week 4 pt 2 (persuasion) Flashcards
what is the definition of persuasion?
the process by which a message brings about a change in someone’s attitude or behaviour
what is the main assumption of the elaboration likelihood model?
people are motivated to hold correct attitudes about a particular object
when we receive a peresuasive communication, what does whether or not we elaborate on that message depend on?
our motivation to process the message
our ability to process the message
in the elaboration likelyhood model, when elaborating what would lead us to change our mind through the central route of persuasion?
NATURE OF THOUGHTS
favourable thoughts or unfavourable thoughts
neutral thoughts would not lead us to change our mind
COGNITIVE STRUCTURE CHANGE
if these new cognitions are adopted and stored in memory this will lead to a cognitive structure change
what type of attitude change is caused by going down the central route of persuasion?
a stable, long lasting attitude which is predictive of behaviour
if we dont have enough motivation or ability to elaborate on the thought through the central route of persuasion, what type of persuasion can take place instead?
a peripheral attitude shift
what can lead to a peripheral attitude shift?
Peripheral cues
for example, if the persuader is an expert or is attractive
what are features of a peripheral attitude shift?
attitude is relatively temporary, susceptible and not predictive of behaviour
if someone has high motivation and ability to process an argument, what in the argument are they sensitive to?
they become sensitive to arguments
so that a strong argument leads to a lasting attitude change
and a weak argument leads to no attitude change
outline a persuasion research paradigm
PRESTUDY
- develop strong or weak arguments around a topic
- independent panel verifies strength of argument
STUDY
- manipulate focal variable/select those scoring high or low on each variable
- present message to participants
- participants report their attitudes for or against a topic position
what was Petty Et als study on razors and persuasion
RESEARCH QUESTION: would personal involvement influence the extent to which arguments or cues impacted the persuasiveness of the advert
METHOD:
showed participants razor adverts:
- strong vs weak arguments
- peripheral cues (celebrity endorsement) vs no peripheral cues
- pesonal involment in product vs no personal involvement (free razor for participation, with the specific one being trialled in the local area vs. free toothbrush for participation)
RESULTS:
- among those who were highly involved, argument quality had a greater impact on attitude
- among those who were low involved the peripheral cues had a significant impact on attitudes
IMPLICATION:
high motivation means we are more likely to focus on strength of argument rather than peripheral cues = central route of persuasion rather than peripheral route of persuasion
Describe Petty et als study on distraction and elaboration likelyhood
RESEARCH QUESTION
would placing a cognitive load on people impair their ability to process an argument and make them less sensitive to the strength of an argument
METHOD
strong argument vs. weak argument on tuition fees
no distraction vs. low distraction vs. high distraction (monitering flashes of light 4per min or 12 per min)
RESULTS
minimally distracted = high agreement with strong argument and low agreement with weak argument
high distracted= argumemt strength did not impact on agreement with the argument
IMPLICATION
distraction reduces peeoples sensitivity to arguments
what are two problems with the elaboration likelyhood model?
it may not always be possible to distinguish what is an argument vs. what is a peripheral cue
the model isnt predictive, but rather based on hindsight. We therefore may not be able to tell if when someone doesnt respond to an argument, was it due to a weak argument or low motivation/ability.
