Social Thinking Attributions Attitudes Attitudes Affect Actions Routes to persuasion Actions Affect Attitudes Foot in the door/Door in the face/norms of reciprocity Roles Cognitive Dissonance

Attitudes A set of beliefs and feelings. Advertising is ALL based on attitude formation. Mere Exposure Effect Central Route v. Peripheral Route

Persuasion: Some Basic Assumptions People want to have “correct” attitudes and beliefs. However, the potential number of issues on which to have an opinion are potentially infinite. Therefore, people cannot carefully scrutinize every message, nor can they evaluate all of the evidence to arrive at a well thought out opinion. People must compromise by paying more attention to some things than others.

Central Route People who are persuaded by the central route are interested, motivated to think, and carefully scrutinize the information contained in the message.

Example: Computer Ad Major purchase about which people are probably motivated to think carefully. Target customers tend to be analytical & presumably high in motivation to think. More likely to see ads take the central route to persuasion. 1989 ad

Peripheral Route People are not always going to think carefully about your message. Low interest, lack of motivation to think Sometimes the arguments in favor of your message are also weak. How do we change people’s attitudes in the absence of much thought? Persuasion can result from peripheral cues in the social context. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OTVcByOTzo (Commercials Using Peripheral Route)

Example: Cigarette Ad-Low on Substance High on Image

Central vs. Peripheral Route to Persuasion Give the cereal and the car a name. Create basic advertising campaigns for each product One using the central route to persuade your target audience to buy one product One using the peripheral route to persuade your target audience to buy the other product

Actions Affect Attitudes: Compliance Bending to the requests of one person who has little or no authority or social power

Compliance Strategies Foot-in-the-door phenomenon: A person who has agreed to a small request is more likely later to agree to a larger demand.

Compliance Strategies Door-in-the-face phenomenon A person who has refused a major request will be more likely later on to comply with a smaller request After the door has been slammed in your face (major request refused), person may be more likely to agree to a smaller request

Compliance Strategies Norms of reciprocity I’ll do something for you if you do this for me

Compliance strategies applied How could you use compliance strategies in each of the following scenarios? Negotiating a later curfew Getting someone to buy you an expensive item Confessing to something you are guilty of