Persuasion 20-3

Objectives Describe the factors involved in the communication process Explain the different types of persuasion processes

Bell Ringer Read Exploring Psychology p. 590 Use a technique called familiarity

Persuasion – The direct attempt to influence attitudes The persuader’s main hope is by changing the other person’s attitude, they will also change their behavior.

The Communication Process 4 parts of the communication process – The source How a person sees the source or who is giving them the information is a critical factor in his/her acceptance of the information Boomerang effect- a change in attitude or behavior opposite of the one desired by the persuader

The Communication Process The message Two ways to deliver a message – Central route for persuasion Presents information in form of strong arguments and fact Focused on logic – Peripheral route Relies on emotional appeals Emphasizes personal traits and positive feelings

The Channel This is the where, when, and how a message is presented In general, personal contact is the most affective approach Some evidence that television and film are more effective than printed material

The Audience All the people whose attitudes the communicator is trying to change – Foot in the door technique- make a small request they are sure to say yes to and then ask for a more demanding request. – Door in the face technique-Make a large request you know they will say no to and then hit them with the smaller request

Models of Persuasion Heuristic model – Heuristic is a rule of thumb or a shortcut that may lead to but does not guarantee a solution – If a person is not interested in the issue- they are likely to result to a heuristic processing, a very low or casual form of analyzing evidence – If they are interested in the issue- use systematic processing or the central processing route

Sleeper Effect Changes in attitude are not always permanent Sleeper effect- the delayed impact on attitude change of a persuasive communication. Explanations: – Tendency to remember the message but forget the source – As the message sinks in, attitudes change more

Inoculation Effect How to resist persuasion – People can be educated to resist change – It motivates individuals to defend their beliefs more strongly – People need to practice defending their beliefs and that makes them less likely to change – The most vulnerable attitudes are those which you have never had to defend

Brainwashing The extreme form of attitude change – Uses peer pressure, physical suffering, threats, rewards, guilt, and intensive indoctrination. Most extensive studies have been done on Westerners captured by the Chinese in the Korean War.

Brainwashing Step 1: strip away all identity Step 2: subject person to extreme social pressure and physical stress Step 3: Isolate the person from social support Step 4: Reward cooperation Prisoner comes to believe his own confession Difficult to say where persuasion ends and brainwashing begins

Brainwashing Cult- a group of people who organize around a strong authority figure