1. Communicator characteristics & PErsuadability
Chapter 5
Communicator characteristics
& PErsuadability
Prepared by Robert Gass & John Seiter
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2. Demographic variables
Knowing the right buttons to push
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age
Children are easy marks
“young children — younger than 8 years — are cognitively and psychologically defenseless against advertising”
(American Academy of Pediatrics, cited by Strasberger, 2006)
Young children cannot distinguish between advertising and programming content.
By 3 months, 40% of children are watching TV or videos (Lindstrom, 2011)
The average child sees 40,000 commercials per year
Strasburger, V.C. (2006). Children, adolescents, and advertising. Pediatrics, 118 ,
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4. Advertisers target children
Advertisers take advantage of children’s naivety
junk food ads
alcohol and tobacco ads
sexualization of girls
Media messages sexualize girls and younger and younger ages (APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, 2010)
Abercrombie and Fitch’s risqué wear for kids
Bratz dolls (mini-skirts, fishnet stockings
Tesco’s “Peekaboo Pole Dancing Kit”
American Psychological Association (2010). Report of the APA task force on the sexualization of girls. Retrieved on May 17, 2012 from
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elderly
Life stages hypothesis: there is a curvilinear relationship between age a persuadability.
children are more vulnerable
Middle-aged persons are less vulnerable
elderly are more vulnerable
Age alone does not make people more gullible, however;
Politeness reduces some seniors’ willingness to hang up on telemarketers
Cognitive impairments (dementia, Alzheimer's) make some seniors more vulnerable
Loneliness, isolation make some seniors more vulnerable
Common scams target the elderly
Telemarketing scams
Lottery and sweepstakes scams
Bank examiner cons
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Gender and persuasion
Gender stereotypes affect persuasion more than actual gender differences
Reinforcement Expectancy Theory
Female MDs are expected to be more communal, nurturing
Male MDs are expected to be more assertive, leader-like
Male MDs can employ more negative strategies than female MDs
Individual differences matter more than gender differences
Women are as different from one another as from men
Cross-Sex Effect
Women are more easily persuaded by males, and vice versa
Goals, plans, and resources affect persuasion more than gender
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7. Gender
All these females would be more assertive
Gender differences in persuasion tend to be overlapping, rather than “either-or”
than all these males
females
males
For any given communication trait, such as assertiveness, the curves for females and males tend to be normal and overlapping
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Culture and Ethnicity
Individualistic cultures value personal autonomy
Direct, assertive persuasion strategies
Ads that emphasize individual benefits, personal success
Rational strategies
Collectivistic cultures emphasize fitting in
Indirect, cooperative persuasion strategies
Ads that appeal to group benefits, harmony
Coalitions and gift-giving
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9. Influence Strategies may be culture specific
U.S.A.
Direct request, assertiveness
People’s Republic of China
Anshi: hinting, indirect, implicit
Yo she zuo ze: setting a personal example
Tou qi suo: feeding people what they relish
Columbia
Confiaza: trust or closeness
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intelligence
Albert Einstein Vs. Forrest Gump
In general, less intelligent people are easier to persuade (Rhode & Woods, 1992)
But…
Less intelligent people may have more difficulty comprehending the message
simple versus complex messages
Intelligence is not synonymous with knowledge or education on a topic
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11. Psychological states and traits
Self-Esteem
The Trade-off between low and high esteem
Low esteem: more likely to yield, but less likely to follow through
High esteem: less likely to yield, but more likely to follow through
Therefore, people with moderate esteem may be the most persuadable
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12. Psychological states and traits
Anxiety
Anxiety disorders affect approximately 40 million Americans (ADAA, 2010)
Persuasion requires attention, comprehension, and yielding to a message
Anxious people may have more trouble attending to a message
Anxiety may be distracting
Anxiety may trigger panic
Anxious people may be more likely to yield to a message
Focus on reducing anxiety and fear so listeners will pay attention
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13. Psychological states and traits
Preference for consistency
High FPC’s value consistency, predictability. Are more susceptible to cognitive dissonance
Low FPC’s value spontaneity, unpredictability
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14. Psychological states and traits
Self-Monitoring
High self-monitors are:
More adaptable, sensitive to social cues
More responsive to image-oriented ads
Low Self-Monitors are:
More independent, less conforming
More responsive to product features and functions
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15. Psychological states and traits
Ego Involvement
Ego involved people tend to have:
Smaller latitudes of acceptance
Wider latitudes of rejection
Ego involved people tend to have narrower views
Assimilation/Contrast Phenomenon
Messages are distorted based on their perceived compatibility with existing beliefs and attitudes
Assimilation:
a message is perceived as being closer to one’s own position than it really is
Contrast:
a message is perceived as being farther from one’s own position than it really is
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16. Social judgment theory
Naomi is mildly ego- involved on the issue of abortion Loretta is highly ego- involved on the issue of abortion
large latitude of acceptance
small latitude of rejection
small latitude of acceptance
large latitude of rejection
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17. Psychological states and traits
Issue Involvement
According to the ELM, a person with high issue involvement:
tend to rely on central processing
tend to be more responsive to good arguments and evidence
A person with low issue involvement:
tend to favor peripheral processing
tend to look for mental shortcuts, heuristic cues
tend to respond better to testimonials
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18. Psychological states and traits
Authoritarian personalities are close-minded and conservative
Dogmatism is a broader construct
Dogmatic people may be conservative or liberal
Dogmatic people engage in rigid, doctrinaire thinking
Dogmatic people are more persuadable by authority figures
“Dogmatism—not religious fundamentalism, terrorism, or fanaticism in general—is the greatest threat to social, political, and scientific progress” (Johnson, 2009)
Social vigilantism
Social vigilantes believe their beliefs are superior to others’
They actively try to persuade others of their rightness
Johnson, J. (2009). What’s so wrong about being right? The dangerous nature of dogmatic belief. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books. Page 26.
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19. Psychological states and traits
High “dogs”
Prefer clear-cut rules and order
Like status hierarchies
Respect authority figures
View the world in black or white
“Low” dogs:
Prefer fewer rules, more flexibility
Place less emphasis on status and hierarchy
Are less obedient to authority
View the world in shades of gray
Johnson, J. (2009). What’s so wrong about being right? The dangerous nature of dogmatic belief. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books. Page 26.
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20. Psychological states and traits
Cognitive Complexity and need for Cognition
Need for cognition involves a desire to think about, reflect on things
Cognitive complexity involves the number of constructs people use when thinking
Cognitively complex (as opposed to cognitively simple) people:
are better at perspective taking
are more likely to use central processing
can tolerate more inconsistency
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21. Psychological states and traits
Cognitive complexity
People who rely on many constructs are cognitive complex
Their thinking is more nuanced
They are better at seeing things from another’s perspective
They are better at adapting messages to listeners
People who rely on few constructs are cognitively simple
They tend to think of things in black and white , either/or
They tend to have less tolerance for inconsistency, since they don’t see things in degrees
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22. Psychological states and traits
Need for Cognition
People who are high in the need for cognition (NFCs) like to think about things
They enjoying solving problems
They enjoy discussions
They are more likely to engage in central processing
People who are low in their need for cognition (LNCs)
Don’t like effortful thinking
They are more likely to resort to peripheral processing, e.g., heuristic cues
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23. Psychological states and traits
Verbal aggressiveness
Is a destructive trait
Relies on name-calling, insults, put-downs
The goal is to damage another’s self concept
Argumentativeness
Is a constructive trait
Involves a willingness to argue by focusing issues, not personalities

24. Analyzing and adapting to audiences
Know your audience
Adapt your message to your audience point of view
Tailor the message to the listener’s frame of reference
Explain how the message is consistent with the other person’s beliefs, attitudes, and values
Pay attention to situational cues
The context or setting matters
Tale cultural values into account
Consider Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Consider states and traits
Consider audience demographics
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