Transcript Attitude Structure and Function*

PSY 321
Attitudes & Persuasion
Dr. Sanchez
The Rest of Today’s Plan:
Persuasion
Elaboration Likelihood Model
Persuasive Cues
Self-persuasion
Persuasion and Culture
Persuasion
Attempt
Audience
Factors
Processing
Approach
High
motivation
&
ability
Central
Route
(focus on
quality
of message)
Lasting
change
Peripheral
Route
(focus on
surface
Features)
Temporary
change
Persuasion
Outcome
Message
Low
motivation
&
ability
When elaboration likelihood is high, attitude
change occurs through the
“central route”
careful scrutiny of a persuasive message
the generation of positive or negative cognitive
responses to the message
on the basis of the positive or negative cognitive
responses, attitude change may occur
When elaboration likelihood is low, attitude
change occurs through the
“peripheral route”
no careful scrutiny of persuasive message
minimal generation of cognitive responses
look for “cues” in the persuasion context

e.g., something about the source of the message,
something about the message itself, something in the
context -- that allow us to make simple, low-effort
inferences or associations
Features of the Source of a Message
that can Serve as Persuasive Cues
Expertise
Expert?
Features of the Source of a Message
that can Serve as Persuasive Cues
• Expertise
• Credibility
Features of the Source of a Message
that can Serve as Persuasive Cues
• Expertise
• Credibility
• Likeability
– attractiveness
– similarity
– in-group status
Features of the Source of a Message
that can Serve as Persuasive Cues
• Expertise
• Credibility
• Likeability
– attractiveness
– similarity
– in-group status
• Number of sources
Other Persuasive Cues
Number of arguments
Other Persuasive Cues
• Number of arguments
• Reactions of others
- “social proof”
Other Persuasive Cues
• Number of arguments
• Reactions of others
• “social proof”
• Mood
• classical conditioning
Classical Conditioning
Neutral stimulus
(Pavlov’s bell)
Presented in
conjunction
with
Positively eval.
stimulus (meat)
Positive feelings
(salivation)
Later...
Previously neutral
stimulus (bell)
Positive feelings
(salivation)
Persuasion Context….
Attitude Object
Presented in
conjunction
with
Well liked object,
setting, person
Positive feelings
Later...
Attitude Object
Positive feelings,
favorable attitude
Other Persuasive Cues
• Number of arguments
• Reactions of others
- “social proof”
• Mood
– classical conditioning
– “how do I feel about it?”  misattribution
– non-conscious mimicry and facial feedback
Balance Principles
Heider’s Balance Theory


balance: occurs when we agree with people we
like and when we disagree with people we don’t
like
imbalance is aversive
Balance Principles
Heider’s Balance Theory


balance: occurs when we agree with people we like
and when we disagree with people we don’t like
imbalance is aversive
Balanced triad
+
you
your friend
+
+
Dalai Lama
Balance Principles
Heider’s Balance Theory


balance: occurs when we agree with people we like
and when we disagree with people we don’t like
imbalance is aversive
Balanced triad
+
you
Imbalanced triad
your friend
+
+ Dalai Lama
+
your friend
-
you
+
Dalai Lama
Balance Principles
• Heider’s Balance Theory
– balance: occurs when we agree with people we like
and when we disagree with people we don’t like
– imbalance is aversive
Balanced triad
+
you
Balance restored…
your friend
+
+
Dalai Lama
+
your friend
-
you
-
Dalai Lama
Balance Principles
• Heider’s Balance Theory
– balance: occurs when we agree with people we like
and when we disagree with people we don’t like
– imbalance is aversive
Balanced triad
+
you
Balance restored…
your friend
+
+
Dalai Lama
-
your
(ex)friend
-
you
+
Dalai Lama
Collectivistic
Han & Shavitt, 1994
Americans
Koreans
15
favorable thoughts
10
5
0
Independence
Interdependence
Type of Message in Ad
What Makes an Effective
Source?
Believable sources must be credible
sources.
To be seen as credible, the source must
two distinct characteristics:


Competence or expertise
Trustworthiness
Who Do You Trust?
What Makes an Effective
Source? (cont.)
How likable is the communicator?
Two factors influence a source’s likability:


The similarity between the source and the
audience.
The physical attractiveness of the source.
Chaiken (1979)
50
40
Percentage
Who Signed
Petition
30
20
10
0
Unattractive
Attractive
Attractiveness of Student Assistant
Is The Source More Important
Than The Message?
It depends…
How personally relevant is the message
for the recipient?
Source vs.Message:
The Role of Audience Involvement
IVs:



Ps were high and low in personal involvement
Strong v. Weak message
Expert v. Non-Expert
DVs: Post communication attitude
Fort those high in
involvement, the strength of
argument matters
For those who are low in
involvement, credibility of
source matters
Petty, Cacioppo, & Goldman, 1981
The Sleeper Effect
At first, credibility matters but four weeks
later…….
Low credibility sources gain persuasion
after time
The Sleeper Effect
What Makes an Effective
Message?
How should the argument be presented to
maximize its strength?
Are longer messages better?


If peripheral, the longer the message, the
more valid it must be.
If central, message length is a two-edged
sword.
Does presentation order matter?
Table 6.2: Effects of
Presentation Order and Timing
on Persuasion
Subliminal Messages
Can subliminal messages influence
behavior?
We are effected by subliminal cues.

But the cues will not persuade to take action
unless one is already motivated to do so.
Figure 6.9: Subliminal Influence
Strahan et al., 2002.
Audience Factors
Very few people are consistently easy or
difficult to persuade.
People differ in extent to which become
involved and take the central route.

Need for Cognition: How much does one
enjoy effortful cognitive activities?
Table 6.3: Need for Cognition
Scale: Sample Items
Cognitive Dissonance Theory:
The Classic Version
We are motivated by a desire for cognitive
consistency.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Inconsistent
cognitions arouse psychological tension
that people become motivated to reduce.


Can lead to irrational and sometimes
maladaptive behavior.
Insufficient justification for behavior can lead
to dissonance
Table 6.5: Ways to Reduce
Dissonance
The Dissonance Classic
Festinger & Carlsmith, 1959
Justifying Attitude-Discrepant
Behavior
Subjects experienced cognitive
dissonance because had insufficient
justification for lying.
Contributions of Festinger & Carlsmith’s
classic study:


Showed the phenomenon of self-persuasion.
Contradicted the accepted belief that big
rewards produce greater change.
Justifying Effort: Coming to Like
What We Suffer For
We alter our attitudes to justify our
suffering.
Aronson & Mills’ (1959) “embarrassment
test” study
The more we pay for something, the more
we will come to like it.
Justifying Difficult Decisions:
When Good Choices
Get Even Better
Whenever we make difficult decisions, we
feel dissonance
We rationalize the correctness of our
decision by exaggerating:


The positive features of the chosen alternative
The negative features of the unchosen
alternative.
Figure 6.12: Necessary
Conditions for the Arousal and
Reduction of Dissonance
Alternative Causes of
Dissonance Findings**
Self-Perception Theory: Self-persuasion
through observation of own behavior.
Impression Management Theory: What
matters is not a motive to be consistent
but rather a motive to appear consistent.
Self-Affirmation Theory: Dissonance
situations create a threat to the self.
Theories of Self-Persuasion:
Critical Comparisons