ch 4,5,6

O’Keefe, Persuasion: Theory and Research, Third Edition

Chapter 4 – Belief base models of attitude Name: __________________________________

Discussion Questions:

Think about the issue of binge drinking among college students. What are some of the salient beliefs that you think contribute to students’ attitudes about binge drinking?

Some of the attitudes that students have towards binge drinking include that of drinking providing a short term escape from stress and worry, and that of alcohol beverages having pleasant taste. The other attitude is that of parties not being fun without drinking alcohol and finally, there is always something wrong or peculiar about people who refuse to drink alcohol.

One of the strategies proposed by the summative model is to changing one’s evaluation of a belief or convincing a person that the likelihood of their belief being true is more or less likely. Imagine a person has a strong belief that being tan is attractive and therefore has an attitude that tanning beds are good. What are some ways you might try to change that belief?

There are a number of ways through which the beliefs of an individual can be changed. One of the ways through which the beliefs of an individual can change is that of introducing him or her to a better belief that might be beneficial to them. Additionally, mixing that individual with people of different beliefs also works significantly towards changing their beliefs as they try to adapt and understand the beliefs of the other individuals.

Think about a social issue that has been talked about a lot in the news lately such as same sex marriage or immigration reform. What are some of the salient beliefs people may hold that influence their attitudes about the issue?

Some of the salient beliefs that people may hold and influence their attitude about same sex marriage include that of believing that same sex marriage is evil and people who engage in same sex marriage are social outcasts contributes significantly towards making an individual grow some attitudes towards the issue. Believing that those who engage in same sex marriage are abnormal and have social issues that make them to engage in such activities usually shape the attitudes of individuals towards this issue.

What are some methods one can use to determine the salient beliefs of your target audience?

Some of the ways through which the beliefs of an individual can be determined include interviewing them through a one-on-on interview as well as administering a questionnaire for them to answer and list their beliefs in a peace of paper. Interacting with people from the target audience can also be used to determine the beliefs of the involved audience.

References

Dillard, James Price and Shen, Lijiang (2013). The Sage handbook of persuasion: Developments in theory and practice. (2nd Ed.) Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.