Persuasion can be defined as
a process aimed at changing a person's attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs.
Persuasion research has shown that, due to similarity, a person will be more persuaded by
someone who is like them.
When people are presented with information and they are naturally analytical or the information is highly involving, they are likely to be persuaded via the ________________ route to persuasion. When people are not engaged with the information, or they tend to make snap judgments, they are more likely to be persuaded via the _______________ route.
Which route to persuasion is more likely to produce lasting change?
The central route to persuasion.
Regarding one of the elements of persuasion, credibility pertains to
whether or not the message communicator is viewed as being an expert and someone who can be trusted.
Which of the following is not one of the four elements of persuasion, originally described by Karl Hovland, and used today in persuasion research?
the location of the communication.
What are the "two steps" in the two-step flow of communication?
First, persuade opinion leaders, who will then influence their friends, colleagues, and family members.
Persuasion research about the audience who receives the persuasive message has focused on what two aspects?
the age of the person and stimulating the thoughts of the person.
One criticism of the studies on why people join cults is that those studies are subject to
the hindsight bias.
Regarding persuasion of children, advertisers
focus on children because children are relatively easy to persuade and children can convince their parents to buy a product.
Initially, cults persuade prospective members to join the cult by inviting a person to dinner, then weekend retreats, and then use stronger methods of persuasion. This is similar to the
the foot-in-the-door technique.
Persuasion by others seems to work best when a person's attitude about something is
weak to begin with.
Which of the following is most likely to be the least persuasive?
A message that appears to be designed to change our attitude.
Which message is more likely to be persuasive?
A verbal message delivered directly from a person to another person in a face-to-face setting.
Conformity that involves publicly acting in accord with an implied or explicit request while privately disagreeing. see also conformity.
Self (auto) motion (kinetic). The apparent movement of a stationary point of light in the dark.
A "we feeling"; the extent to which members of a group are bound together, such as by attraction for one another.
Conformity based on a person's desire to fulfill others' expectations, often to gain acceptance or avoid disapproval (compliance).
A motive to protect or restore one's sense of freedom. Reactance arises when someone threatens our freedom of action.
central route to persuasion
Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.
peripheral route to persuasion
Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness.
A 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.
Having qualities that appeal to an audience. An appealing communicator (often someone similar to the audience) is most persuasive on matters of subjective preference.
Other things being equal, information presented first usually has the most influence.
Information presented last sometimes has the most influence. Recency effects are less common than primacy effects.
channel of communication
The way the message is delivered—whether face to face, in writing, on film, or in some other way.
need for cognition
The motivation to think and analyze. Assessed by agreement with items such as "The notion of thinking abstractly is appealing to me" and disagreement with items such as "I only think as hard as I have to".
Exposing people to weak attacks upon their attitudes so that when stronger attacks come they will have refutations available. (challenge their beliefs, help develop counter arguments) like a vaccine
Two or more people who, for longer than a few moments, interact with and influence one another and perceive one another as "us".
(1) Original meaning: the tendency of people to perform simple or well-learned tasks better when others are present. (2) Current meaning: the strengthening of dominant (prevalent, likely) responses in the presence of others.
The tendency for people to exert less effort when they pool their efforts toward a common goal than when they are individually accountable.
Loss of self-awareness and evaluation apprehension; occurs in group situations that foster responsiveness to group norms, good or bad.
Group-produced enhancement of members' preexisting tendencies; a strengthening of the members' average tendency, not a split within the group.
A false impression of what most other people are thinking or feeling, or how they are responding.
mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive in-group that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action
Leadership that, enabled by a leader's vision and inspiration, exerts significant influence.
Sherif's studies of the "autokinetic" phenom demonstrated how
quickly groups converge on arbitrary norms
What is the FAE of the Milgram study?
That people are evil if they shock, they could have just been confused
How did the legitimacy of the institution change the Milgram Study
At Yale it was perceived as official and more people went all the way, at the warehouse only a fraction went all the way
Going public vs Private
In public there's more conformity, in private there is less and they give more right answers
"Self Monitoring" (chameleon trait)
Predicts more conformity. ex. "How are they reacting to what I'm doing?"
When the issue is unfamiliar
The peripheral route is more persuasive, assumption that people are mentally lazy, used in advertising and politics
When the issue is insignificant or trivial
People are more easily persuaded. Something people don't care about, influence slips by
Ads sell things better with the words:
"quick, new, easy, improved, amazing or introducing" they don't even need a reference
What merchandise sells best while shopping
the one's at eye level, the one's at the end of the aisle or close to check out
2 for $1 rather than 50 cents each, sells better even if there isn't a true price break
Can I have "37 cents" got more more money because
It implies a specific need, and breaks from the usual "automatic" response.
When are central routes the most persuasive?
When the issue is "important." It motivates person to consider options
Three factors manipulated by Richard Petty
involvement of the students (students told exam was within a year), credibility (students told whether arguments were from graduates or high schoolers), quality (students were given anecdotes or stats)
When students have a high stake in an outcome they are persuaded more by
strong arguments, not expert opinion
Richard Petty's graduation exam can be explained by
assuming that people are "cognitive misers" who only think as much as they have to.
Influences on Persuasion: Source
the communicator, relies on credibility, expertise, trustworthiness, attractiveness
Influences on Persuasion: Message
the content, reason vs. emotion, discrepancy, one sided vs two sided, primacy vs recency
Influences on Persuasion: The medium
the channel, is it active or passive? is it personal or media based?
Influences on Persuasion: The audience
to whom is it addressed? are they analytical or image conscious. What age are they?
To start your own cult:
1) Credible/attractive, 2) focus on the young middle class (rich watch for exploitation, poor have street smarts) 3) Use foot-in-the-door technique (don't ask them to join right away, escalate requirements slowly) 4) cut them off from their past (former relationships can persuade them back) 5) Use initiation rites (prove their worth, cog diss works in your favor)
Social Identity theory
We identify ourselves with our groups, ex. I'm a tiger, a athlete, an American
Optimal distinctiveness theory (ODT):
Says that the need to belong and the need to be distinctive can conflict.
Get belongingness by connecting to the group, and distinctiveness by comparing the group to other groups.
What causes break down under pressure?
(arousal) evaluation apprehension, ex. "What will they think of me" activates FFR
Social facilitation (current def.):
strengthening of dominant responses (automatic responses) when others are present
How to prevent social loafing:
One must be "tight" with other group members (strong sports team), the task must also produce lots of intrinsic motivation
When can a group be smarter than an individual?
When the task involves memory and knowledge, ex. estimating someone's weight
when groups reach bad decisions through wanting to preserve harmony and not thinking critically
Symptoms of Groupthink
illusions invulnerability and morality, collective rationalism ("can you guarantee it won't crash?"), stereotyping the adversary, Group members sensor themselves, pressure on dissenters to conform, mind-guarding (somebody suppresses others info, keeps others in line)
High group Cohesiveness
contributing factor to groupthink, more feelings of "us" stop us from wanting to leave
Getting opinions this way prevents groupthink
using secret ballots, people are more open with opinions