Persuasion and attitude change Flashcards
What years was social psychology largely the study of attitudes? + Who said this
1920’s, 1930’s. Allport 1935.
When did experimental re-search 1st start on persuasion?
During WW2. US gov wanted to persuade people that they needed to join the war- psychologists brought in.
After WW2 how did persuasion and attitude change progress? (3 things)
In the 1950’s/60’s post-war prosperity, strong interest in persuasion from businesses.
Then this adapted into ‘attitude change’.
The funding and capacity of attitude change to continue has always been plentiful due to governments, charities and businesses.
Who continued their work after the war in the first what?
Hovland (1953), in the first coordinated research programme dealing with social psychology of persuasion.
What are the 3 nonstarters?
Hypnosis, subliminal perception, brainwashing.
2 points for hypnosis
It’s effective in one-to-one interaction with susceptible subjects
BUT no use for persuasion through mass media
What is subliminal perception?
Preconscious processing of stimuli below the intensity or duration of absolute threshold.
Who first suggested subliminal perception, in what situation? Who and what was the final conclusion on the topic?
James Vicary (1957), 'drink coca cola, eat popcorn' flawed 0.3ms on alternate endings. Sales roles 18%/58%. However in 1984 he admitted he made it up. Conclusion was, it doesn't work very well even closer to the threshold 150ms, (Thorpe, Marlot 1996).
Who was brainwashing allegedly used on/what year? What can it be comprised of? Conclusions (2 points)
US POW in Korean War 1950-1953.
Social isolation, sleep deprivation, propaganda.
Largely ineffective (Cialdini 2007).
Victims usually comply outwardly but not internalise the persuasive messages.
What was the Yale communication program? Who, what year?
Hovland et al (1953)
that the key to understanding why people attend to, understand,accept a persuasive message is to study the characteristics of the person presenting the message, the contents of the message, and the characteristics of the receiver of the message.
What are the 3 variables in the Yale programme? What were the 3 variables linked with?
Source variables, message variables, recipient variable. Attention, comprehension, acceptance and retention.
What is source credibility affected by? 5 points, 4 names.
Trustworthiness, expertise (O’Keefe, 2002)
Popular, attractive sources = more trustworthy (Kiesler, Kiesler 1969) - George Cloony
Experts are more persuasive (Hovland, Weiss 1952).
Rapid speech increases perceived expertise (Miller et al 1976).
People we feel familiar, close to are able to exert more influence.
What is the ‘sleeper effect’, who created it, what year?
(Hovland, Weiss 1951)
A messages power increases over time, the less credible source would become as persuasive as the more credible source, because the message survives but the source does not.
Therefore, negative political campaigning works in the long run.
The 4 aspects in message variables
Repetition, one-sided vs two-sided arguments, inoculation theory, fear appeals.
4 points in repetition, 2 names
Increases perceived truth (Arkes et al 1991).
Mere exposure effect (Zajonc 1968)- tendency for repeated exposure to enhance an observers liking for it or attitude towards it.
There are exceptions, like you can get bored or irritated.
3 points to one-sided vs two-sided arguments. 2 names
Two sided is usually better (O’Keefe 1990).
Exceptions: Low intelligence recipients, if people initially agree, or if they’re unfamiliar with the issue (Allen et al 1999).
Comparative advertising, where the rival product is presented alongside as inferior is a common instance.
Whats the inoculation theory, whose it by? Whats a cultural truism? 1 more name.
McGuire (1964)
Most ordinary attitudes/beliefs are more or less resistant to persuasion through being exposed to mild attacks.
Cultural truisms- Something most people have never heard being questioned ‘It is a good idea to brush your teeth 3 times a day’ are more vulnerable to persuasion.
Based on biological analogy, resistance to persuasion of cultural truisms can be increased by inoculation.
Compton, Pfau (2005)
Whats the concept of fear appeal? Who did the report on it, what year? Who found a conflicting results? What’s the explanation for the results.
Fear will persuade someone further.
Janis Feshbach (1953), in a dental hygiene found less fear = messages followed more thoroughly. Hypothesised a inverted U hypothesis.
However, Wtts, Pagano (1967) found the opposite result on fearful communication to help people stop smoking.
When fear is low = people little motivated to attend to it, because it doesn’t make clear the consequences. As fear increase, so does arousal, interest + attention. But at too much fear, anxiety, panic may distort attention.
If someone feels they have the resources to cope then they’ll act on it compared to if they don’t.
What are the 3 recipient variables?
Self-esteem, sex differences, age differences.
Describe who + what the 3 recipient variables are.
Initially, Hovland found that distracted audience= easily persuaded, low SE more susceptible.
Self-esteem (McGuire 1968) People with high or low self-esteem are less influenced.
Curvilinear affect.
Sex differences- Crutchfield 1955) Women are more influenced than men. However, depends on other factors e.g. Sistrunk, McDavid (1971) favoured that when the subject is one men are more familiar women are easily persuaded and vice versa.
Age differences( Visser, Krosnick 1998)
5 different hypothesis- Increasing persistence, Impressionable years, Life stages, Lifelong opens, Persistence. Visser supported life stages- High susceptibility during early adulthood and later life.
Definition of the elaboration likelihood model?
People are cognitive misers who only expend cognitive effort on issue important to them.
Who was the elaboration likelihood model by, year?
Petty, Cacioppo 1981, 1986
Describe the elaboration likelihood model?
Duel-process they. Highly motivated individuals process the message with care and elaborate, think about argument )central route).
If the argument is compelling they show lasting attitude change.
People whose motivation and processing ability are low are likely to be influenced by peripheral factors such as attractiveness of the source. In this route attitude change will be short-lived and poorly predictive.
Everything depends on likelihood.
What is compliance?
Langer, Black (1978) compliance due to mindlessness.
Response to a specific request by another. Different from obedience, and conformity.
Who came up with the foot in the door technique?
+
door in the face technique
Freedman, Fraser 1966.
Cialdini et al 1975.
Why does foot in the door technique work? Who by?
Bem 1967 Self-perception theory. Complying with a small request people become committed to their behaviour, develop a picture of themselves as ‘giving’
Problem with foot in door technique? Who by?
Foss, Dempsey 1979- if initial request is too small or the larger request is too big then the theory breaks down.
Who proposed cognitive dissonance and what is it?
Festinger (1957)
An unpleasant psychological tension is generated when someone has 2 or more different cognitions that are inconsistent with each other.
Whats good about cognitive dissonance theory and who said it?
Insko 1967
It generates non-obvious predictions on how people make choices when faced with conflicting attitudes/behaviours.
