L5: Persuasion & Conformity

• Persuasion - a process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behavior.
• Two paths leading to influence:

  1. Central route
  2. Peripheral Route
• Central Route - occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.
• Central Route:

  When people are motivated and able to think about the issue, they are likely to take the central route to persuasion: focusing on arguments
• Peripheral Route - occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues like the speaker's attractiveness.
• Peripheral Route:

  focusing on cues that trigger automatic acceptance without much thinking.
• 4 Elements of Persuasion:

  1. The communicator
  2. Message
  3. Channel
  4. Audience
• The communicator - the first factor that can impact the success of the persuasion attempt
• The communicator - element of Persuasion; the person communicating or the source of the persuasion
• 2 characteristics of Communicator:

  1. Credibility
  2. Attractiveness & Liking
• Credibility - characteristic of Communicator which involves believability
• 12 GOALS OF PERSUASION

  1. to obtain information
  2. to obtain object or objective
  3. to obtain persmission
  4. getting someone to do a favor
  5. to change someone's opinion
  6. to engage someone in activity
  7. to buy or sell something
  8. to change an existing relationship
  9. to change someone's personal habit
  10. to help the persuader
  11. to help a third party
  12. to get someone to do something against self-interest
• A credible communicator has:

  1. perceived expertise
  2. perceived trustworthiness
• Perceived expertise - as someone we perceive to be both knowledgeable on a topic and has the ability to share accurate information with us
• Perceived Trustworthiness - if people view someone as trustworthy, they will automatically be persuaded by the attempt
• Attractiveness and Liking - having qualities that appeal to an audience.

  An appealing communicator is the most persuasive on matters of subjective preference
• Message:

  Message content - the most effective among ALL the elements
• 5 Ways How Message is Presented:

  1. Foot in the door phenomenon
  2. Low Ball Technique
  3. Door in the Face Technique
  4. Reciprocity
  5. Perceptual Contrast
• Foot in the door phenomenon - once you agree to the small request, the communicator will ask for something larger
• Low Ball Technique - the communicator will put forward an attractive offer, one that is hard to say no to. Once the offer is agreed to, you will come up with new reasons for why you are glad you made the commitment to this offer
• Door in the Face Technique - a strategy for gaining a concession. After someone first turn down a large request, the same requester counteroffer with a more reasonable request.
• Channel - How the message is said
• Channel of communication - the way message is delivered— whether face-to-face, writing, film, or media
• Channel: Active Experience or Passive Reception

  • written and visual appeals are both passive and thus have smaller hurdles to overcome
• Channel: Personal VS Media Influence

  • The major influence on us is not the media but our contact with people
• Two step flow of communication - process by which media influence often occurs through opinion of leaders, who in turn influence others
• Audience - 4th element of Persuasion; it matters who receives the message; persuasion is enhanced by a distraction that inhibits counterarguing
• 3 Ways How Persuasion is Resisted

  1. strengthening personal commitment
  2. developing counterarguments
  3. implication of attitudes
• Strengthening Personal Commitment

  • way to resist persuasion
  • before encountering others judgement, make public commitment to your position
  • having stood up for your conviction, you will become less susceptible to what others have to say
• Developing Counterarguments

  Attitude Inoculation

  • exposing people to weak attacks upon their attitudes so that when stronger attacks come, they will have refutations available