resistance?

Answer 16

Distract them from coming up with counterargument, give their working memory something else to do so they can’t resist.

• Humor
• Sex appeal

Question 17

What happens when you neutralize contesting by disrupting resistance?

Answer 17

Confusing people by inserting something unexpected

• Disrupt then reframe
• Unconventionally

Question 18

What is contesting content?

Answer 18

It is actively refuting the message. Can be about:

• Counterarguing
• or message derogation.

Question 19

What is empowerment?

Answer 19

Can be about:

• Attitude bolstering
• Social validation
• Self-assertion

Question 20

What is attitude bolstering?

Answer 20

generating thoughts and arguments that support our own point of view.

Question 21

What is validation?

Answer 21

Is referring to others that share your opinions (many others think or do the same)

Question 22

What is self-assertion?

Answer 22

reminding yourself that you are confident in what you feel and that no one can change that

Question 23

How do you neutralize empowerment with omega strategies?

Answer 23

• Use resistance to promote change

- Address the resistance indirectly

Question 24

How do you neutralize empowerment by using resistance to promote change?

Answer 24

• self-persuasion (next class)
• reverse psychology
• give people choices, i.e., cook or take the kids to bed
• provide control

Question 25

How do you neutralize empowerment by addressing the resistance indirectly?

Answer 25

take away their need to be resistant.

- Raise their self-efficacy.