week 5

Attitude inoculation

Exposing people to weak attacks on their attitudes to prepare them for stronger attacks and provide refutations.

Attractiveness

Having qualities that appeal to an audience, making a communicator more persuasive on subjective preference matters.

Central route to persuasion

When interested individuals focus on arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.

Certainty

The level of subjective confidence or validity attached to attitudes.

Channel of communication

The method of delivering a message, such as face to face, in writing, on film, etc.

Credibility

Believability of a communicator, perceived as both expert and trustworthy.

Cults

Groups characterized by devotion to a god or person, isolation from the surrounding culture, and a charismatic leader.

Need for cognition

The motivation to think and analyze information.

Peripheral route to persuasion

When people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness.

Persuasion

The process of inducing change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors through a message.

Primacy effect

Information presented first usually has the most influence.

Reactance

A motive to protect or restore our sense of freedom when it is threatened.

Recency effect

Information presented last sometimes has the most influence.

Selective attention

The extent to which people's attitudes bias the information they attend to.

Selective exposure

The extent to which people's attitudes bias the information they expose themselves to.

Selective memory

The extent to which people's attitudes bias recall and recognition of information.

Sleeper effect

A delayed impact of a message, where the message is remembered but a reason for discounting it is forgotten.

Two-step flow of communication

The process where media influence occurs through opinion leaders, who then influence others.