Behaviour, Attitudes, & Persuasion:
Lecture #4 topics
 How we measure attitudes
 Persuasion by communication
 Persuasion by our own actions
Measuring attitudes
(my nephew, Zachary)
Measuring attitudes
attitude:
 positive, negative, or mixed reactions to people,
objects or ideas
 attitude formation is _________ & often
_________
 attitudes let us judge quickly without much
thought
Measuring attitudes
self-report measures:
 agreement with statements using multiple-point
scales
 question _________ may bias responses
 vulnerable to social desirability biases
 one solution: _________
Measuring attitudes
Implicit Association Test (IAT):
 taps implicit (_________) attitudes we hold
 reaction time test measuring how quickly you
associate different concepts with “_________”
and “_________”
Measuring attitudes
GOOD
(press ‘e’)
BAD
(press ‘i’)
Measuring attitudes
GOOD
(press ‘e’)
BAD
(press ‘i’)
Linking attitudes & behaviour
attitudes predict behaviour when:
 attitudes _________ correspond to the
behaviour
 attitudes are _________
 strong attitudes develop through:
 _________
 _________
 _________
Persuasion by communication
Persuasion by communication
dual-process model of persuasion
(Petty & Cacioppo, 1986):
PERSUASIVE MESSAGE
CENTRAL ROUTE
 _________
 focus on _________ of arguments
PERIPHERAL ROUTE
 focus on _________ cues
 reliance on _________
Persuasion by communication
“The receptive ability of the masses is very limited,
their understanding small; on the other hand, they
have a great power of forgetting.”
—Adolf Hitler
Persuasion by communication
ROUTE SELECTION
 source speaks well
 important message
 we care about the
information
_________ ROUTE
 source speaks too
fast
 unimportant message
 we’re not interested in
the information
_________ ROUTE
Persuasion by communication
a good source is:
_________
 similar to the audience
 physically attractive (Chaiken, 1979)
_________
 competent (smart, well-spoken, has credentials)
 trustworthy (honest)
Persuasion by communication
WOULD YOU BUY A PRODUCT ENDORSED BY
BRITNEY SPEARS?
soft drinks
roller skates
milk
cameras
Persuasion by communication
the sleeper effect:
 when a message from a _________ source
_________ in persuasiveness over time
 you immediately _________ the message, but
then you eventually _________ the message
from the source
Persuasion by communication
3 factors influencing message impact:
message length
 _________ messages seem more valid &
factual
presentation order
 primacy vs. recency effects
 which is better? it depends on _________ (Miller &
Campbell, 1959).
Persuasion by communication
Miller & Campbell (1959):
GROUP 1
message 1
message 2
(1 week)
decision
GROUP 2
message 1
(1 week)
message 2
decision
_________ EFFECT
_________ EFFECT
Persuasion by communication
message discrepancy
 extreme vs. cautious positions?
 _________ discrepancy is necessary for
persuasion to occur
Persuasion by communication
FEAR APPEALS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80fux1DE1kQ&mode=related&search=
(courtesy: Cancer Institute NSW, Australia)
Persuasion by communication
Persuasion by communication
fear appeals ARE persuasive:
 they feed on our vulnerabilities by grabbing our
attention with graphic images
 …but they only work if they _________ about
how to cope with the danger
Persuasion by communication
positive emotions are also persuasive:
 good moods cognitively _________ us
 they activate the “lazy” _________ route to
attitude change
 we are motivated to maintain our good moods
so we don’t think too critically about anything
Persuasion by communication
HOW DO WE RESIST PERSUASION?
attitude inoculation:
 exposure to _________ opinions reinforces
existing attitudes
 e.g., Freedman & Sears (1965) “driving” study
psychological reactance:
 motivation to protect our ability to think, act, &
feel _________
 triggered when someone tries to _________
us
Persuasion by our own actions
ROLE PLAYING
Patty Hearst
Phil Zimbardo
Persuasion by our own actions
foot-in-the-door phenomenon:
 compliance with a _________ request after
agreeing to a _________ one
 e.g., Freedman & Fraser (1966) “drive carefully” study
low-ball technique:
 committing to a superficially attractive
proposition before hidden costs are revealed
 popular with _________
Persuasion by our own actions
cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957):
 _________ state of _________ resulting
from attitude-behaviour _________
 occurs when attitude-discrepant behaviour is
committed:
 _________
 _________
Persuasion by our own actions
REDUCING DISSONANCE:
STRATEGY
EXAMPLE
Change perception of behaviour
“I didn’t eat a LOT of ice
cream”
Add consonant cognitions
“Ice cream is a good source of
calcium”
Minimize importance of conflict
“Life’s too short to worry about
weight”
Reduce perceived choice
“The ice cream would have
gone bad”
Change attitude to match
behaviour
“I don’t need to be on a diet
anyway”
Persuasion by our own actions
Festinger & Carlsmith (1959): Justifying our actions
Enjoyment of study
HIGH
LOW
No Lie
$20 Lie
Condition
$1 Lie
Persuasion by our own actions
Aronson & Mills (1959): Justifying our effort
Liking of discussion group
HIGH
LOW
No Initiation
Mild Initiation
Condition
Severe Initiation
Persuasion by our own actions
Justifying our choices
George:
 handsome
 brings me flowers
 chews with mouth open
Brad:
 handsome
 funny
 pessimistic
Persuasion by our own actions
Brehm (1956): Justifying our choices
PRE-CHOICE RATINGS
POST-CHOICE RATINGS
Product ratings
HIGH
LOW
Toaster
Radio
Toaster
Radio
Persuasion by our own actions
ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS FOR
DISSONANCE EFFECTS
self-perception theory (Bem, 1965):
 inference of attitudes through _________
 attitude change is “_________” process
 evidence: neutral observers who read Festinger
& Carlsmith’s procedure generated _________
results as original participants
Persuasion by our own actions
self-esteem theory (Aronson, 1999):
 dissonance threatens our _________ selfconcepts, leading to _________ self-esteem
 _________ self-esteem leads to attitude
change
self-affirmation theory (Steele, 1988):
 self-affirmation: reminders of our _________
 if dissonance threatens our self-concepts, selfaffirmation should _________ attitude change
Persuasion by our own actions
Steele, Spencer, & Lynch (1993): Justifying our choices
EGO AFFIRMED
EGO THREATENED
CD1
CD1
Post-choice CD ratings
HIGH
LOW
CD2
CD2