Persuasion Theories

Sufficiency principle

-Another feature of HSM -states that people strive to know as much as they need to when making a decision, but no more or less. Ex: Irwin is thinking of buying a digital camera. If he didn't know much about them, he could take one of two approaches. 1. He could rely on systematic processing by reading up on digital cameras (likely if he thought he really needed one..aka motivation and he lacked the necessary knowledge about them...aka sufficiency principle) 2. heuristic processing -friends advice (simple decision rule...aka lance knows his cameras) -heuristic cue (canon is the best brand) (likely if he didn't really need a digital camera...low motivation, or if he didn't thin he could make sense of the info...lack of ability)

Primary Dimensions of Credibility

1. Expertise - the persuader must know or appear to know their stuff -sometimes a title is enough to give credibility (M.D.) -have to be careful though, not all titles mean what they say (Dr. Phil could have a Ph.D in physiology, not be an actual medical doctor) -doesn't have to be advanced degrees, a member who has been in AA for 20 years would be considered an expert. 2. Trustworthiness - if your car needs a brake job, you not only want a qualified mechanic, you want an honest, qualified mechanic. To be successful, persuaders must therefore, convey an impression of honesty and integrity. Ex: plumbers and electricians in the phone book put "fish" symbol because consumers may believe a worker who is a christian is less likely to rip them off. 3. goodwill - synonymous with "perceived caring". -A source who seems to care about and take a genuine interest in the receiver is displaying goodwill. -Goodwill can be demonstrated by displaying understanding for another person's ideas, feelings, or needs.

The Law of the Few

A small number of influential people can generate a groundswell of support for an idea, brand, or phenomenon

Theory of Planned Behavior

A theory stating that the best predictor of a behavior is one's behavioral intention, which is influenced by one's attitude toward the specific behavior, the subjective norms regarding the behavior, and one's perceived control over the behavior.

Social Modeling Theory

Gender roles learned by observing and imitating same sex parents

Heuristic Systematic Model of Persuasion

Individuals rely on 2 modes of information processing 1. systematic processing -thoughtful and deliberate -roughly equivalent to central processing in the ELM 2. heuristic processing (help simplify the thought process) -decision rules - buying a TV based off its brand name OR -heuristic rules - choosing one wine over another bc the bottle is prettier (roughly equivalent to peripheral processing in ELM) -also maintains that simultaneous processing occurs. That is, messages travel the heuristic and systematic routes concurrently. As with ELM, HSM states that the motivation and ability are two primary determinants of the extent to which heuristic or systematic processing will be used.

Theory of Reasoned Action

It assumes that people are rational decision makers who make use of all the information available to them. The theory presumes that intentions are the best guide to behavior. (If you know a person intends to get a haircut, it's a pretty good bet that she or he will actually do so.)

Unimodel of persuasion

Rather than 2 distinct modes of information processing, there is a single route to persuasion. -Central processing isn't qualitatively different from peripheral processing, according to the unimodal; there is simply more or less of it

Psychological Reactance Theory

Theory proposing that people value thinking and acting freely. Therefore, situations that threaten their freedom arouse discomfort and prompt efforts to restore freedom.

Central Route

a method of persuasion that uses evidence and logical arguments to influence people

Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

a model that predicts responses to persuasive messages by distinguishing between the central and the peripheral routes to persuasion

Match-up Hypothesis

attractive models should endorse products that can enhance consumer attractiveness

Synchronous communication

communication in which people interact in real time and can at once both send and receive messages

Asynchronous communication

communication that occurs when the communicators are sending and receiving messages at different times

Socialization Process

how cultural values and norms are passed down to children

Peripheral Route

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes