1. Ch 6: Attitudes
Part 2: Feb. 28, 2012

2. 1) Source of the persuasion (cont.)–
What is the ‘sleeper effect’?

3. 2) The Message – Primary vs. recency effect – which has more evidence?
Depends on timing of decision
Fear-based messages – do they work?
Need to induce certain conditions –

4. Do subliminal messages work?
Words/pictures not consciously perceived but supposedly influence attitudes or behaviors
Distinction between subliminal perception & subliminal persuasion
Examples?
Greenwald’s experiments –
Subliminal memory or self-esteem messages
Manipulation: told of actual message or told of opposite message
Results?

5. Contrast Greenwald’s experiment w/Murphy’s subliminal experiment using Chinese characters:
Details -
Murphy’s results:
Differences from Greenwald’s experiment:

6. Are there strong individual differences in persuadability?
3) The Audience
Are there strong individual differences in persuadability?
Forewarning & resistance:

7. Attitude Inoculation Tactics for resisting influence/persuasion
Expose people to weak attacks
What is the result?
Applications of this and evidence?
Reactance effect:

8. Cognitive Dissonance Assumes we are motivated by consistency
Want our attitudes to match our behaviors
Festinger’s (1957) research & Cog Diss Theory:
Our motivation to maintain consistency can lead to irrational behavior
What is the role of tension/stress?

9. Festinger’s experiment:
Boring task for 1 hr., then tell next participant about your experience
Paid either $1 or $20
Results?
The role of insufficient justification
Justifying our decisions

10. Conditions for cog dissonance to work: