CMN 112 Theories of Persuasion

Goals of Persuasion

to shape, change or reinforce beliefs. Influence attitudes (think or feel) and behaviors by ethos, pathos logos

Features of Persuasion

Success, Intent, Communication, and Freedom

Persuasion- Succes

To be considered successful there has to be a change big or small, positive or negativein beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors as a result of communication.

Persuasion - Intent to influence

Involves an attempt to influence, someone is trying to saw one or another. Persuasion to exist; there has to be an intent in the persuader. True effort of the persuader to the persuade

Persuasion - Comunciation

verbal, nonverbal, or visual. Transmission to one person or party to another

Persuasion- Freedom

An act in a space of free will with the audience full autonomy to reject or accept.

Intrapersonal

person to oneself

Interpersonal

person to person

Source

Persuader.

Message

what is being saidPre

Receiver

persuadee or audience

Competing Interest

Persuasion often occurs in context with conflicting motivations

Now vs then

1. Number of messages

2. Speed and brevity

3. Conducted via institutions and organizations

4. Subtlety

5. Complexity and mediation

6. Digitalization (exposre to short and emtaphorical messages, with simultaneous messages, exchange among millions of strangers, subject to multiple interpretations)

7. Exposure to wealth of new, but also bias confirming, information

Persuasion key attributes

• Operates as a process not a product

• Requires transmission of a message

  Assumes free choice

At the end we persuade ourselves. We decided to change our own minds about issues, people, and ideas.

Perloff’s definition

Persuasion is a symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people to change their own attitudes or behaviors regarding an issue through the transmission of a message in an atmosphere of free choice.

Coercion

involves threat or forceman

Propaganda

one sides, often manipulative and emotional, used by institutions

Manipulation

deceptive influence to benefit manipulator, often unethical

Persuasion effects

Shaping responses (neutral starting point)

Reinforcing responses (strengthening already held attitudes)

Chaning responses (most bold, to try to modify or alter beliefs and attitudes.)

• changing how someone behaviors, actions, emotional perspective etc.

Boomerang Effect

the opposite of the intended effect

Miller GR definition of persuasion

Persuasion is any message that is intended to shape, reinforce, or change the responses of others

O’Keefe DJ definition of persuasion

Persuasion is a successful intentional effort at influencing another’s mental state through communication in a circumstance in which the persuadee has some measure of freedom

Persuaders

intentional and conscious

Persuadees

conscious and unconscious

Characteristics of Persuasion

Symbolic process, attempt to influence, persuadee response to message, and free choice

Social influence

when receiver act on cues, messages that went necessarily intended for their consumption. Peer pressure, social setting, social norms and expectationsAtt

Attitude

a learned, global evaluation of an object (person place or issue) that influence thought and action

Bias: explict

more obvious kinds of bias acted upon in person (outward racism)

conscious, deliberate, and easily self reported

Bias: implicit

more subtle, not fixed, nor directly observed, unconscious biases that affect judgment and behavior, often without the person's awareness.

unconscious, automatic, often revealed though indirect measures like IAT (implicit association test)

LaPiere’s 1934 Study

Richard LaPiere traveled with a Chinese couple across the U.S. during a time of anti-Chinese sentiment.

Despite prejudice, most establishments served them, but later reported they would not in a survey.

This demonstrated a disconnect between attitudes and behavior

Influence thought and action- Affective

liking or disliking, feelings, emotions (fear, love)

Influence thought and action - Behavioral

approach and avoidance, action tendencies (voting, buying)

Influence thought and action - Cognitive

approval or disapproval; support oppose, beliefs/thoughts (“this is useful”)

Values

Deep-rooted ideals or guiding principles (e.g., freedom, equality)

Beliefs

cognitions about the world; can be descriptive or prescriptive.

Valence (or direction)

positive vs negative intensity or extremity

Factual Beliefs

belief in facts

Valanced Beliefs

positive or negative connotation

Expectancy - Value Approach

A theory that suggests that individuals' attitudes toward an object are influenced by their beliefs about the object's attributes and the value they assign to those attributes.

EVA (expectancy value approach)

Attitudes = beliefs + evaluations

Attitudes = sum of beliefs about an object (expectancies) and evaluations of these beliefs (values)

Attitudes are a combination of …

strength of beliefs that an object has certain attributes (expectancies)

evaluation of those attributes (how good or bad is it?)

Attitude Measurement - Direct/ Explicit measures

likert scales
semantic differential

feeling thermometer

Likert scales

a series of opinion statements. That ask individuals the rate of which they agree or disagree in a long numerical scale. agree or disagree response. 1. don’t agree at all to 5. completely agree

Semantic Differential

takes emotion, feeling based approach, using an adjective and its opposite to scale a person’s position. Where do u fall on the scale?

Feeling Thermometer

mostly seen in political spaces. uses a favorable space: measure the degree of which they are warm or cold toward a subject.

Attitude measurement - indirect measurement

observation

thought listing

IAT (implicit association test)

Physiological and biological measures

Thought listing

Thoughts during message. write down your thoughts after watching this video. Analize if participants understood wanted message

Implicit Association Test

uses reaction times to words and their classification. using one or more criteria simultaneously. male vs female time reaction

Physiological Measures

measuring motor/body langauage. Sweat, pupil dilation, facial movements. Every expensive

Neuroscientific Meaures

fMRO revealing blood flow, brain activity. Offers insight on emotional processing, speed of evaluation of social stimuli

Social Judgment Theory

We evaluate issues based on where we stand on the subject

we interpret persuasive messages based on past experiences and what we already know about a subject

Comparing to our preexisting attitudes

Social Judgment Theory- core argument

The perception and evaluation of an argument are formed by comparing it with current attitudes. Subconscious sorting out of ideas that occurs at the instant of perception.

Attitudes influence how we process persuasion:

1. Selection/ selective exposure

2. Accessibility (memory)

3. Perception/interpretation

Selection/ Selective exposure

How we choose what information to attend to; literally give our attention to

Accessibility (memory)

Our preexisting attitudes determine what information we are able to recall and how we are able to think about that message

• weak vs strong accessibility

Smokers and nonsmokers shown anti-smoking and pro-smoking messages

People recall messages that reinforce their existing attitudes

Perception/interpretation

Out interpretation of the message

because of our preexisting attitudes serve as an anchor of our memory it can serve to evaluate income messages

Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)

Fishbein and Ajzen (1967).
A framework for understanding how individuals' beliefs and attitudes influence their intentions and behaviors, emphasizing the role of social norms.

belief of the consequences of the behavior and evaluation of the consequences.

TRA (theory of reasoned action) Assumptions

1. people are rational

2. behavior is determined by intentions

3. intentions depend on attitudes toward behavior and social pressure to do the behavior

4. people act on beliefs, ones that they value, and think are ture outcomes for them and respond to others influence

TRA key constructs:

1. Attitude —> evaluations/expectations of the outcomes of my behavior

2. Subjective norm —> evaluations/expectations of others’ judgement on my behavior

3. Behavior intention —> my intention to perform the behavior

attitude formation

beliefs are positive and negative consequences of my adopting the behavior. Is the belief subjectively ture (likelihood 0 to 1)? If the belief generally positive or negative (-3 to +3)

Belief = true x value=sum of productions = attitude

norm formation

desire to conform and/or perceived approval.

Parents: Very small desire to conform—> Disapprove ex. (0.10 x -2)= -0.2

Friends: Stronger desire to conform —> supportive ex (0.60 × 2)= 1.2

sum of products = norm pressure (-0.2+1.2= 1.0 norm pressure)

Theory of Planned Behavior

A psychological theory that links one's beliefs and behavior intentions to their ability to perform a specific action, incorporating attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control.

Norm formation

desire to conform, perceive approval

theory of planned behavior

A psychological framework that explains how individual beliefs and social influences shape intentions and actions, factoring in attitudes, norms, and control perceptions.

TRA Assumptions

People are rational

• Behavior is determined by intentions

• Intentions depend on attitudes toward behavior (specific beliefs), social pressure to do the behavior and ability to do the behavior

People

• Act on beliefs, ones that they value & think are true

• outcomes for them

• Respond to others’ influence

• Are constrained by ability

TPB key constructs

1. Attitude —> evaluations/expectations of the outcomes of my behavior

2. Subjective norm —> evaluations/expectations of others’ judgement on my behavior

3. Perceived behavior control —> evaluations of my own ability to control my behavior

4. Behavior intention è my intention to perform the behavior

Theory of reasoned action:

Limitations

1. Attitude and behavior intention measures

2. Assumes that the impact of attitudes on behavior is mediated by intentions

   a. The most direct predictor is behavioral intention, but this is not always true?

3. Assumes human beings are logical

4. Missing some peripheral aspects of persuasion

Descriptive Norms

my perceptions of what other people are doing

• My friends are getting the covid 19 vaccine

Subjective norms

 what other people want me to do

• My parents want me to get the covid 19 vaccine

Elaboration Likelihood Model

extent to which one thinks about argument

• Continuum

Peripheral Assumption

• Low mental effort or elaboration

• Not likely to engage in deep context

• More superficial of the context

• May be highly persuades by the emotional appeals of a campaign or title

Central Assumtion

High mental effort or elaboration; individuals carefully consider the arguments presented, leading to more stable attitude change.

• central/ credibility

Fast: Peripheral: System 1:

the first thing that come into your mind, impulse

Slow: Central: System 2:

more deliberate, you can control yourself and or thoughts

Ability is High When…

• Audience knowledge mabel 

  • Expertise, education

• Message is simple (vs complex)

  • The more you understand the message the more impact

• Distraction is minimal

  • Form context; from message

• Repetition is high (also redundancy)

  • Example: in every doctors offices there is different story of don't be like the johnsons 

• Modality allows control (e.g. print, web, tv, radio)

Motivation is High When

• Value relevant involvement high

  • “The activation of attitudes that are linked to important values

    • Moms “protect your kids”

      • Example: doctors “dont be like the johnsons posters” matter to me because I am a mother