Social Psychology David Myers Chapter 7 Persuasion To

Social Psychology David Myers Chapter 7 Persuasion “To swallow & follow” or “…be a free agent”…. …which is it? 1

Persuasion. . . matters Process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors Education or propaganda? Issues on… Global warning Weird beliefs Trillion dollar war Promoting healthier living Recruiting terrorists for ISIL Existential threats To Israel, U. S. ? 2

What Paths Lead to Persuasion? Factors related to: Communicator, message, channel, audience (C. Hovland at Yale) Cognitive responses – clear/ convincing (Ohio State U) Central Route – (Explicit) Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts Peripheral Route (implicit) Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness Focuses on cues that trigger automatic acceptance 3

Persuasion Elements Who Says? The Communicator Credibility Believability Sleeper effect Delayed impact of a message that occurs when an initially discounted message becomes effective, as we remember the message but forget the reason for discounting it 4

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? Who Says? The Communicator Credibility Perceived expertise Knowledgeable Speak confidently Perceived trustworthiness Eye contact Arguing against own self-interest Speak quickly 5

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? Who Says? The Communicator Attractiveness and liking Physical attractiveness Perceived Similarity In values, attitudes, group identification Mimicry and attractiveness? J. Blascovich, Bailenson, Yee 6

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? What Is Said? (Message Content) Reason versus emotion (depends on the audience) Reason works with more educated, analytical people Effect of good feelings …use peanuts and Pepsi! I. Janis (‘ 65) Effect of arousing fear Scare the hell out of them! Saliency is important Provide a solution 7

The Message itself Discrepancy Depends on the communicator’s credibility And the range of the audience’s “acceptability” A credible source (T. S. Elliot) Is more persuasive for a highly discrepant message -what exercise regimen should Nicole recommend for her father Depends on what? 8

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? What Is Said? The Message Content One-sided versus two-sided appeals Which one is more effective? Depends on whether the audience already agrees with the message; if the audience is unaware of opposing arguments, it is unlikely later to consider the opposition If they already oppose it, give both sides …Or if they already know the opposing view …Or if you know they will hear it E. g. …. . “…. now Senator Mc. Cain is going to tell you that…. ” “O” during the presidential campaign. . ” C. Hovland (1949) tested it out with U. S. soldiers WWII 9

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? What Is Said? The Message Content Primacy versus recency Primacy effect Other things being equal, information presented first usually has the most influence E. g. “. . intelligent…. . to envious” (S. Asch, ‘ 46) Recency effect Information presented last sometimes has the most influence. Recency effects are less common than primacy effects But it works when there is: 1. sufficient time between forgetting the first 2. And the audience commits itself soon after the second message 10

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? How Is It Said? The Channel of Communication -Face to face/sign/media ad On sermons (T. Crawford, ‘ 74)– “bigotry and prejudice” – when asked: 10% recalled the topic 30% recognized the topic -little or no effect! Must be: Attention getting, understandable, memorable, compelling Active experience or passive reception? Active experience strengthens attitudes (self-perception? ) Repetition and rhyming of a statement serves to increase its fluency and believability What about “hands up, don’t shoot!” ? 11

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? How Is It Said? The Channel of Communication Personal versus media influence Personal - tell them to vote to change that city charter provision! (75% complied!) Personal – most change in Watsonville with personal appeals to change high risk behaviors for heart disease Media influence: The two-step flow Process by which media influence often occurs through opinion leaders who, in turn, influence others Media -> Opinion leaders & “trend setters” (the “influentials”) -> rank and file (us) 12

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? How Is It Said? The Channel of Communication Personal (<- major influence) versus media influence Comparing media The more lifelike the medium, the more persuasive its message F to F, video, audio, written But best comprehension with written! 13

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? - age and thoughtfulness To Whom Is It Said? - The Audience How old are they? Life cycle explanation Attitudes change as people grow older Generational explanation (more supporting evidence ) Attitudes do not change; older people largely hold onto the attitudes they adopted when they were young 14

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? To Whom Is It Said? - The Audience What are they thinking? (central route) Forewarned is forearmed—If you care enough to counterargue Steal the opponent’s thunder! Distraction disarms counterarguing Words are used to promote candidate/product…while Visual images keep us occupied so we don’t analyze the words 15

What Are the Elements of Persuasion? To Whom Is It Said? The Audience What are they thinking? Analytical people …need cognition (use central route) Uninvolved audiences use peripheral cues Ways to stimulate people’s thinking Use rhetorical questions (“can’t you do anything right? ”) Present multiple speakers Make people feel responsible Repeat the message Get people’s undistracted attention Summary: Study suggestion Read carefully the summary box on p 251!!!! 16

Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate? Cult “New religious movement” 1997 Marshall Applewhite took 37 people to Hale-Bopp Where is Hale-Bopp? Who lives there How did they get there? Why did the take them there? Did he truly believe it would work? Group typically characterized by Distinctive ritual and beliefs related to its devotion to a god or a person Isolation from the surrounding “evil” culture Charismatic leader 17

Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate? Attitudes Follow Behavior (Behavior -> Attitude) Voluntarily (perceived free choice) Publically repeatedly Compliance breeds acceptance Initiates become active members of the group Foot-in-the-door phenomenon Gradual induction – one step at a time Jim Jones “People’s Temple” example 18

Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate? Persuasive Elements Communicator Charisma --How did Jim Jones establish his “credibility? Message The “one way” to solve your problems… Direct appeal, small group discussions, social pressure The recruits’ need for approval and to belong Audience 25 and younger…. more malleable attitudes Educated, middle class, idealistic In crisis 19

Extreme Persuasion: How Do Cults Indoctrinate? Group Effects Social implosion Isolation of members with like minded groups External ties weaken until the group collapses inward socially Monasteries Military organizations Fraternities and sororities Therapeutic communities for recovering drug and alcohol abusers Strong social group norms prevail (conformity, obedience) Through need for information or group approval? (S. Asch) Can start with “folie a deux” Applewhite & Nettles True of Boston Marathon bombing as well? Is all group indoctrination bad? 20

How Can Persuasion Be Resisted? Challenging authority: Dogmatic authority v. expert authority Strengthening Personal Commitment Make a public commitment to your argument Challenging beliefs A mild challenge (not strong enough to persuade) Causes them to become even more committed to their positon Developing counterarguments Attitude inoculation (W. Mc. Guire, ‘ 64) Exposing people to weak attacks upon their attitudes so that when stronger attacks come, they will have refutations available 21

How Can Persuasion Be Resisted? Real-Life Applications: Inoculation Programs Inoculating children against: Peer pressure to smoke Role playing on how to resist – gave them ammunition Elicit a public commitment not to smoke The influence of advertising Are there two sides to this? Harmful v. beneficial Can you think of any beneficial uses of ads? 22

How Can Persuasion Be Resisted? Prepare others to counter persuasive appeals An ineffective appeal can be worse than none A way to strengthen existing attitudes is to weakly challenge them 23