persuasion

• Persuasion is the process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors
• Persuasion


  Attempting to change someone's attitudes
• Persuasion in and of itself is not inherently good or bad
• Education


  More factually based and less coercive than propaganda
• Propaganda


  Less factually based and more coercive than education
• Persuasion is everywhere - it is at the heart of politics, religion, marketing, negotiation, courtship, relationships, and parenting - and even courtroom decision making
• Social psychologists seek to understand what leads to effective persuasion and long-lasting attitude change; and as the "persuaders", how can we most effectively "educate" others
• Hurdles of the persuasion process

  • It's not just the MESSAGE that matters, what also matters are people's thoughts in response to the persuasive messages
  • It's not just WHAT other people are trying to persuade you to think or say or feel or do, but YOUR THOUGHTS in response to the persuasive message
• If a message is clear but unconvincing, then you will easily counter it
• Elaboration Likelihood Model


  A model that explains how people process persuasive messages
• Persuasion is everywhere. It is at the heart of politics, religion, marketing, negotiation, courtship, relationships, and parenting - and even courtroom decision making.
• Social psychologists


  Seek to understand what leads to effective persuasion and long-lasting attitude change; and as the "persuaders", how can we most effectively "educate" others
• Imagine you are an

  • Advertising executive
  • Preacher trying to increase charity among parishioners
  • Politician desperate for enough votes to be elected
• In the persuasion process, it's not just the MESSAGE that matters, what also matters are people's thoughts in response to the persuasive messages.
• If a message is clear but unconvincing, then you will easily counter-argue the message and won't be persuaded. If the message offers convincing arguments, then your thoughts will be more favorable and you will most likely be persuaded.
• Cognitive response approach


  Helps us understand why persuasion occurs more in some situations than in others
• Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

  A dual process theory describing the change of attitudes. It proposed 2 major types of ways or routes for persuasion: the Central Route and the Peripheral Route.
• Central Route


  A person focuses on the facts, the contents, the arguments of a message, and responds with favorable (or unfavorable) attitudes. This route to persuasion involves careful and thoughtful consideration of the message (conscious processing).
• Peripheral Route


  A person focuses on incidental cues instead of the arguments of a message. This route to persuasion involves some simple cue/s, sometimes the argument or the message doesn't even matter.
• Central Route


  More explicit and reflective
• Peripheral Route


  Implicit and automatic
• Voters during election periods & election campaigns

  • Some voters look at the background of the candidates, their experience, their political will and know-how and their genuine eagerness to actually serve the people (Central Route)
  • Some voters get seduced by lofty promises and a candidate's sense of humor, or even the candidates' attractiveness and similar backgrounds to voters (Peripheral Route)
• Jim Jones got his followers to take their own lives most likely by appealing to their emotions via the peripheral route
• Credibility


  The extent to which a communicator is believable or not. A credible communicator is someone who is perceived by others as both an expert and trustworthy.
• Sleeper Effect


  The 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.
• The only surefire way to overcome any and all effects of the sleeper effect is to question and investigate the source of your knowledge.
• Halo Effect


  The assumption that because people have one desirable trait (e.g. attractiveness) people also possess many other desirable traits (e.g. intelligence).
• Attractive political candidates are more effective at persuading people than unattractive ones, even if voters deny the impact and effect of attractiveness on electability.
• People tend to be persuaded by those they find likeable, and those with whom they share a connection or similarity.
• Message variables


  Can vary on the amount of reason and emotion they use, and its effectiveness is dependent on the target audience.
• Messages become more persuasive when they are associated with good vibes, good feelings.
• Humor is a good way to enhance positive attitudes to messages, but it can also elicit mixed feelings from audiences because there are socio-cultural variations in what is perceived as funny.
• The target audience is more educated and analytical. Uninterested audiences, however, are more likely to be affected by their emotions - by their liking of the source.
• Messages become more persuasive


  When they are associated with good vibes, good feelings
• Good feelings enhance persuasion

  By linking good feelings and good vibes with positive thinking
• Happy people


  Tend to take the peripheral route when listening to persuasive messages, and so they make faster, more impulsive decisions
• Humor is a good way to enhance positive attitudes to messages
• Humor can also elicit mixed feelings from audiences because there are socio-cultural variations in what is perceived as funny
• Slapstick humor may have a massive appeal with most Asian audiences, but not with European audiences
• It is also important not to make messages too funny because humor can divert a person's attention from the argument of a message