Persuasion Social Psychology Dr. Leslie Case, BCBA Chapter 7: Persuasion

Persuasion Persuasion: The process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors When the message is “bad” and/or when we don’t approve it, we call it “propaganda.” When the message is positive and/or we approve it, we call it “education.”

Persuasion 2 Routes to Persuasion Central Route: Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts Focus is on the arguments or the message If the arguments are strong and compelling, persuasion is likely If the message contains weak arguments, thoughtful people will notice and will counter argue Example: Computer ads offer information on competitive features and prices

Persuasion 2 Routes to Persuasion Peripheral Route: Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues If we are distracted, uninvolved, or busy, we may not take time to think about the message content Easily understood familiar statements are more persuasive (“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” verses “Don’t risk everything on a single venture.”) Visual cues are used in advertisements for food, alcohol, cigarettes, focusing on images of beauty and pleasure

Persuasion Impact on behavior and attitudes? Central route processing leads to more enduring change As people think through the arguments and form their own thoughts in response, any changed attitude is more likely to stick The peripheral route will lead to superficial and temporary attitude changes

Persuasion Two Routes to Persuasion

Persuasion The Elements of Persuasion: The Communicator Credibility: Believability –A credible communicator is perceived as both expert and trustworthy –Over time, people remember the message, but not the source The effects of credibility diminish after a month The sleeper effect: the impact of a noncredible person’s message may increase over time.

Persuasion The Communicator Perceived Expertise –One might begin by saying things the audience agrees with, which makes one seem smart –One might be introduced as someone who is knowledgeable –Speaking confidently increases credibility Perceived trustworthiness –Looking straight in the eye –Not trying to persuade –Arguing against one’s self interest, being willing to suffer for one’s beliefs If one is perceived as being biased (an environmental activist speaking on pollution), less persuasive

Persuasion The Communicator Attractiveness –We’re more likely to respond to those we like Having a fleeting conversation with someone is enough to increase our liking for them –Arguments are more persuasive when they come from beautiful people –More influenced by people who are similar to us On subjects of personal value, taste, or way of life, similar communicators have more impact. On judgments of fact, a dissimilar person (preferable an expert) has more impact

Persuasion The message content Reason versus emotion –Well educated, analytical, or interested people respond better to rational appeals –When people’s initial attitudes are formed primarily through emotion, they are more persuaded by later emotional appeals when their initial attitudes are formed primarily through reason, they are more persuaded by later intellectual arguments

Persuasion The message content The effect of good feelings –Messages become more persuasive through association with good feelings –People are more easily persuaded while eating, listening to nice music Enhances positive thinking Links good feelings with the message (respondent conditioning) –People in a good mood make faster more impulsive decisions, rely more on peripheral cues

Persuasion The message content The effect of arousing fear –The more frightened people are, the more they respond –Lead people to perceive a stronger norm for the advocated behavior –When fear pertains to a pleasurable activity, the effect is not behavior change but denial –Works best if the message contains specific ways to avoid the feared stimulus

Persuasion The message content Discrepancy –People are more open to conclusions within their range of acceptability A couch potato will be more open to a leisurely walk than to a 10 mile run –People who are deeply involved in an issue tend to accept only a narrow range of views The president of the national association for couch potatoes might only be open to a very short leisurely walk to the ice cream stand –When advocating a position greatly discrepant from the recipient’s, a highly credible source will evoke the most change

Persuasion The message content One-sided versus two-sided appeals –One-sided messages work best with those who already agree with the message –If people are or will be aware of opposing arguments, a two-sided presentation is more persuasive Optimists versus pessimists –For optimists, positive persuasion works best “The new plan reduces tuition in exchange for part-time university service” –For pessimists, negative persuasion is more effective “Al students will have to work part time for the university, lest they pay out-of state tuition”

Persuasion The message content Primacy versus recency Primacy effect: Other things being equal, information presented first usually has the most influence –People who succeed early seem more able than those who succeed after failures Recency effect: Information presented last sometimes has the most influence. –Less common than primacy effects –Occurs when enough time separates the two messages and when the audience commits itself soon after the second message

Persuasion The communication channel Active verses passive –Spoken appeals are not necessarily more persuasive Content must get attention, be understandable, convincing, memorable, and compelling –Passively received appeals (such as commercials) can be highly effective on minor issues, such as which brand to buy, but are not as effective on significant or familiar issues

Persuasion The communication channel Personal versus media influence –Personal influence is stronger –Media influences penetrate the culture in subtle, indirect ways –The more lifelike the medium the more persuasive it’s message –Live > Videotaped > Audiotaped > Written –Difficult messages are most persuasive when they are written; easy messages most persuasive when they are videotaped

Persuasion The Audience: How old are they? People tend to have different social and political attitudes depending on their age Older people are generally thought to be more conservative than younger people Generational explanation: the generation adopted those attitudes when they were young, and they persisted Because young people today develop different attitudes, a generation gap exists © Kathy McLaughlin/ The Image Works

Persuasion How old are they? Older people DO change with the culture Most become more liberal in their sexual and racial attitudes in their 50s and 60s Older adults near the end of their life cycle become more suggestible Teens and early 20s are important formative years, and the attitudes formed then tend to remain stable © Kathy McLaughlin/ The Image Works

Persuasion The audience: What are they thinking? Counter arguing: –If one is warned someone will try to persuade them, they are more likely to counter argue Defense attorneys sometimes use this to their advantage –Distraction inhibits counter arguing Political ads sometimes use visual images that keep us occupied so that we don’t analyze the words We tend to think more about issues that are important to us, and less about things that don’t matter much –Would suggest that a central route is more effective on issues that matter © Kathy McLaughlin/ The Image Works

Persuasion The audience: What are they thinking? Stimulating thinking makes strong messages more persuasive and weak messages less persuasive –Steps to stimulating thinking include: Using rhetorical question Presenting multiple speakers Making person feel responsible for evaluating or passing along the message Using relaxed postures rather than standing ones Getting people’s undistracted attention © Kathy McLaughlin/ The Image Works

Persuasion Case Studies in Persuasion: Cult Indoctrination Cult: A group typically characterized by (1) distinctive ritual and beliefs related to its devotion to a god or person, (2) isolation from the surrounding “evil” culture, (3) a charismatic leader ©AP/Wide World Photos

Persuasion Cults Attitudes follow behavior –New recruits immediately begin to perform rituals and engage in fund raising activities –A great personal commitment is expected; members then justify it by changing their attitudes

Persuasion Cults Foot-in-the-door phenomenon: Small behaviors are followed by bigger and bigger requests –One might start with a dinner, then a weekend retreat, then joining in songs, activities, and discussions, then longer training retreats, and so on –Jim Jones used this phenomenon. He started by asking people to help the poor by folding and mailing envelopes for five minutes –Initially money offerings were voluntary, then they increased to 10% of income, then to 25%, eventually to 100%

Persuasion Cults The communicator –A charismatic leader, perceived as expert and trustworthy –Middle class Caucasian youths are more vulnerable The message –Vivid emotional messages used –Recruit is showered with warmth and acceptance The audience –Often under 25 years old –Vulnerable, facing crisis, or at some turning point in their lives –Times of social or emotional upheaval

Persuasion Cults Group effects: –Members are separated from their previous support system –Social ties weaken until members only interact with other members –Members lose access to counterarguments, lose touch with reality –Disagreements are frowned on or overtly punished –Stress and emotional arousal are used, which make people more susceptible to social pressures –Some cults use threats, intimidation, and physical violence

Persuasion Cult Tactics Some of these same tactics are used by –Fraternities / Sororities –Military training –Some self-help and substance abuse therapeutic communities –Gangs They generally result in a very dedicated recruit Although some cult leaders have abused the power of persuasion, that doesn’t necessarily mean persuasion is bad

Persuasion Resisting Persuasion: Attitude Inoculation Strengthening personal commitment –Mildly attacking someone’s beliefs causes people to become even more committed –Encourage people to build counterarguments –Attitude inoculation: Exposing people to weak attacks upon their attitudes so that when stronger attacks come, they will have refutations available

Persuasion Resisting Persuasion: Attitude Inoculation Large scale inoculation programs –An anti-smoking program innoculated teens against peer pressure to smoke –Students did role plays on how to respond if someone called them a “chicken”, and they developed counterarguments for tobacco print advertisements –They were half as likely as other students to smoke