Honors persuassion exam 1 psy 4390

Which 3 honesty-boosting tactics do not rely on liking?

1. Argue against your own perceived self-interest: consider Cialdini's waiter observations. By convincing the patrons not to order the most expensive entree (i'm not supposed to say this but...) the patron trusted the waiter and he could suggest expensive drinks or desserts to compensate for entree, ultimately increasing his tip. Sly sincerity. 2. Maintain eye contact. Although Dr. Depaulo has proven that maintaining eye contact does not actually indicate a truth-teller, it is our perception that when one maintains eye contact, one is telling the truth.-Have your message overheard, so that you are not directly "Selling" to your target. Your target will think they've happened upon honest information. 3. Overheard Messages

Describe the 3 tactics discussed in class that rely on liking to increase others' perceptions of our honesty?

1. Be seen as similar 2. Engage in flattery (sophisticated flattery) 3. Be Likable by being attractive and/or funny. We perceive attractive people as being more honest. This is the halo effect. When one attribute dominates all others.-Engage in flattery. One study showed that mediocre, flattering employees were regarded just as highly as their non-flattering, harder-working counterparts.

Describe the 4 steps/tactics we discussed in class used to get others to see us as knowledgeable.

1. training and accomplishments 2. use props, create trappings 3. speak 25% faster than average 4. initiate touch

Describe 3 steps one should take when persuading via "fear-arousing messages".Describe specific examples of messages that rely on the induction of fear to be persuasive

1: The message must invoke moderate anxiety/fear into the target.2: The target must belief the threat is likely and likely to happen to them.3: Provide a clear remedy or solution.Examples include the CDC's campaign against smoking or the Cradle to Grave's campaign against gang and gun violance.

Why are simple messages difficult to craft?

Called the Knowledge Curse, where you know more about the subject than your audience but present the construct as if you were on the same level (tapping/listening exercise)

Concrete

Concrete messages are effective messages.We rely on our senses to tell us information about a stimulus. When you appeal to an audiences senses (as many as possible) you better persuade them. "Keep these Hands Off!" war bond propaganda for WWII or the experiment in 1st grade regarding prejudice.

According to Chapter 5 of Influence, how do innocent positive and negative associations affect a messenger? How does Pavlovian condition account for this?

Consider the Phoenix, AZ, weatherman who received death threats after reporting a week of bad weather. The weatherman wasn't a bad guy and had nothing to do with the weather but even his co-workers used these negative associations to subconsciously label him an outcast. This is referred to as The Association Principle, in which being associated with good or bad things either positively or negatively impacts a person's perception of you. Consider the linking of celebrities to politicians or merchandise. Specifically and most recently, consider Ron Burgundy's promotion of Dodge Durango. We have positive feelings toward Ron as a movie character, and thus associate Dodge Durango as being up-to-date and a smart investment (BASED ON NOTHING BUT THE APPEARANCE OF WILL FERRELL!!) Pavlovian conditioning can help us better understand this phenomena. More specifically, consider the "luncheon technique" executed by politicians who are fighting for the votes of legislators. They invite them to a good meal, and discuss the political issues during or after the meal. Food elicits many responses (salivation in dogs and good feelings in humans). When a political message becomes effectively associated with the good feelings provoked by a good meal, we began to feel good vibes regarding the message even in the absence of food, thus, increasing the likelihood that we vote for that candidate via our conditioned response to their viewpoint.

Credible

Credible messages use vivid detail and concrete, human scale statistics. Consider Duracell's claim of lasting 15% longer than competition and equating that to 2 additional hours of gametime! This is a human scale statistic in that the claim is TESTABLE. Detail serves as a proxy for actual expertise. When you enter vivid details, it serves as an indicator for expertise. Consider Reagan's question to America in his debate against Carter: "Are you better off than you were 4 years ago?" Again...this is TESTABLE via reflection. It is a viable human scale statistic.

What were the procedures/findings of the Darth Vader toothbrush study

For ½ of Participants,the "pro" argument had irrelevant, vivid details inserted: "Mrs. Johnson Ensures her son brushes before bedtime. He uses a Darth Vader toothbrush. For the other ½ of Participants, the"anti" arguments had irrelevant, vivid details inserted: "Her son attended school w/ a badly scraped arm which she hadn't cared for. The school nurse had to clean it. As she did so, she spilled Mercurochrome on herself." Jurors given the transcripts with "pro mom" argument details judged her to be a better parent than jurors given the transcripts with "anti mom" argument

Know the relevant studies from lecture and Influence (e.g., Joe "the shoulder" Napolitano Study, DePaulo's research on deception, compliments, 3 types of sophisticated flattery, sly sincerity, etc.)

Joe the shoulder- one of the people is mafia. mafioso vs prosecutor, more vs less harsh. More harsh from mafia more persuasive. less harsh from prosecutor more persuasive. Dr. Depaulo reviewed 30+ peer-reviewed studies about lie detection and liar's eye contact does NOT differ from truth tellers nor does their body language. Body language is a better indication when you have a personal history with that person. Liars provide less detail, less believable accounts, and appear more tense (voice pitch and eye dilation) IO researchers found that sophisticated flattery boosts executives promotion chances but lowers CEOS flattery via: advice seeking (when you go asking you will receive) flattery via: overheard compliments (brainstorming is an easy way for someone to overhear compliments) Flattery via :while denying its effects (the professor that came to his class and he made him blush while hyping up his class) Sly sincerity: argue against one's self interests. can be subtle yet effective device for "proving" honesty (waiter tactic)

Be able to write a brief "pitch" meant to persuade a local high school student to join MTSU or to persuade your dream job/professional school recruiter to accept you. Incorporate as many "sticky" characteristics as you can.

MTSU holds renown programs whose credibility and distinction are held high within each professional field. Attending this school will allow you to not only reach your goals but exceed them in ways you can't even imagine, through courses dedicated to not only your personal success academically, but guide you through to highly valued future career opportunities.

Emotion

Much like our perceptual senses, emotion plays in our ability to be persuaded. The two most effective are inciting anger or self-interest. Consider how 22% of teens recalled information in a Truth commercial that appealed to the teen's sense of anger by exposing the Big Tobacco Corporation as liars.

intimidation

Purposely frightening another person through threatening words, looks, or body language.

Describe specific ways you could "cultivate you inner Ellen" that we discussed in class.

She is highly competent, very reliable, non partisan, and authentic. To be more like her, you need to: Demonstrate competence (ask thoughtful questions, volunteer insights, excel at duties, inform others of your training and experience, and strive for perfection) in honest and admirable ways (be sincere, come from place of curiosity, not to make others look bad, don't use confusing jargon, highlight the contributions of others, admit mistakes without self flagellation)

S=Simplicity.

Simplicity = core and compact. Present your main idea. Compact the message by removing verbiage, qualifiers and modifiers. Save these for deeper "layers" once you get the target hooked.Great examples of simple, sticky messages? Proverbs and movie pitches. Most adopt the subject+verb format (active voice).

Story

The last element of a sticky message is the means of transportation. Tell your message in a story. Testimonials are especially effective.-Consider the study of a custody case involving a mom's ability to raise her child. Half of the participants received a pro-mom paragraph that contained 8 irrelevant but detailed sentences regarding the mom's positive attributes as provider. Half of the participants received the anti-mom paragraph that contained 8 irrelevant but detailed sentences regarding the mom's negative attributes as a provider. Depending, on which paragraph they received, the participants voted for or against the mom, respectively. Details are credible and serve as a proxy for expertise! When presented in a story, their effectiveness increases.

Describe the people and events of the 20th century that prompted psychologists to study persuasion.

US government desire to change "isolationist" war. scientist's desire to understand the major attitudes of people (events of WW2) Isolation-->globalization (pre ww1 to post ww1) In wwI, US joined late. Trench warfare with dysentery and flu. Treaty of versailles didn't produce much of a "prize". Had propaganda. Social scientists looked at Churchill and Hitler's speeches. State-sponsored good news england did better job of keeping moral high for troops vs germany. Hitler wanted his own propaganda. America saw and wanted their own. enlisted hollywood filmmakers (why we fight) SO did these films work?

According to studies cited in Influence, how are attractive people perceived/treated.

attractive candidates received more than 2.5x more votes as unattractive. they did not realize and most denied it was based on that. good grooming=more likely to be hired than job qualifications. good looking have highly favorable treatment in legal system more likely to obtain help and are more persuasive. children are less naughty when they are attractive child, assume those are more intelligent as well.

Compliance vs. Persuasion

compliance: requester presence important, presence oriented, easier and short lived Persuasion: presence less important, info and emotion based, harder and longer lasting

What were the procedures/findings of the "Replacement Smokers" advertising campaign?

emotional example. People empathetic with girl and also angry at the cigarette company. Found 22% remembered this video, whereas the other video was only remembered by 2%.

Persuasion

forming, reinforcing, or changing an attitude or belief

What Is the "halo effect"?

one positive characteristic of a person dominated the way that person is viewed by others.

Describe the findings of studies cited in Chapter 5 of Influence examining the influence of various types of similarity on persuasion and compliance.

opinion, personality, background and lifestyle -- we like people who are similar in one of those areas more likely to get dime in similar outfit. more likely to buy the insurance when car salesman is like them. (looks at stickers, where you're from, kids, etc.)

What is the "endless chain" method of finding customers?

prospecting method in which a salesperson asks each customer called upon to suggest the names of other likely purchasers of the same product. (referrals)

Unexpected

surprise+change.Utilize surprise and change to be effective. Avoid cliches. Get the audiences attention by surprising them, and keep it by inserting plot twists or mysteries (change focus). Think of the Truth's mannequin commercial, or Travolta's death in Pulp Fiction.

coersion

the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats

What is credibility?

the quality of being trusted and believed in. Trustworthiness + expertise

Be familiar with information contained under the subheading of Chapter 6 of Influence: Titles, Clothes, and Trappings.

title: In doctor experiment 95% of nurses were going to give large dose of unauthorized drug to patient based off of "doctor's" word. Size and status connected (more powerful and dominant) Clothes: guard outfit in study proved to convince more to give random man a dime.Business suit also powerful: study showed random bank guy was believable when in suit, and guard in uniform, even when fake. trappings: fancy cars and jewelry are examples. In study, people wait longer to honk horn at new luxury car at stop light.

What is the definition of influence?

to affect the behavior of someone without using physical force or physical threats (coercion)

What was the guiding question Carl Hovland used when he began scientifically investigating persuasion, and was it theory-based? What were some of his initial findings (e.g., regarding 1 versus 2 sided messages, etc.)

wanted to see if these films were effective. His approach was pragmatic. WHO says WHAT to WHOM found that film helped educate and show motives. showed the "sleeper effect" (more supportive after 9 week delay) they preferred one sided arguments if they were less intelligent, and 2 sided arguments if they were more intelligent.

Compliance

yielding to a request, demand, or suggestion (persuasion needn't occur)