Main Theories of Persuasion
PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION CHAPTER 6 PERSUASION, DEFINED Persuasion = using deliberate and strategically designed messages intended to change beliefs, attitudes, and/or behaviors DEGREES OF PERSUASION Strongly Opposed Moderately Opposed Slightly Opposed Neutral Slightly in Favor Moderately in Favor Strongly in Favor Persuasion involves any movement by a listener from left to right OR from right to left PERSUASION Beliefs – an internal feeling that something is true or that something exists Attitudes – positive or negative orientation toward something Values – a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life Behaviors – actions (often resulting from beliefs, attitudes, and values) PERSUASION Beliefs Attitudes Values Behaviors I believe that recycling makes a difference I view recycling and the “green” movement positively I value protecting the environment I recycle! And I am more likely to be persuaded by “green” messages MAIN THEORIES OF PERSUASION CLASSICAL CONDITIONING SOCIAL JUDGMENT THEORY COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THEORY ELABORATION LIKELIHOOD MODEL CLASSICAL CONDITIONING Classical conditioning = the process of using messages to pair a new concept with concepts that are already liked. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING New Stimulus Old Stimulus Positive Response CLASSICAL CONDITIONING Soda Well -liked celebrity Positive Response (Buy soda) CLASSICAL CONDITIONING CLASSICAL CONDITIONING CLASSICAL CONDITIONING SOCIAL JUDGMENT THEORY Social judgment theory = people do not evaluate an argument solely on the merits of what is said, but rather compare the argument with what they already believe People evaluate persuasive statements to determine whether they fall into their latitude of acceptance, their latitude of non -commitment, or their latitude of rejection. SOCIAL JUDGMENT THEORY Social judgment theory posits that we all have a continuum of possible evaluations for any message we hear: Social Judgment Latitudes Latitude of Acceptance Latitude of Non -commitment Latitude of Rejection SOCIAL JUDGMENT THEORY Social judgment theory posits that we all have a continuum of possible evaluations for any message we hear: Social Judgment Latitudes Latitude of Acceptance Latitude of Non -commitment Latitude of Rejection Arguments you agree with Arguments you do not have a strong view about yet Arguments you believe are objectionable SOCIAL JUDGMENT THEORY Speakers should consider where listeners fall on the continuum Will listeners automatically reject the message? Are listeners so in favor that the message will not produce any meaningful attitude or behavior change? SOCIAL JUDGMENT THEORY Latitude of rejection: the range of positions on a given issue that are unacceptable to the listener. For a college student with a lot of expenses, the claim that he/she should donate money to Relay for Life is most likely unacceptable. Latitude of acceptance: the range of positions on a given issue that are acceptable to them.
However, for the same college student, the claim that he/she should participate in Relay for Life is likely more acceptable . COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THEORY Cognitive dissonance theory stresses that all people desire consistency in their thoughts, feelings, and actions Dissonance is a feeling of discomfort caused by inconsistency COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THEORY High dissonance is likely to motivate attitude or behavioral change; people want to reduce discomfort and restore balance/consistency Low dissonance likely will not motivate a person toward change COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THEORY Persuaders attempt to generate cognitive dissonance in the message receiver in order to motivate them to change COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THEORY Persuaders attempt to resolve cognitive dissonance in the message receiver in order to motivate them to change ELABORATION LIKELIHOOD MODEL Elaboration Likelihood Model = a dual - processing model that explains both critical thinking internal responses AND responses based on mental shortcuts ELABORATION LIKELIHOOD MODEL Central route = careful assessment and critical thinking of what is being said or presented Typically how people evaluate and process messages about beliefs that are important to them Peripheral route = responding to persuasive messages with little critical thinking Typically how people evaluate and process messages about less important beliefs CIALDINI’S FIXED ACTION PATTERNS Reciprocity – when you do something for another person, they feel an obligation to help you. Commitment & Consistency – uses commitment to gain compliance with larger requests Social Proof – assuming that what our friends (people we like) view as correct is actually correct Liking – people who are well -liked often are more successful in their persuasive attempts Authority – outward signs of power and authority have positive effects on gaining compliance Scarcity – people are more easily persuaded when something is limited or they have little time to make up their minds NETWORKS OF INFLUENCE How have social media and online networks impacted persuasion? NETWORKS OF INFLUENCE Going viral – messages are diffused rapidly through online & offline networks Most attempts to “go viral” fail Factors: content that is fun or shocking, a network of people who like the content, and links that make it easy to share Positive content is more likely to go viral than negative content Content that evokes intense emotions (shock/awe/anger) NETWORKS OF INFLUENCE Online social influence = when one’s emotions, opinions, or behaviors are influenced by other people or groups in online contexts Influencers = people who affect the spread of messages and influence other people more than others in the network
