Chapter 10

1. Chapter 10 Persuasion

2. Research Tradition • Carl Hovland • Effects of persuasive messages on attitude change • Moderating variables that act upon the persuasive process • H. Hyman and P. Sheatsley • Found that in order to be successful in changing attitudes, persuasive messages had to overcome certain psychological barriers

3. Research Tradition (Cont’d) • P. Lazarsfeld and his colleagues • Media messages serve primarily to reinforce existing attitudes rather than change them. • Recent research has shown that persuasion is a complicated process in which the receptivity of the receiver is important.

4. Attitude • The all-important mediator that stands between the acquisition of new persuasive information and subsequent behavioral change

5. Theory of Cognitive Dissonance • Attitude and action become inconsistent with one another • This inconsistency causes anxiety that must be resolved. • L. Festinger

6. Persuasion Models • McGuire’s Communication/ Persuasion Matrix Model • Cognitive Response Theory • The Elaboration Likelihood Model

7. McGuire’s Communication/ Persuasion Matrix Model • Explains persuasion effects by identifying inputs and outputs • Shortcomings: • Lack of detail regarding the process of yielding to a new attitude • Assumes that the input and output variables are sequential

8. Cognitive Response Theory • Attempts to amend the matrix model • An audience member yields to a new attitude depending upon cognitive responses to the message. • Problem: • In some cases persuasion occurs even though the audience member isn’t thinking about the content of a message.

9. The Elaboration Likelihood Model • Explains the process of persuasion by identifying the likelihood of a person to elaborate cognitively • 2 distinct routes lead to persuasion: • Central • Peripheral

10. ELM: Central Route to Persuasion • Considerable cognitive effort for the audience member • Attitude changes resulting from the central route show common characteristics: • Accessibility • Persistence • Behavioral Predictability • Resistance to change • Leads to long-term attitude changes

11. ELM: Peripheral Route to Persuasion • Does not involve considerable cognitive effort • May occur in many ways • Simple cues • Use of experts • Bandwagon effect • Leads to short-term attitude changes

12. Elements That Make Persuasion Effective • Relevance to the audience • Using questions rather than assertions • Using several sources to support arguments

13. “Peripheral Cue” Variables • The likeability or attractiveness of the message source • The credibility of the source • The number of arguments the message contained • The length of the arguments • The degree to which the position is supported by others

14. The Role of Variables • For persuasion to occur, three factors must be present: • Source • Message • Recipient

15. Variables • Source factor variables: • Attractiveness of the source • Credibility • Message factor variables: • All informational items in a message • Recipient factor variables: • Person’s mood at the time the message is received

16. Models That Link Attitudes and Actions • Reasoned action and planned behavior model • Two criteria decide whether people will act appropriately or not: • Their attitude toward the behavior • How others will view the behavior • Automatic activation model • Behavior follows automatically whenever an attitude comes to mind

17. Recent Research and Future Trends • Message-based persuasion and motives that produce attitude change or resistance • Gender differences and emotions and their influence in the persuasion process • Link between attitudes and persuasion • Variables involved in the persuasion process