Transcript Chapter 10 Persuasion 1

Chapter 10
Persuasion
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Research Tradition
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Carl Hovland
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Effects of persuasive messages on attitude
change
Moderating variables that act upon the
persuasive process
H. Hyman and P. Sheatsley
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Found that in order to be successful in
changing attitudes, persuasive messages
had to overcome certain psychological
barriers
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Research Tradition (Cont’d)
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P. Lazarsfeld and his colleagues
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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.
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Attitude
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The all-important mediator that
stands between the acquisition of
new persuasive information and
subsequent behavioral change
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Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
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Attitude and action become
inconsistent with one another
This inconsistency causes anxiety
that must be resolved.
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L. Festinger
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Persuasion Models
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McGuire’s Communication/
Persuasion Matrix Model
Cognitive Response Theory
The Elaboration Likelihood Model
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McGuire’s Communication/
Persuasion Matrix Model
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Explains persuasion effects by
identifying inputs and outputs
Shortcomings:
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Lack of detail regarding the process of
yielding to a new attitude
Assumes that the input and output
variables are sequential
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Cognitive Response Theory
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Attempts to amend the matrix
model
An audience member yields to a
new attitude depending upon
cognitive responses to the message.
Problem:
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In some cases persuasion occurs even
though the audience member isn’t
thinking about the content of a
message.
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The Elaboration Likelihood Model
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Explains the process of persuasion
by identifying the likelihood of a
person to elaborate cognitively
2 distinct routes lead to persuasion:
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Central
Peripheral
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ELM: Central Route to Persuasion
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Considerable cognitive effort for the
audience member
Attitude changes resulting from the central
route show common characteristics:
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Accessibility
Persistence
Behavioral Predictability
Resistance to change
Leads to long-term attitude changes
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ELM: Peripheral Route to
Persuasion
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Does not involve considerable
cognitive effort
May occur in many ways
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Simple cues
Use of experts
Bandwagon effect
Leads to short-term attitude
changes
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Elements That Make Persuasion
Effective
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Relevance to the audience
Using questions rather than
assertions
Using several sources to support
arguments
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“Peripheral Cue” Variables
1.
2.
3.
4.
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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
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The Role of Variables
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For persuasion to occur, three
factors must be present:
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Source
Message
Recipient
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Variables
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Source factor variables:
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Message factor variables:
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Attractiveness of the source
Credibility
All informational items in a message
Recipient factor variables:
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Person’s mood at the time the message
is received
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Models That Link Attitudes and
Actions
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Reasoned action and planned behavior
model
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Two criteria decide whether people will act
appropriately or not:
Their attitude toward the behavior
 How others will view the behavior
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Automatic activation model
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Behavior follows automatically whenever
an attitude comes to mind
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Recent Research and Future
Trends
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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
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