Persuasion (Chapter 7- Social Psychology)

Elaboration Likelihood Model

(Paths that lead to persuasion:) -Central Route to Persuasion: Focus on the argument, which makes the person think carefully about what is being said and is influenced by strength and qual. of argument. Is best when person can think carefully. - Peripheral Route to Persuasion: influence person through irrelevant cues that trigger acceptance without thinking because person is unwilling to process message.

Channel Conclusion

- The medium matters - Rapid speech can either help or hurt, based on the audience -powerful speech increases effectiveness; powerless decreases persuasion

Message Content

- What makes a message persuasive, independent of the source? -vivideness, fear and humor, one-sided vs. two sided arguments, repeating a message

Source Variables

- Who is trying to persuade? (Sleeper effect, credibility, attractiveness) - important when person isn't motivated or able to process message carefully -ppl arguing same words can have diff effects

Powerful Speech and Gender

- Women are less likely to use powerful speech - men more persuaded by women using powerless speech -women more persuaded by women using more powerful speech - possible solution: use powerful speech with friendly and affiliative non- verbal style

Sleeper Effect

- effects of credibility fade -non- credible sources become persuasive -ppl forget the source or its connection w/ message - delayed effectiveness of a message from a non- credible source -ppl forgot source of message (Oppenheimer lost per. power, Prada gained it) but remembered message - remind ppl of sources and credibility matters again

Mood

- good moods increase persuadability

Attractiveness

- having qualities that appeal to an audience increases effectiveness -physically attractive persuaders are more effective -saying nice things to others often increases ability to persuade - audience is more persuaded when the communicator is more like us

Repeating a Message

- mere exposure effect: the more you see something, the more you like it. - don't even have to be aware of the stimuli

Individual Differences and Persuasion?

- need for cognition and age also effect being able to be persuaded

Mood as information approach

- negative moods: something is wrong and actions is necessary - positive moods: everything Is okay, no need to think - ppl in positive mood think less hard - bad mood will think more deeply not necesarrily react negatively

Self-generated Persuasion

- persuasion cant change peoples minds; persuasion just sets up proper conditions where people are willing to change their attitudes -have ppl list their own reasons for changing attitudes -self generated idea are highly persuasive (yourself is a credible source and very life like) - Gregory et al: less that 20% bought cable when passively given info, but 50% subscribed when they imagined the reasons for owning cable

Rapid Speech

- ppl that speak fast seem more credible so they are more persuasive -peripheral cue, thus works best when audience is not processing deeply (no time to think of counter arguments) - when audience is in favor of speakers position they can't process information, so the message is wasted. - Drinking age study: rapid counter attitudinal speech worked, rapid pro attitudinal speech had no effect

Two sided arguments conclusion

- two sided messages are better with people who initially disagree and those who are well informed or going to be exposed to opposing viewpoints in the future (appear fair, objective, and thus more trustworthy)

Source Conclusion

- who is communicating is important -credibility matters, esp. at beginning - attractive communicators are more persuasive than unattractive ones

Powerful Speech

-Confidence matters

Channel Variables

-How is the message being sent? -The medium itself, self generated persuasion, rapid speech, powerful speech

Audience Variables Conclusion

-The audience is important in determining the outcome of a persuasive message - mood affect central vs. peripheral processing - individual differences matter (age, need for cognition)

Audience Variables

-Who is listening? - Mood, age, need for cognition

Persuasion

-Yale Model of Attitude: Who is communicating, what is being said, how is it being said, who is listening. - Elab. Model assumes people want to have the "correct" attitudes - make message understandable - depends if audience wants to understand

Medium

-actively created attitudes are stronger and more persuasive - the more lifelike the medium, the more persuasive it is (live, videotaped, audio taped, written - messages are best understood and remembered when written, so writing is best for complex messages -lifelike messages draw attention to communicator and away from the message itself

Protection-Motivation Theory

-fears leads to both a self- protective response and an attempt to avoid the fear arousing threat -need to convince people they need to change (threat is probably and serious) - convince them they are able to change ( recommendations to avoid threat will be effective and they have the ability to follow recommendations)

Fear

-messages can be effective by inflicting negative emotions - vivid or evidence based -ex: cigarette smoking, this is your brain on drugs, DWI

Credibility

-messages from experts are more believable and more persuasive than messages from non experts -Gain credibility by saying things the audience agrees with, arguing against self interest, saying something unexpected, having knowledge of the topic

One sided vs. Two sided appeals

-one sided: present only your arguments - two sided: acknowledge oppositions case and refute it - two sided messages are more effective when ppl initially or when they are well informed

Content Conclusion

-overlapping vivid info w/ theme of message is most effective - fear can be effective w/ a provide was to avoid outcome -have to match arguments to audience

Vividness

-use of graphic message as opposed to data and facts to persuade ( reason vs. emotion) (tragic emotion) -vivid and colorful stories can help persuade, especially when facts are dry -well- educated or analytical ppl are less persuaded vivid appeals -sometimes backfires bc it can distract from the point of the message -humor can be distracting also