persuasion & attitude change

what is persuasion in social psychology

any attempt to change someone's attitudes or behaviour through communication

what does the Yale attitude change approach summarise persuasion as

source, message and audience

in this approach, what is the source

person or organisation delivering messages

name 2 important source factos

credibility & trustworthiness

what does source credibility mean

that the communicator is seen as an expert or trustworthy

what is the message in persuasion

content & style of what is being said

give one message feature that can increase persuasion

clear, logical arguments that are easy to follow

what is a fear appeal

message that tries to change attitudes by making people feel afraid of negative consequences

when are fear appeals most effective

when they include clear advice about how to avoid the danger

what is the audience in persuasion research

the people receiving the message, with their own traits and background

name one audience factor that can affect persuasion

age, intelligence, self‑esteem, mood or prior knowledge

how can mood influence persuasion

people in a good mood may agree more easily, especially with simple messages

what is attitude change

a shift in how positive or negative someone feels, thinks or behaves toward something

how can repetition of a message affect persuasion

repetition can increase familiarity and liking up to a point

what is one real-world area where persuasion research is used

advertising, politics or health campaigns

how can social norms be used to change attitudes

showing that many others approve or behave a certain way can push people to agree

what is cognitive dissonance

the discomfort felt when behaviour and attitudes do not match, which can lead to changing attitudes

how can incentives (rewards or punishments) change attitudes

they can encourage new behaviours that later become supported by new attitudes

why do message comprehension matter for persuasion

people must understand a message before they can accept it

what 3 broad things should you consider to predict persuasion

who is speaking (source), what they say (message), and who listens (audience)