Chapter 7: Persuasion
3. Developed nations are to blame for global
I. Learning Objectives
warming.
By the end of this chapter, the learners shall
III. Content/Discussion
be able to:
-
Identify
A. What Paths lead to Persuasion?
the
paths
leading
to
persuasion.
-
Describe the elements of persuasion
explored by social psychologists.
-
Explain some tactics for resisting
influence.
II. Activity
Agree and Disagree: Which Side?
For this activity, the discussants must inform
the participants that they will be selecting
“agree” or “disagree” on a certain issue.
The term “persuasion” refers to the wide
variety of influences that are accessible
when attempting to convince a person or a
group of people.
Only
significant
attention;
events
unnecessary
capture
our
ones are either
ignored or absorbed more quickly. In order
to improve the possibility that someone
would alter their mind, it is therefore
possible to persuade them through a variety
of persuasive routes.
Following that, the learners must present
Sometimes persuasion occurs as people
one argument in support of the topic and one
focus on arguments and respond with
argument against it. With reference to the
favorable thoughts. Such systematic, or
topics provided, this activity will test the
central route, persuasion occurs when
participants’ persuasion skills.
people are naturally analytical or involved in
The subjects up for discussion are listed
below:
1. Academics are the only criteria for
individual success.
2. Juvenile delinquency is acceptable.
the issue.
When
issues
don’t engage systematic
thinking, persuasion may occur through a
faster, “peripheral route,” as people use
heuristics or incidental cues to make snap
judgments.
Different Paths for Different Purposes
Central
route
persuasion,
agrees with, which makes you seem smart.
being more
thoughtful and less superficial, is more
durable and more likely to influence
behavior.
Speaking style. Another way to appear
credible is to speak confidently and fluently.
Perceived trustworthiness. We are more
willing to listen to a communicator we trust.
Lastly, attractiveness and liking. Research
B. What are the Elements of Persuasion?
found that we’re more likely to respond to
those we like.
Among
the
ingredients
of persuasion
explored by social psychologists are these
four: (1) the communicator, (2) the message,
(3) how the message is communicated, and
(4) the audience. In other words, who says
b)
What Is Said? The Message Content
It matters not only who says something but
also what that person says.
what, by what method, to whom?
REASON VERSUS EMOTION
a)
Thoughtful, involved audiences often travel
Who Says? The Communicator
Social psychologists have found that who is
saying something does affect how an
audience receives it.
Credible
People
more responsive to reasoned arguments.
Uninterested audiences more often travel the
peripheral route; they are more affected by
communicators
persuasive.
the central route to persuasion; they are
tend
who
to
be
speak
unhesitatingly, who talk fast, and who look
listeners straight in the eye seem more
credible. An attractive communicator is
especially effective on matters of taste and
personal values.
their liking of the communicator (Chaiken,
1980; Petty et al., 1981).
It also matters how people’s attitudes were
formed. When people’s initial attitudes are
formed primarily through the peripheral
route, they are more persuaded by later
peripheral, emotional appeals; when their
Here are some characteristics of an effective
initial attitudes are formed primarily through
communicator:
(perceived
the central route, they are more persuaded
expertise and trustworthiness). One way is
by later information-based, central route
to begin by saying things the audience
arguments.
Credibility
THE EFFECT OF GOOD FEELINGS
Messages also become more persuasive
through association with good feelings, such
as what often accompanies munching food
or hearing pleasant music.
Good feelings often enhance persuasion,
partly by enhancing positive thinking and
partly by linking good feelings with the
message (Petty et al., 1993).
THE EFFECT OF AROUSING FEAR
more likely to do a small favor if they are
asked
to do
a
big
favor first (the
door-in-the-face technique) and are more
likely to agree to a big favor if they agree to
a small favor first (the foot-in-the-door
phenomenon).
ONE-SIDED
VERSUS
TWO-SIDED
APPEALS
How discrepant a message should be from
an audience’s existing opinions depends on
the communicator’s credibility. And whether
Messages can also be effective by evoking
a one- or two-sided message is more
negative emotions. Experiments show that,
persuasive depends on whether the audience
often, the more frightened and vulnerable
already agrees with the message, is unaware
people feel, the more they respond (de Hoog
of opposing arguments, and is unlikely later
et al., 2007; Robberson & Rogers, 1988;
to consider the opposition. Different people
Tannenbaum, 2013).
travel different avenues to persuasion. For
optimists, positive persuasion works best.
Playing on fear works best if a message
For pessimists, negative persuasion is more
leads people not only to fear the severity and
effective (Geers et al., 2003).
likelihood of a threatened event but also to
perceive a solution and feel capable of
implementing it (Devos-Comby & Salovey,
2002; Maddux & Rogers, 1983; Ruiter et al.,
2001).
MESSAGE CONTEXT
PRIMACY VERSUS RECENCY
When two sides of an issue are included, the
primacy effect often makes the first message
more persuasive. If a time gap separates the
presentations, the more likely result will be a
recency effect in which the second message
The context of your message especially what
prevails.
immediately precedes it can make a big
difference in how persuasive it is. People are
CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION
-
Refers to the way the message is
-
delivered.
-
For
Messages are best comprehended
and recalled when written.
persuasion,
there
communication,
must
and
be
for
The influence of adults on children
-
Communication flows from adults to
communication, there must be a
children—although as most parents
channel.
and teachers can tell you, getting
them to listen is not always easy.
Active experience or passive reception
-
Written and visual appeals are both
THE AUDIENCE
passive,
How old are they?
and thus have smaller
hurdles to overcome.
-
-
Active experience also strengthens
relationships. When we act, we
correlate with their age.
-
amplify the idea behind what we’ve
done,
especially when we feel
People’s social and political attitudes
Life cycle explanation – attitudes
change as people grow older.
-
responsible.
Generational explanation – attitudes
do not change. Older people largely
hold onto the attitudes they adopted
MEDIA INFLUENCE
-
Do not underestimate the power of
when they were young.
-
Attitudes of older people usually
the media.
show less change than do those of
Those who personally influence our
young people.
opinions must get their ideas from
some source, and often their sources
are the media.
What are they thinking?
-
Our minds are not sponges that soak
up whatever pours over them. If a
COMPARING MEDIA
-
message
summons
favorable
Studies comparing different media
thoughts, it persuades us. If it
found that the more lifelike the
provokes us to think of contrary
medium, the more persuasive its
arguments, we remain unpersuaded..
message.
-
Stimulating thinking makes strong
-
Attitude inoculation – exposing
messages more persuasive and weak
people to weak attacks upon their
passages less persuasive.
attitudes so that when stronger
attacks
HOW
CAN
PERSUASION
BE
come,
they
will
have
refutations available.
RESISTED
-
It is easier to accept persuasive
REAL-LIFE
messages than to doubt them.
INOCULATION PROGRAMS
To understand an assertion is to
supplemented
once actively undoes the initial,
training, reduce teen smoking.
-
Most
strategies
undoing, the acceptance lingers.
pressure.
PERSONAL
COMMITMENT
Before
other
efforts
for
life-skill
emphasize
resisting
social
Inoculating children against the influence
of advertising
encountering
judgments,
make
commitment
to
Having
by
newer
If a distracting event prevents the
STRENGTHENING
-
Inoculation procedures, sometimes
believe it—at least temporarily, until
automatic acceptance.
-
-
APPLICATION:
stood
others’
a
your
up
-
public
8 years:
position.
for
Children, especially those under age
➢ Have trouble distinguishing
your
commercials from programs
convictions, you will become less
and
susceptible to what others have to
persuasive intent
say.
fail
to
grasp
their
➢ Trust television advertising
rather indiscriminately
DEVELOPING
COUNTER
ARGUMENTS
-
Even weak arguments will prompt
counter arguments which are then
available for a stronger attack.
IMPLICATIONS
OF
ATTITUDE
INOCULATION
-
The best way to build resistance to
brainwashing probably is not just
stronger indoctrination into one’s
current beliefs. If parents are worried
that
-
their
children
might
start
3. When issues don’t engage systematic
thinking,
persuasion
may
occur
smoking, they might better teach
through a faster, __________, as
their
people use heuristics or incidental
children
how
to
counter
persuasive appeals about smoking.
cues
Paradoxically, one way to strengthen
(peripheral route)
existing attitudes is to challenge
to make
snap judgments.
4. ___________ refers to the way the
them, although the challenge must
message is delivered. (The Channel
not be so strong as to overwhelm
of Communication)
them.
5. When two sides of an issue are
IV. Learning Activities:
1. What do you think about the active experience
included, the __________
often
makes
more
the
first message
persuasive. (primacy effect)
or passive reception?
2. How do you feel about the concept of
1. It is easier to accept persuasive
attitude inoculation?
3.
What
do
communication
Part II. True or False
you
think
about
the
flow
from
adults
to
children?
messages than to doubt them. ( True)
2. Before
encountering
others’
judgments, do not make a public
commitment to your position. ( False
V. Assessment:
Part I. Identification
1. __________ refers to the wide
variety of influences that are
accessible when attempting to
)
3. Our minds are not sponges that soak
up whatever pours over them.
(
True)
4. If a distracting event prevents the
convince a person or a group of
undoing, the acceptance lingers. (
people. (Persuasion)
True)
2. Such systematic, or __________,
5. Most newer efforts do not emphasize
persuasion occurs when people are
strategies
naturally analytical or involved in
pressure.
the issue. (central route)
( False )
for
resisting
social
VI. References
Guy-Evans, O. (2022). Central Route to
Persuasion: Definition & Examples.
Simply
Psychology.
October
23,
Retrieved
2022
on
from
www.simplypsychology.org/central-route
-to-persuasion.html
Myers, D., & Tenge, J. (2015). Social
Psychology
Education.
(12th
ed.).
McGraw-Hill