PERSUASION SOCIAL INFLUENCE & COMPLIANCE GAINING Robert H. Gass & John S. Seiter

Chapter 2 What constitutes persuasion?

Pure vs borderline persuasion Pure Persuasion paradigm cases of persuasion include television commercials presidential debates sales presentations attorney cross- examination Borderline Persuasion less obvious cases of persuasion include involuntary behavior; blinking, blushing, stomach growling overheard conversations, eavesdropping traffic calming measures; speed bumps, roundabouts Rosseli, F., Skelly, J. J., & Mackie, D. M. (1995). Processing rational and emotional messages: The cognitive and affective mediation of persuasion. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 31, 163–190. Statistics Brain, Dec 7, 2013 Berger, A. A. (2011). Ads, fads, and consumer culture (4th ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Jones, J. P. (2004). Fables, fashions, and facts about advertising. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Intentionality Limiting criteria Is persuasion always conscious, purposeful? Can persuasion be unplanned or accidental? social modeling of behavior socialization processes; gender norms, cultural conventions unintended receiver effect Determining intentions can be difficult.

Intentionality--continued Effects emphasis entails a linear view of persuasion Process view implies mutual, two-way influence sender receiver sender receiver

Is unsuccessful persuasion still persuasion? EFFECTS Is unsuccessful persuasion still persuasion? Persuasion as a product or outcome: “I’m not persuaded.” Persuasion as a process or activity “I’m selling Jane on my new idea.” analogous to dancing, protesting, campaigning

Difficulty of measuring persuasive effects EFFECTS--continued Difficulty of measuring persuasive effects Persuasion effects may be two-way, reciprocal Multiple audiences may be involved Mixed results; persuasion is often a matter of degree Sensitivity of outcome measure Lag time; effects may be delayed

Free will and conscious awareness Persuasion often includes some degree of coercion implied reprisals collateral damage relational consequences Not all choices are completely free Degree of conscious awareness Persuadability differs among people

Symbolic action Persuasion involves more than words nonverbal cues tone of voice societal and cultural norms Examples of non-linguistic influence poker tells restaurant ambience head fake in sports background music

InterpersonaL vs intrapersonal Does persuasion require two or more people? Self-persuasion is quite common positive thinking New Year’s resolutions life mottos Much of persuasion research is “inside people’s heads.” attitudes beliefs intentions

Gass & Seiter model

Gass & Seiter model

Gass & Seiter model

Gass & Seiter definition “persuasion involves one or more persons who are engaged in the activity of creating, reinforcing, modifying, or extinguishing beliefs, attitudes, intentions, motivations, and/or behaviors within the constraints of a given communication context”

Dual Process models Two different modes of information processing Fast vs slow thinking Reflexive vs reflective thinking Mental shortcuts vs thoughtful deliberation

Elaboration Likelihood Model ELM Central route: cognitive elaboration message scrutiny examining evidence and reasoning More likely with high issue involvement motivation to process message ability to process message Peripheral route fast, expedient mental shortcuts attractiveness cues eye candy More likely with Low issue involvement Low motivation to process message Lack of ability to process message

Example of central processing Lulu is shopping for a new car She looks up car reviews online She compares, safety, reliability, mileage, performance, customer satisfaction, and depreciation She scrutinizes the information before test driving any cars Brian A Jackson/shutterstock.com

Example of peripheral processing Sylvia and Ned are celebrating their 3rd anniversary. Neither is choosy about wine. They are on a budget, so they pick the cheapest cabernet on the wine list.

Unimodel No distinction between types of information processing The amount of processing is what counts More processing Less processing