Persuasion Flashcards
Persuasion
researchers have identified alpha or omega strategies for increasing the effectiveness of a persuasive message (i.e., that the message will persuade recipients to change their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors). Describe each strategy
alpha: attempt to overcome resistance to persuasion by increasing approach forces
omega: attempt to reduce or neutralize resistance to persuasion by decreasing avoidance forces
Persuasion
list alpha strategies associated with increasing the effectiveness of persuasive messages
providing reasons why change is desirable by:
* maximizing the strength arguments presented in the message
* using consensus information (e.g., showing that the attitude, belief, or behavior advocated for by the message is the most popular one)
Persuasion
list omega strategies associated with increasing the effectiveness of persuasive messages
addressing resistance by:
* providing recipients with counterarguments to their concerns
* using comparisons to make the position more desirable
Persuasion
research on persuasion found that communicators (source) factors are more persuasive when they have these 3 qualities
- attractiveness
- likability
- credibility
Persuasion
research has found that credibility of communicators is most affected by these 2 factors
expertise & trustworthiness
Persuasion
list 3 qualities of communicators that increase their perceived credibility
adequate knowledge, skill, & expertise
Persuasion
the likeihood of a well-known basketball player being a more effective spokesperson for athletic shoes than for non-athletic products is an example of which factor that makes communicators more persuasive
credibility
Persuasion
list 3 qualities of communicators that increase their perceived trustworthiness
being fair, honest, & unbiased
Persuasion
trustworthiness can be affected by the communicator’s ____, with communicators being more likely to be considered trustworthy when they are arguing against their own best interests or when the message is accidentally overheard
intent
Persuasion
this concept refers to the tendency for people, over time, to remember the message but forget its source despite whether the message came from a high- or low-credible communicator
the sleeper effect
Persuasion
list 3 message factors that affect the persuasiveness of a message
1) message discrepancy
2) presentation order & timing
3) fear arousal
Persuasion
the relationship between amount of attitude change & message discrepancy has an inverted-U shape, with the greatest amount of change being elicited when there’s moderate discrepancy between these 2 factors
1) the recipient’s current position
2) the position advocated for by the message
Persuasion
this occurs when the two sides are presented back-to-back and a period of time passes before recipients’ attitudes are assessed (i.e., the side presented first has the greatest effect on attitudes)
a primary effect
Persuasion
this occurs when one side of an argument is presented, a period of time passes before the other side is presented, and the recipients’ attitudes are assessed immediately after the second presentation (i.e., the side presented second has the greatest impact)
the recency effect
Persuasion
Tannenbaum et al.’s (2015) research found that the effect of fear arousal depends on certain conditions and that appeals to fear are most effective under these 3 conditions
when they:
1) attempt to arouse a relatively high level of fear
2) include an efficacy message that assures recipients that they’re capable of taking the recommended action and/or that performing the recommended action will have desirable outcomes
3) describe the negative consequences & risk for those consequences if action is not taken
Persuasion
list the 3 recipient factors linked to susceptibility to persuasion
1) self-esteem
2) intelligence
3) age
Persuasion
Rhodes & Wood (1992) found that recipients with what level of self-esteem were most susceptible to influence
moderate self-esteem
Persuasion
Rhodes & Wood (1992) found that higher levels of susceptibility were associated with what levels of intelligence?
lower levels of intelligence
Persuasion
although research investigating the impact of age on susceptibility have produced inconsistent results, but there’s some support for what?
adolescents/young adults & older adults being more susceptible than middle-aged adults
Persuasion
with regard to strategies that affect people’s resistance to persuasion, this hypothesis, based on the medical model of immunization, proposes that an effective way to increase resistance to persuasion is to “immunize” people against attempts to change their attitudes, which invovles providing them with weak arguments against their current attitudes along with counterarguments that refute thos arguments before they’re exposed to the persuasive message
McGuire’s (1973) attitude inoculation hypothesis
Persuasion
Dittmar et al. (2014) found that prioritization of materialistic values & goals strongly correlated with these 4 behaviors (list in order of strength)
1) compulsive buying behavior
2) engaging in risky health behaviors
3) negative self-appraisal
4) negative affect
Persuasion
this scale measures the centrality of acquiring material goods to a person’s life & the person’s beliefs about the effects of acquistion on happiness & success
the Material Values Scale (Richins & Dawson, 1992)
Persuasion
Mullainathan & Shafir (2014) aruge that the ____ of something required to fulfill a need causes preoccupation with the unfulfilled need and a reduction in “mental bandwidth” that limits our ability to pay attention, make good decisions, stick with out plans, & resist temptation
scarcity
Persuasion
list the 2 components of mental bandwidth
1) cognitive capacity
2) executive control
Persuasion
according to Mullainathan & Shafir (2014), this concept consists of mechanisms required to solve problems, engage in logical reasoning, & retain information and is assessed with measures of fluid reasoning
cognitive capacity
Persuasion
according to Mullainathan & Shafir (2014) this concept consists of mechanisms that are necessary for planning, shifting attention, and initiating & inhibiting certain actions
executive control
Persuasion
Mullainathan & Shafir (2014) propose that periods of scarcity can produce this, which is characterized by 1) preoccupation with an unfulfilled need and 2) self-defeating behaviors that perpetuate scarcity (e.g., a person with limited financial resources may postpone getting a broken car taillight fixed but then gets a ticket for the broken taillight, which results in an additional expense)
a scarcity trap
Persuasion
this concept is based on the premise that losses loom larger than gains (i.e., the displeasure that people experience when they lose something is greater than the pleasure they experience when they gain the same thing)
Kahneman & Tversky’s (1979) loss aversion
aggravation resulting from losing a specific amount of money is 2x as powerful as the satisfaction resulting from gaining the same amount of money
Persuasion
loss aversion is a component of this theory developed by Kahneman & Tversy’s, which addresses how risky decisions are made
prospect theory
