Persuasion

1
Persuasion

• How to get people to do what you want.

2
Why discuss persuasion?

• Up to 3000 advertising messages a day!
• Include signs, flyers, scented ads, previews
• Blatant attempts include commercials
• We like to think that we are smart and thus
  immune to their deceit but we are not
• Daryl Bems aspirin commercial example
• Robert Zajoncs research when dealing with
  similar products familiarity makes a huge
  difference

3
Routes of Persuasion

• Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) Petty and
  Cacioppo
• Two routes can be used to persuade
• Central relies on facts, figures, and thought.
  Changes tend to be more permanent due to
  effortful processing.
• Peripheral attempts to persuade you without
  thought occurring. Relies on emotion. Leads to
  superficial and temporary change.

4
Yale Communication Paradigm

• Hovland, Janis, and Kelly are the main
  contributors.
• Based upon research undertaken to support the
  U.S. Army during WWII
• The question they investigated was Who said what
  to whom with what effect

5
Who

• Credibility messages are more persuasive if they
  come from credible sources.
• Hovland and Weiss attribute same point of view
  to Oppenheimer or Pravda. Participants are
  persuaded by Oppenheimer.
• Objective indicators of expertise (Ph.D. vs.
  Bachelors Degree).
• Begin persuasion effort by saying things that the
  listener agrees with (perceived as more
  intelligent).

6
More Credibility

• Credibility is further increased by
• Speaking confidently.
• Sleeper effect Delayed impact of discounted
  message as we remember the message but forget why
  we discounted it.
• Perceptions of trustworthiness are increased by
• Speaking fast (reduces time to counterargue)
• Argue against own self-interest (Good example is
  heir to the R.J. Reynolds fortune arguing against
  cigarette smoking)
• Appear to not be trying to persuade someone.

7
Who Attractiveness

• Both physical attractiveness and attractiveness
  based upon similarity can influence us if
• We are not motivated to think deeply.
• If the issue is one of subjective preference.
• Celebrity endorsements are based on this idea.
• The greater the number of products endorsed the
  less effective a celebrity becomes.

8
What

• Reason versus emotion
• Arousing both positive and negative feelings can
  lead to attitude change.
• Making people happy makes them easier to persuade
  (happy people rely on heavily on peripheral
  cues).
• Fear arousing messages change attitudes and
  behavior, if specific directions are included for
  avoiding the negative outcome (Leventhal and
  colleagues).

9
What Discrepancy

• Greatest attitude change occurs after the
  presentation of a message with a moderate amount
  of discrepancy from original opinion.
• Large discrepancy leads people to shut out
  message.
• However, can increase discrepancy as communicator
  prestige increases Becomes more difficult to
  derogate the messenger.

10
What Other Factors

• One vs. Two sided arguments
• Two sided if audience is knowledgeable
• Two sided if initial opinion of audience runs
  contrary to persuasive message
• Order of presentation
• Primacy wins if short gap exists between the two
  messages
• Recency wins if decision will be made immediately
  after the competing messages

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To Whom?

• Forewarned is forearmed.
• Inoculation Effect Developed by William McGuire
• Receive exposure to a brief communication that
  they can refute, immunize against a full-blown
  presentation of the argument
• Same exact logic as our immunization programs
• The person who is easiest to brainwash is the one
  whos beliefs have never been challenged.
• Distracted people dont counterargue.
• Overall, stimulating thinking makes strong
  messages more persuasive and weak messages less
  persuasive.

12
Pratkanis and Aronson (1992) How to become a
cult leader

• Create your own social reality. Cut off external
  sources of information. Mail should be censored.
  Isolate cult headquarters from the rest of the
  world
• Establish an ingroup of followers and an outgroup
  of the unredeemed.
• Jones called doubters the enemy
• Suicide would lead to salvation for the chosen
  people.

13
Cult Leader Tips

• Generate commitment through dissonance reduction.
  Insure obedience by establishing a spiral of
  escalating commitment
• Foot in the door technique
• Cognitive dissonance and justification of actions
• Severe initiations lead to higher evaluation of
  groups.

14
Cult Leader Tips

• Maintain the notion of a promised land and a
  vision of a better world. Provides a powerful
  incentive to keep working. Maintains hope by
  providing a sense of purpose and freedom.