SCOM 341 Final Exam Dan Schill

types of credibility

receiver based

multidimensional

situational

dynamic

receiver based credibility

credibility exists in the eye of the beholder

multidimensional credibility

credibility represents a composite of multiple different characteristics

situational credibility

different audiences perceive differently

dynamic credibility

credibility changes over time

primary dimensions of credibility

expertise

trustworthiness

goodwill

expertise

persuader must appear to be knowledgeable

trustworthiness

persuaders who portray honesty and integrity are more effective

goodwill

perceived caring, empathy towards others

secondary dimensions of credibility

dynamism/extroversion

composure

sociability

three modes of proof

ethos

logos

pathos

ethos

source credibility

logos

logical reasoned arguments

pathos

emotional appeal

social judgement theory

perception and evaluation of an idea by comparing it with current attitudes

ego involvement

the degree to which an issue is relevant or important to a person

latitude of acceptance

the range of positions on a given issue that are acceptable to them

latitude of noncommitment

positions that provoke only a neutral or ambivalent response

latitude of rejection

range of positions that are unacceptable

contrast effect

when an opinion falls outside their latitude of acceptance and they perceive the opinion as further away from their own that it really is

assimilation effect

when opinion is closer to anchor than it really is

leads to effective persuasion

Nudge Theory

a concept which argues that nudges encourage people to act a certain way without actually changing their choices

elaboration likelihood model

a theory of how persuasive messages lead to attitude changes

central processing route

cognitive elaboration

peripheral processing route

peripheral, heuristic processing

parallel processing route

trade off within processing routes

heuristic-systematic model (HSM)

attitude change to persuasive communications is mediated by heuristic and/or systematic processing: when motivation and ability are high, systematic processing is likely; when they are low, individuals rely on heuristic cues

systematic processing

thoughtful and deliberate

simultaneous processing

relies on mental shortcuts

based on decision rules and heuristic cues

sufficiency principle

people strive to know as much as they need to when making a decision, but no more or less

Unimodel of Persuasion

rather than two distinct modes of info processing, there is one; Central and Peripheral arent that different someone just experiences more or less of one

audience factors in persuasion

age, sex/gender, audience needs, culture, ect.

age factor

children are easy targets

elderly are most vulnerable

sex/gender factor

women are more easily persuaded by males and vice versa

audience needs factor

audiences are self interested

culture factor

collectivism vs. individualism

high-context vs. low-context

rhetorical situation

a situation that constrains human decision and requires rhetorical discourse

The three parts of the rhetorical situation

exigence

audience

constraints

exigence

problem existing in the world that must be changed by human interaction

audience

rhetorical discourse promotes change through its influence of an audience's decisions/actions

constraints

persons/events/objects/relations that limit decisions and actions

social constraints - gender, race, class

identification

when people achieve shared meaning

attitudes

a psychological tendency expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor/disfavor

key aspects of attitudes

they reflect tendencies to respond in predictable ways

they represent favorable/unfavorable dimensions of things

always directed towards an attitude object

likert scales

equal appearing intervals

strongly disagree - strongly agree

semantic differential scale

based on connotative meaning

opposite pairs: happy _ _ _ _ _ sad

visual analog scale

pictures of faces ranging in emotion

good for language barriers

implicit measures

assumed unconscious attitudes can be assessed

Implicit Association Test

A computer-driven assessment of implicit attitudes. The test uses reaction times to measure people's automatic associations between attitude objects and evaluative words. Easier pairings (and faster responses) are taken to indicate stronger unconscious associations.

Downfalls to measuring attitudes

social desirability bias

non-attitudes

mindfulness

Theory of Reasoned Action

A theory suggesting that the decision to engage in a particular behavior is the result of a rational process in which behavioral options are considered, consequences or outcomes of each are evaluated, and a decision is reached to act or not to act. That decision is then reflected in behavioral intentions, which strongly influence overt behavior.

3 elements to the TRA

behavioral beliefs

normative beliefs: descriptive (what ppl typically do) vs. injunctive norms(what ppl should do)

perceived behavioral control

Persuasion Functions of Narrative

kenneth burke

Dan: narratives are most important strategy

add interest/create id/aid memory/emotional response/transport audience

Types of rational argument

syllogism

enthymeme

syllogism

form of logical deduction

contains: major premise (global assumption), minor premise (specific claim), conclusion

3 elements of argument

grounds (evidence, support)

warrant (inferential leap)

claim (assertion or proposition)

4 types of claims

fact

judgment/value

policy

definition/classification

Enthymeme

syllogism without stating major or minor premise

less formal syllogism

perceptual contrast

notice differences between things, not absolute measures

judge almost everything in comparison to something else

contrast principle

contrast against anchor points

very malleable

linguistic presupposition

using language to assume something you haven't asked for

power of labeling

people's names influence impressions

consistency theory

people strive for cognitive consistency

degree of discomfort in inconsistency depends on the centrality of attitudes involved

cognitive dissonance

basic idea that after making a decision/performing behavior, that a person worries if they made the correct decision

What was the category of the paid teachers of philosophy and rhetoric in ancient greece, who are now associated in popular thought with moral skepticism and specious reasoning?

Sophists

Which of the 5 canons of rhetoric referred to choosing the best available persuasive strategy for a given situation?

Invention

Aristotle described ethos as one of the most important modes of proof. What is ethos?

Appeal to Speaker's Credibility

Which thinkers said the purpose of rhetoric is to seek truth and that ethical communicators should use rhetoric to impart truths to ignorant audiences?

Plato

According to class lecture, one of the most important aspect of persuasion is creating common ground and shared joined interests between persuader and persuadee. What strategy is in this approach?

Identification

Warmth appeal

common in product advertising

often appeal to children or family

Self-interest appeal

Americans are self-interested

Audiences want to know how it will effect themselves

Guilt appeal

tap into guilt/pity of audience

common in non-profits

Needs appeal

Maslow's Hierarchy

Physiological and Self-Actualization - most important

Religion appeal

God strategy - american and god's divine will, embracing symbols/rituals/practices

Religion as a heuristic cue

values appeal

tap into the value structure of society

humor appeal

tends to reduce credibility but raise social attractiveness

1 in 5 ads use humor

sex appeal

objectification theory: females more likely to be depicted as objects

myth appeal

sacred narratives that explain how the world came to be in its present form

ingratiation appeal

flattery as a motivational inducement

opinion conformity

patriotism appeal

powerful in America

Direct effects model of immediacy

direct, positive relationship between nonverbal behavior and social influence, leading to increased persuasion

role of persuasion in society

persuasion is everywhere

interpersonal - most prevalent

face-to-face is most effective

shared meaning, positive social force, effective = ethical

key influencers of persuasion

mavens

connectors

salespeople

mavens

possess information, expertise, and seek to share it

connectors

know everybody, are networkers, have many contacts

salespeople

Active advocates, Charismatic, Good at building rapport

SUCCES

Simple

Unexpected

Concrete

Credible

Emotional

Stories

power of habit

Charles Duhigg

Cue (location, time of day)

Routine (behavior itself)

Reward (why habits exist, usually emotional)

GRASP Process

Goals, Research, Audience, Strategy, Performance

Inoculation Theory

Presenting a small dose of a competing argument is an effective way to increase a person's resistance to the argument.

refutational arguments

calling attention to a product's negative attributes as a persuasive strategy where a negative issue is raised and then dismissed; this approach can increase source credibility

2 sided refutational argument > one-sided > two-sided nonrefutational

social proof

influence tactic that relies on the tendency people have to behave in a particular way because others are doing so

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

door-in-the-face technique

asking for a large commitment and being refused and then asking for a smaller commitment

foot in the mouth technique

requester establishes some kind of relationship, no matter how trivial, with the target person, thereby increasing this person's feelings of obligation to comply

Sweetening the deal

adding extra incentives to the original offer

bait and switch

ad that attracts consumers with a low-priced product, then tries to sell them a higher-priced product

disrupt then reframe

a tactic that operates to increase compliance by disrupting one's initial, resistance-laden view of a request and quickly reframing the request in more favorable terms

confusion technique

legitimizing paltry contributions

making a request that seems like less of an imposition and attempting to make persuadees feel guilty about resisting the request

hurt then rescue

drowning person will grab at anything, so push them in the water and throw them a life line