Persuasion, Attitudes & Behavior Chapter 8

What are attitudes? Evaluations of people, objects and/or ideas that often determine what we do

Where do attitudes come from? They may be indirectly linked to genes via temperament, personality, etc. They definitely come from social experiences.

The social component of attitudes: Has three sub-components: Cognitive: rests on relevant facts Affective: connected to emotions, values Behavioral: works by self-perception only when the initial attitude is ambiguous

The affective component of attitudes: May have gained its emotional values from: Values, morals or religion Sensory experiences/aesthetics Classical conditioning Operant conditioning

The affective component of attitudes: Is not rational Is not based on logic

Explicit vs. Implicit Attitudes - are often contradictory Explicit attitudes are consciously endorsed Implicit attitudes are non-conscious and at times may be involuntary and/or uncontrollable

How do attitudes change? By what others have to say By changing behavior (Cognitive Dissonance/internal justification) Persuasive communication

Persuasive Communication Attitude Change on a Mass Scale Yale Attitude Change Approach – Hovland, et. Al. Many factors go into this Source Nature of the communication Nature of the audience4

Elaboration Likelihood Model Central Route to Persuasion Listeners are likely to elaborate Logic matters Listeners must be able and motivated to pay attention Peripheral Route to Persuasion Listeners are not likely to elaborate Logic does not matter Listeners take mental shortcuts

Yale Attitude Change Approach Source A credible source (expert) is more likely to be believed that one less credible An attractive source (physical or personality) is more likely to be believed than one less attractive

Nature of the Communication People are more persuaded if they believe that the communication was not designed to persuade them. A two-sided communication is generally more persuasive than a one-sided one. However, the communicator should be careful to refute the counterarguments.

The Nature of the Audience A distracted audience is easier to persuade. An audience of lower intelligence is easier to persuade than a more intelligent one. The audience with moderate self-esteem is easier to persuade than one with high or low self-esteem. People between the ages of 18-25 are easier to persuade. Attitudes will become more stable and resistant to change as we age.

Paying Attention Distraction Fatigue Boring Speaker Need for cognition Motivation to pay attention Speaker credibility Topic relevance/ personal relevance