COMS 333 – Persuasion Midterm Exam Study Guide

Flashcards covering key concepts from COMS 333 – Persuasion lecture notes, including definitions of communication processes, persuasion perspectives, Aristotelian proofs, values, and major persuasion theories like Social Judgment Theory, Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Psychological Reactance Theory, Politeness Theory, Narrative Paradigm, Theory of Reasoned Action, and Elaboration Likelihood Model.

What is noise in the context of persuasion?

Noise is any interference that distorts, disrupts, or blocks the message being communicated, which can be literal (e.g., background chatter) or psychological (e.g., listener's bias).

How does decoding relate to persuasion?

Decoding is the process by which the receiver interprets and makes sense of the message. Successful persuasion depends on how accurately the receiver decodes the intended meaning based on their background, attitudes, culture, and prior knowledge.

What is encoding in persuasion?

process of turning thoughts, ideas, or intentions into a message using words, symbols, tone, or gestures. In persuasion, a speaker encodes by choosing persuasive language, examples, and nonverbal cues tailored to the audience's values and needs.

How does feedback function in a persuasive communication process?

the response from the receiver back to the sender that shows whether the message was understood. It helps the persuader adjust their approach and can be verbal, nonverbal, or behavioral.

What is the difference between one-way and two-way communication?

One-way communication is when a message flows from sender to receiver without feedback (e.g., TV ad). Two-way communication involves both sender and receiver exchanging messages and feedback, allowing for adjustment, clarification, and stronger persuasion (e.g., debates).

What are the defining characteristics of persuasion from the rhetorical perspective?

involve artistic proofs and inartistic proofs.

How is persuasion defined from the social scientific perspective?

influencing autonomous judgments and actions, modifying beliefs, values, attitudes, or behaviors.

What are the differences between inartistic and artistic proofs?

Artistic proofs are controlled by the persuader (e.g., choice of evidence, organization, style, language), while inartistic proofs are things not controlled by the speaker (e.g., time allotted, physical appearance).

Name and describe Aristotle’s three artistic proofs.

Aristotle's three artistic proofs are Ethos (source credibility or character), Pathos (emotional appeals), and Logos (logical and rational approach; good argument and logic).

Under which perspective of persuasion do Aristotle’s proofs fit?

Rhetorical perspective.

Define beliefs.

Beliefs are judgments about what is true or highly probable.

Define attitudes.

relatively enduring organization of beliefs around an object or situation predisposing one to respond in some preferential manner.

What are values, and what is their role?

mode of conduct or an end-state of existence that play an active role in guiding behaviors. They serve as standards we use to judge others.

How does a person develop values?

through experience, life, and living.

What did Karl Popper say about theories?

'Theories are nets cast to catch what we call 'the world''.

What is the difference between an independent and a dependent variable?

An independent variable is the cause, or factor you change or manipulate to see what happens. A dependent variable is the effect, or the outcome that changes because of the independent variable.

What is the recall word for Social Judgment Theory (SJT)?

Social Judgment Theory.

What is the central premise of SJT?

persuasion works best when the persuader understands the audience's anchor point (the attitudes they already hold) and aims for small, gradual shifts rather than big leaps.

Who are the researchers associated with SJT?

Sherif & Hovland, 1961.

What is the name and purpose of the survey used in SJT?

Ordered Alternatives Questionnaire. Its point is to see where the target’s view is on a continuum and then see if movement can be sparked from their position to options that meet persuasion goals.

Define 'anchor' in SJT.

your actual stance on an issue, the position you already hold.

Define 'Latitude of Acceptance' (LOA) in SJT.

range of positions you see as reasonable or acceptable.

Define 'Latitude of Rejection' (LOR) in SJT.

range of positions you strongly disagree with and won’t accept.

Define 'Latitude of Non-Commitment' (LON) in SJT.

the middle ground: positions you don’t fully agree with but also don’t reject.

What is ego involvement and how does it affect the latitudes in SJT?

predicts whether attitudes will stay put or shift. High ego involvement leads to a bigger 'no way' zone (latitude of rejection) and a smaller 'maybe' zone (latitude of non-commitment).

What is the contrast effect in SJT?

occurs when a persuasive message falls inside a person’s latitude of rejection, causing the receiver to exaggerate how far the message is from their own position, strengthening resistance.

What is the assimilation effect in SJT?

happens when a message falls inside a person’s latitude of acceptance, causing the receiver to minimize the difference and see the message as closer to their view than it really is.

What is the boomerang effect in SJT?

happens when a persuasive attempt backfires, pushing the receiver further away, often when the message falls deep in the latitude of rejection.

What is the central premise of Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT)?

when we receive new information or act inconsistently with existing attitudes, we experience uncomfortable tension (dissonance) and are naturally motivated to reduce it.

What is the recall word for Cognitive Dissonance Theory?

congruence and consistency.

Who is the researcher associated with Cognitive Dissonance Theory?

Leon Festinger.

True or False: To persuade someone, you should provide as many new and relevant arguments or information as possible to change their attitudes.

False

Provide an academic definition of dissonance.

when two stimuli or pieces of information contradict each other, leading to an uncomfortable tension with actual unpleasant mental and physical characteristics.

What are schemata and what role do they serve in Cognitive Dissonance Theory?

defined as cognitive structures or 'mental file cabinets' that store our highly organized and intricate past experiences and new information.

What is consonance and when do people typically experience it?

when two stimuli or a piece of received information is in harmony with an existing one. People experience ___when information aligns with their existing beliefs or actions.

According to Festinger, what are the three ways people reduce dissonance?

justifying their beliefs, justifying their behavior, or changing their beliefs/behavior.

Is creating dissonance a good or bad thing when it comes to persuading someone?

neither good nor bad; its impact depends on how it is managed and resolved.

What is the central premise of the Theory of Psychological Reactance?

we are motivated by self-determination which is the ability to direct our own choices—and when perceived freedom is threatened, we experience pressure to reestablish it.

What is the keyword associated with the Theory of Psychological Reactance?

Freedom

Who are the researchers associated with the Theory of Psychological Reactance?

Brehm & Brehm, 1981.

What role does self-determination play in the Theory of Psychological Reactance?

the ability to direct our own choices, plays a core role as threats to this ability motivate people to reestablish their threatened freedom.

What is reactance, and how is it different from dissonance?

a form of psychological arousal (like dissonance but distinct). It is the negative emotional response to a perceived threat to one's freedom of choice, whereas dissonance arises from cognitive inconsistency.

What are the three variables that can increase the amount of reactance a person will experience?

importance, proportion, and strength of threat.

What is the main takeaway when applying the Theory of Psychological Reactance to persuasion?

when your perceived freedom is threatened, you will experience a motivating pressure toward reestablishing that threatened freedom, which persuaders must consider.

What is the central premise of Politeness Theory?

every interaction involves the risk of threatening someone's face, especially persuasion. Politeness strategies (redress strategies) are used to manage these threats to maintain cooperative and effective communication.

Who are the researchers associated with Politeness Theory?

Brown and Levinson (1978).

What is the recall word for Politeness Theory?

Face

What role does 'face' play in Politeness Theory?

the public self-image or respect a person wants to maintain in interaction. Protecting that image happens in both public nd private situations

How do Brown and Levinson define 'politeness'?

the speaker’s way of reducing face threats that come with certain face-threatening acts (FTAs), which are efforts to protect both self and other’s face during interaction.

Name and describe the two types of face associated with Politeness Theory.

Positive face (the desire to be liked, respected, and included by others) and Negative face (the desire to act freely without being imposed on or restricted).

What is another term associated with politeness strategies?

redress strategies

Individuals should choose politeness strategies based on what three factors?

closeness, power, and size (severity of the imposition).

What is the central premise of the Narrative Paradigm?

people are persuaded through stories (narratives), not just logic. Stories provide 'good reasons' that feel meaningful, even without hard data, the paradigm belongs to the rhetorical tradition of persuasion.

Who was the researcher associated with the Narrative Paradigm?

Walter Fisher (1984)

What is the keyword associated with the Narrative Paradigm?

Narrative rationality.

What is narrative rationality? Name and define its two defining concepts.

when human beings determine the believability of stories. Its two defining concepts are Coherence (smooth flow with believability) and Fidelity (congruence or alignment with our own experiences).

When considering coherence and fidelity, which one is more important?

One component of narrative rationality is worthless without the other; both coherence and fidelity are essential.

What is the keyword associated with the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)?

Intention

Who are the researchers associated with TRA?

Fishbein and Ajzen (1975)

Define 'norms' in the context of TRA.

shared beliefs about how people should act in a situation, guiding behavior by creating expectations.

Define 'descriptive norms'.

perceptions of what most people actually do in a given situation (e.g., 'most students use laptops in class').

Define 'injunctive norms'.

perceptions of what behaviors people approve or disapprove of (e.g., 'people think you should recycle').

Define 'subjective norms'.

personal beliefs about the social pressure from important others (e.g., friends, family, peers) regarding what you should do.

What is self-monitoring, and describe the behaviors of high and low self-monitors.

how much people adjust their behavior to fit norms. High self-monitors shift their behavior to match different situations and audiences, while low self-monitors act more consistently with their true attitudes.

According to TRA, what are 'beliefs about behavior'?

the underlying beliefs about the likely consequences of the behavior (e.g., 'if I exercise, I will lose weight').

According to TRA, what is 'evaluation of behavior'?

how you personally value or judge those outcomes (e.g., 'getting a good grade is very important to me').

According to TRA, what is 'attitude about the behavior'?

the overall positive or negative feeling about performing the behavior, shaped by beliefs and evaluations (e.g., 'studying every day is a good idea').

According to TRA, what are 'opinions of referent others'?

what important people in your life think you should or should not do (e.g., 'my friends think I should go to the gym').

According to TRA, what is 'motivation to comply'?

how much you care about doing what those important others think (e.g., 'I really care what my friends think, so I’ll listen to them').

According to TRA, what is the 'subjective norm'?

the social pressure you feel to perform the behavior, based on the opinions of referent others and your motivation to comply.

According to TRA, what is 'behavioral intention'?

your conscious plan or decision to do the behavior (e.g., 'I plan to go to the gym three times a week').

What is the central premise of the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)?

explains how people process persuasive messages and why they respond differently. Persuasion can happen through careful, logical thinking (central route) or through quick reliance on mental shortcuts (peripheral route).

Who are the researchers associated with ELM?

Petty and Cacioppo (1986)

What is the keyword for ELM?

Routes.

Compare and contrast the central and peripheral routes of ELM.

Central route processing occurs when people carefully evaluate arguments, weigh evidence, and actively seek information. Peripheral route processing occurs when people rely on surface cues or mental shortcuts (like popularity or credibility) instead of detailed analysis.

What does the statement 'ELM is both a sender-based and receiver-based model' mean?

This statement means the persuader (sender) can craft messages using central or peripheral strategies, but the audience (receiver) ultimately determines which route of persuasion actually happens, based on their level of involvement and processing ability.