1. Social Psychology David Myers Chapter 7 Persuasion
“To swallow & follow” or “…be a free agent”….
…which is it?

2. Persuasion...matters
Process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors
Education or propaganda?
Issues on…
Global warning
Weird beliefs
Trillion dollar war
Promoting healthier living
Recruiting terrorists for ISIL
Existential threats
To Israel, U.S.?

3. What Paths Lead to Persuasion?
Factors related to:
Communicator, message, channel, audience
(C. Hovland at Yale)
Cognitive responses – clear/ convincing
(Ohio State U)
Central Route – (Explicit)
Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts
Peripheral Route (implicit)
Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness
Focuses on cues that trigger automatic acceptance without much thinking

4. Persuasion Elements Who Says? The Communicator Credibility
Believability
Sleeper effect
Delayed impact of a message that occurs when an initially discounted message becomes effective, as we remember the message but forget the reason for discounting it

5. What Are the Elements of Persuasion?
Who Says? The Communicator
Credibility
Perceived expertise
Knowledgeable
Speak confidently
Perceived trustworthiness
Eye contact
Arguing against own self-interest
Speak quickly

6. What Are the Elements of Persuasion?
Who Says? The Communicator
Attractiveness and liking
Physical attractiveness
Perceived Similarity
In values, attitudes, group identification
Mimicry and attractiveness?
J. Blascovich, Bailenson, Yee

7. What Are the Elements of Persuasion?
What Is Said? (Message Content)
Reason versus emotion (depends on the audience)
Reason works with more educated, analytical people
Effect of good feelings
…use peanuts and Pepsi! I. Janis (‘65)
Effect of arousing fear
Scare the hell out of them!
Saliency is important
Provide a solution

8. The Message itself Discrepancy A credible source (T.S. Elliot)
Depends on the communicator’s credibility
And the range of the audience’s “acceptability”
A credible source (T.S. Elliot)
Is more persuasive for a highly discrepant message
-what exercise regimen should Nicole recommend for her father
Depends on what?

9. What Are the Elements of Persuasion?
What Is Said? The Message Content
One-sided versus two-sided appeals
Which one is more effective?
Depends on whether the audience already agrees with the message; if the audience is unaware of opposing arguments, it is unlikely later to consider the opposition
If they already oppose it, give both sides
…Or if they already know the opposing view
…Or if you know they will hear it
E.g. ….. “….now Senator McCain is going to tell you that….”
“O” during the presidential campaign..”
C. Hovland (1949) tested it out with U.S. soldiers WWII

10. What Are the Elements of Persuasion?
What Is Said? The Message Content
Primacy versus recency
Primacy effect
Other things being equal, information presented first usually has the most influence
E.g. “..intelligent…..to envious” (S. Asch, ‘46)
Recency effect
Information presented last sometimes has the most influence. Recency effects are less common than primacy effects
But it works when there is:
1. sufficient time between for forgetting the first
2. And the audience commits itself soon after the second message

11. What Are the Elements of Persuasion?
How Is It Said? The Channel of Communication
-Face to face/sign/media ad
On sermons (T. Crawford, ‘74)– “bigotry and prejudice” – when asked:
10% recalled the topic
30% recognized the topic
-little or no effect!
Must be:
Attention getting, understandable, memorable, compelling
Active experience or passive reception?
Active experience strengthens attitudes (self-perception?)
Repetition and rhyming of a statement serves to increase its fluency and believability
What about “hands up, don’t shoot!” ?

12. What Are the Elements of Persuasion?
How Is It Said? The Channel of Communication
Personal versus media influence
Personal - tell them to vote to change that city charter provision! (75% complied!)
Personal – most change in Watsonville with personal appeals to change high risk behaviors for heart disease
Media influence: The two-step flow
Process by which media influence often occurs through opinion leaders who, in turn, influence others
Media -> Opinion leaders & “trend setters” (the “influentials”)
-> rank and file (us)

13. What Are the Elements of Persuasion?
How Is It Said? The Channel of Communication
Personal (<- major influence) versus media influence
Comparing media
The more lifelike the medium, the more persuasive its message
F to F, video, audio, written
But best comprehension with written!

14. What Are the Elements of Persuasion? - age and thoughtfulness
To Whom Is It Said? - The Audience
How old are they?
Life cycle explanation
Attitudes change as people grow older
Generational explanation (more supporting evidence )
Attitudes do not change; older people largely hold onto the attitudes they adopted when they were young

15. What Are the Elements of Persuasion?
To Whom Is It Said? - The Audience
What are they thinking? (central route)
Forewarned is forearmed—If you care enough to counterargue
Steal the opponent’s thunder!
Distraction disarms counterarguing
Words are used to promote candidate/product…while
Visual images keep us occupied so we don’t analyze the words

16. What Are the Elements of Persuasion?
To Whom Is It Said? The Audience
What are they thinking?
Analytical people …need cognition (use central route)
Uninvolved audiences use peripheral cues
Ways to stimulate people’s thinking
Use rhetorical questions (“can’t you do anything right?”)
Present multiple speakers
Make people feel responsible
Repeat the message
Get people’s undistracted attention
Summary:
Study suggestion -
Read carefully the summary box on p 251!!!!

17. Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate?
“New religious movement”
1997 Marshall Applewhite took 37 people to Hale-Bopp
Where is Hale-Bopp? Who lives there
How did they get there?
Why did the take them there?
Did he truly believe it would work?
Group typically characterized by
Distinctive ritual and beliefs related to its devotion to a god or a person
Isolation from the surrounding “evil” culture
Charismatic leader

18. Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate?
Attitudes Follow Behavior (Behavior -> Attitude)
Voluntarily (perceived free choice)
Publically
repeatedly
Compliance breeds acceptance
Initiates become active members of the group
Foot-in-the-door phenomenon
Gradual induction – one step at a time-
Jim Jones “People’s Temple” example

19. Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate?
Persuasive Elements
Communicator
Charisma --How did Jim Jones establish his “credibility?
Message
The “one way” to solve your problems…
Direct appeal, small group discussions, social pressure
The recruits’ need for approval and to belong
Audience
25 and younger….more malleable attitudes
Educated, middle class, idealistic
In crisis
Secret survey of their background, then demonstrated his “psychic powers”

20. Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate?
Group Effects
Social implosion
Isolation of members with like minded groups
External ties weaken until the group collapses inward socially
Monasteries
Military organizations
Fraternities and sororities
Therapeutic communities for recovering drug and alcohol abusers
Strong social group norms prevail (conformity, obedience)
Through need for information or group approval? (S. Asch)
Can start with “folie a deux” Applewhite & Nettles
True of Boston Marathon bombing as well?
Is all group indoctrination bad?

21. How Can Persuasion Be Resisted?
Challenging authority:
Dogmatic authority v. expert authority
Strengthening Personal Commitment
Make a public commitment to your argument
Challenging beliefs
A mild challenge (not strong enough to persuade)
Causes them to become even more committed to their positon
Developing counterarguments
Attitude inoculation (W. McGuire, ‘64)
Exposing people to weak attacks upon their attitudes so that when stronger attacks come, they will have refutations available

22. How Can Persuasion Be Resisted?
Real-Life Applications: Inoculation Programs
Inoculating children against:
Peer pressure to smoke
Role playing on how to resist – gave them ammunition
Elicit a public commitment not to smoke
The influence of advertising
Are there two sides to this?
Harmful v. beneficial
Can you think of any beneficial uses of ads?

23. How Can Persuasion Be Resisted?
Prepare others to counter persuasive appeals
An ineffective appeal can be worse than none
A way to strengthen existing attitudes is to weakly challenge them