David Myers

Chapter 7 Persuasion“To swallow & follow” or “…be a free

agent”….…which is it?

1

Persuasion...mattersProcess by which a message induces change in

beliefs, attitudes, or behaviorsEducation or propaganda?Issues on…

Global warningWeird beliefsTrillion dollar warPromoting healthier livingRecruiting terrorists for ISIL Existential threats

To Israel, U.S.?2

What Paths Lead to Persuasion?Factors related to:

Communicator, message, channel, audience (C. Hovland at Yale)

Cognitive responses – clear/ convincing (Ohio State U)

Central Route – (Explicit) Occurs when interested people focus on the

arguments and respond with favorable thoughtsPeripheral Route (implicit)

Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness

Focuses on cues that trigger automatic acceptance without much thinking

3

Persuasion ElementsWho Says? The Communicator

Credibility Believability

Sleeper effect Delayed impact of a message that occurs when an

initially discounted message becomes effective, as we remember the message but forget the reason for discounting it

4

What Are the Elements of Persuasion?Who Says? The Communicator

Credibility Perceived expertise

Knowledgeable Speak confidently

Perceived trustworthiness Eye contact Arguing against own self-interest Speak quickly

5

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? Who Says? The Communicator

Attractiveness and liking Physical attractiveness Perceived Similarity

In values, attitudes, group identification Mimicry and attractiveness?

J. Blascovich, Bailenson, Yee

6

What Are the Elements of Persuasion?What Is Said? (Message Content)

Reason versus emotion (depends on the audience)

Reason works with more educated, analytical people Effect of good feelings

…use peanuts and Pepsi! I. Janis (‘65) Effect of arousing fear

Scare the hell out of them! Saliency is important Provide a solution

7

The Message itself

Discrepancy Depends on the communicator’s credibility And the range of the audience’s “acceptability”

A credible source (T.S. Elliot) Is more persuasive for a highly discrepant message -what exercise regimen should Nicole recommend

for her father Depends on what?

8

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? What Is Said? The Message Content

One-sided versus two-sided appeals Which one is more effective?

Depends on whether the audience already agrees with the message; if the audience is unaware of opposing arguments, it is unlikely later to consider the opposition

If they already oppose it, give both sides …Or if they already know the opposing view …Or if you know they will hear it E.g. ….. “….now Senator McCain is going to tell you

that….” “O” during the presidential campaign..” C. Hovland (1949) tested it out with U.S. soldiers WWII

9

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? What Is Said? The Message Content

Primacy versus recency Primacy effect

Other things being equal, information presented first usually has the most influence E.g. “..intelligent…..to envious” (S. Asch, ‘46)

Recency effect Information presented last sometimes has the most

influence. Recency effects are less common than primacy effects

But it works when there is: 1. sufficient time between for forgetting the first 2. And the audience commits itself soon after the

second message 10

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? How Is It Said? The Channel of Communication-Face to face/sign/media ad

On sermons (T. Crawford, ‘74)– “bigotry and prejudice” – when asked: 10% recalled the topic 30% recognized the topic -little or no effect! Must be:

Attention getting, understandable, memorable, compelling

Active experience or passive reception? Active experience strengthens attitudes (self-perception?) Repetition and rhyming of a statement serves to increase

its fluency and believability What about “hands up, don’t shoot!” ?

11

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? How Is It Said? The Channel of Communication

Personal versus media influence Personal - tell them to vote to change that city

charter provision! (75% complied!) Personal – most change in Watsonville with personal

appeals to change high risk behaviors for heart disease

Media influence: The two-step flow Process by which media influence often occurs

through opinion leaders who, in turn, influence others Media -> Opinion leaders & “trend setters” (the

“influentials”) -> rank and file (us)

12

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? How Is It Said? The Channel of

CommunicationPersonal (<- major influence) versus media

influence Comparing media

The more lifelike the medium, the more persuasive its message F to F, video, audio, written But best comprehension with written!

13

What Are the Elements of Persuasion?- age and thoughtfulness

To Whom Is It Said? - The AudienceHow old are they?

Life cycle explanation Attitudes change as people grow older

Generational explanation (more supporting evidence ) Attitudes do not change; older people largely hold

onto the attitudes they adopted when they were young

14

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? To Whom Is It Said? - The Audience

What are they thinking? (central route) Forewarned is forearmed—If you care enough to

counterargue Steal the opponent’s thunder!

Distraction disarms counterarguing Words are used to promote candidate/product…

while Visual images keep us occupied so we don’t analyze

the words

15

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? To Whom Is It Said? The Audience

What are they thinking? Analytical people …need cognition (use central route) Uninvolved audiences use peripheral cues

Ways to stimulate people’s thinking Use rhetorical questions (“can’t you do anything

right?”) Present multiple speakers Make people feel responsible Repeat the message Get people’s undistracted attention

Summary: Study suggestion -

Read carefully the summary box on p 251!!!!16

Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate?Cult

“New religious movement” 1997 Marshall Applewhite took 37 people to Hale-Bopp

Where is Hale-Bopp? Who lives there How did they get there? Why did the take them there? Did he truly believe it would work?

Group typically characterized by Distinctive ritual and beliefs related to its devotion to a

god or a person Isolation from the surrounding “evil” culture Charismatic leader

17

Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate?Attitudes Follow Behavior (Behavior ->

Attitude) Voluntarily (perceived free choice) Publically repeatedly

Compliance breeds acceptance Initiates become active members of the group

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon Gradual induction – one step at a time-

Jim Jones “People’s Temple” example

18

Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate? Persuasive Elements

Communicator Charisma --How did Jim Jones establish his

“credibility?

Message The “one way” to solve your problems… Direct appeal, small group discussions, social pressure

The recruits’ need for approval and to belong

Audience 25 and younger….more malleable attitudes Educated, middle class, idealistic In crisis

19

Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate? Group Effects

Social implosion Isolation of members with like minded groups

External ties weaken until the group collapses inward socially Monasteries Military organizations Fraternities and sororities Therapeutic communities for recovering drug and alcohol

abusers Strong social group norms prevail (conformity, obedience)

Through need for information or group approval? (S. Asch) Can start with “folie a deux” Applewhite & Nettles

True of Boston Marathon bombing as well?

Is all group indoctrination bad?

20

How Can Persuasion Be Resisted?Challenging authority:

Dogmatic authority v. expert authorityStrengthening Personal Commitment

Make a public commitment to your argumentChallenging beliefs

A mild challenge (not strong enough to persuade) Causes them to become even more committed to their

positon

Developing counterarguments Attitude inoculation (W. McGuire, ‘64)

Exposing people to weak attacks upon their attitudes so that when stronger attacks come, they will have refutations available

21

How Can Persuasion Be Resisted?

Real-Life Applications: Inoculation ProgramsInoculating children against:

Peer pressure to smoke Role playing on how to resist – gave them

ammunition Elicit a public commitment not to smoke

The influence of advertising Are there two sides to this?

Harmful v. beneficial Can you think of any beneficial uses of ads?

22

How Can Persuasion Be Resisted?

Prepare others to counter persuasive appealsAn ineffective appeal can be worse than noneA way to strengthen existing attitudes is to

weakly challenge them

23