7. persuasion

elaboration likelihood model (ELM)

a model of persuasion that maintains that there are 2 routes to persuasion: the central route and the peripheral route

central route

route to persuasion wherein ppl think carefully and deliberately about the content of a persuasive message, attending to its logic and the strength of its arguments as well as to related evidence and principles

peripheral route

a route to persuasion wherein ppl attend to relatively easy-to-process, superficial cues related to a persuasive message, such as its length or the expertise or attractiveness of the source of the message

2 important factors in determining whether we will engage in central or peripheral processing

motivation and ability

when a message has __ (bears on our goals, interests, or well-being), we’re more likely to be motivated to go the central route and carefully work through arguments and relevant info

personal consequences

when ability is __(ex: arguments in a persuasive message are presented too quickly or are hard to comprehend), we’re more apt to rely on peripheral cues associated w the message, like the credentials of the message source

low

if EITHER motivation and ability to engage in more in-depth processing is lacking, persuasion is generally based on…

peripheral cues

3 elements of persuasion

“who” - source of the message

“what” - content of the message

“to whom” - intended audience of the message

source characteristics

characteristics of the person who delivers a persuasive message

3 examples of source characteristics

attractiveness, credibility, certainty

sleeper effect

an effect that occurs when a persuasive message from an unreliable source initially exerts little influence but later causes attitudes to shift

how does the sleeper effect work?

over time, people dissociate the source of the message from the message itself (so you can hear it again another time from a different source and think it to be more plausible)

message characteristics

aspects or content of a persuasive message, including the quality of the evidence and the explicitness of its conclusions

more attitude change will result if the message makes its conclusions…

explicit

messages are more persuasive when they argue…

against their own self-interest

identifiable victim effect

the tendency to be more moved by the vivid plight of a single individual than by the struggles of a more abstract number of people

what does intense fear do for long-lasting attitude change?

reduces it by disrupting the careful, thoughtful processing of the message

how can you make fear heighten people’s motivation?

the key is to include clear, concrete info about steps ppl can take to address the source of the fear

while Westerners tend to pursue goals w a __ orientation, focusing on the positive outcomes they hope to achieve, East Asians are more inclined to pursue their goals w a __ orientation, focusing on the negative outcomes they hope to avoid

promotion, prevention

audience characteristics

characteristics of those who receive a persuasive message

3 audience characteristics

cognition, mood, age

strong need for cognition

enjoy thinking, puzzling, pondering, and consider multiple perspectives on issues → central cues more effective

weaker need for cognition

don’t find thought and contemplation that much fun → peripheral cues more effective

shared attention + effects on persuasion route

when people believe they’re attending to a stimulus (televised political speech, for ex) at the same time that many others are attending to it, they’re inclined to process the stimulus more deeply → ELM’s central route

agenda control

efforts by the media to emphasize certain events and topics, thereby shaping which issues and events people think are important

hostile media phenomenon

the tendency for ppl to see media coverage as biased against their own side and in favor of their opponents’ side

public commitments + affect on attitude change

declarations of one’s attitude regarding a given issue in a public setting, making ppl resistant to attitude change

thought polarization hypothesis

the hypothesis that more extended thought abt a particular issue tends to produce a more extreme, entrenched attitude

moral conviction + affect on persuasion

attitudes grounded in fundamental beliefs about right and wrong, leads to resistance to persuasion

moral reframing

framing a position in terms of moral principles that the target values

attitude inoculation

small attacks on people’s beliefs that engage their preexisting attitudes, prior commitments, and background knowledge, enabling them to counteract a subsequent larger attack and thus resist persuasion

6 rules of persuasion and definitions

1. reciprocity: we give to those who have given to us

2. commitment and consistency: we want to appear consistent, at least publicly

3. social proof: the tendency to see an action as more appropriate when others do it

4. liking: we are more favorable to people we like (even if it’s just on the surface)

5. authority: we usually conform to the appearance of authority

6. scarcity: opportunities seem more valuable to us when they are limited