M3 persuasion

Question 1

what is persuasion

Answer 1

process by which we change out attitudes

Question 2

what is persuasive communication

Answer 2

advocating for one side of an issue

Question 3

2 main sources of persuasion

Answer 3

1) by communication (ELM and Yale attitude change approach)

2) persuasion by our own actions (dissonance and sales techniques)

Question 4

what is the ELM

Answer 4

elaboration likelihood model by petty and cacioppo

persuasion is a function of elaboration (careful thinking)

there are 2 routes to persuasion with dif levels of elaboration
1) central: high elaboration
2) peripheral: low elaboration

Question 5

what determines if a person will be responsive to central vs peripheral routes

Answer 5

central: needs motivation (interested in the issue) and needs ability (brainspace/cognitive resources)

peripheral: if missing motivation OR ability

Question 6

2 factors that influence motivation

Answer 6

1) personal relevance (is the issue relevant to you?)

2) need for cognition (some people have a need/desire to think deeply about things)

Question 7

what types of outcomes do you get from central vs peripheral routes

Answer 7

central –> lasting change, resists fading and counterattacks

peripheral –> not lasting change, vulnerable to counterattacks and fading

Question 8

petty and cacioppo study on relevance and ELM routes

Answer 8

IVs: personal relevance (policy starts in 1 yr vs 10), argument strength (good reasoning vs “just bc”), prestige of speaker (HS student vs Princeton prof)

DV: how much do you agree w/ speaker

when told policy was in 10 years, issue was of low personal relevance –> people don’t have motivation –> peripheral route –> use speaker prestige as a heuristic to make up their mind –> agree way more w/ professor even if argument was weak

when told policy was in 1 year, issue was highly relevant –> motivation –> central route –> people agree more when argument is strong, regardless of prestige

Question 9

do our attitudes change when we see a bad ad for a product/brand?

Answer 9

high involvement: previously formed strong positive attitude –> one bad ad doesn’t change our attitude
- brand beliefs outweigh attitude towards ad and still have pos attitude twd brand

low involvement: w/o previously formed strong pos attitude twd brand, attitude twd ad outweighs brand beliefs –> neg attitude twd brand

Question 10

3 aspects of the yale attitude change approach (who said what to whom)

Answer 10

1) source of communication
2) nature of communication
3) nature of audience

Question 11

4 types of sources of communication (yale approach)

Answer 11

1) stars/celebrities
2) experts
3) company spokesperson
4) real users

Question 12

when to use celebrities for persuasion attempts? what are their advantages

Answer 12

2 types of appeal: attractiveness and expertise

can match your desired brand image (prototypical bonding if they are the perfect example of a user)

Question 13

2 aspects of sources of communication (yale approach)

Answer 13

credibility: expertise, source independence, trustworthiness

likability: attractiveness, similarity/in groups

Question 14

how can source of communication be a peripheral cue

Answer 14

subconsciously trust experts more

Question 15

3 aspects of nature of communication

Answer 15

1) motive: is it clearly trying to influence?

2) argument strength and content: weak vs strong? one sided vs two?

3) discrepancy: extreme vs moderate? within latitude of acceptance?

Question 16

how can a message be a peripheral cue

Answer 16

automatically think more is better (longer and more arguments)

Question 17

5 ways humor can work for persuasion

Answer 17

1) aiding exposure
2) holding attention
3) helping memory
4) gratification
5) multiplier effect

Question 18

5 circumstances where humor works best in ads

Answer 18

1) when consumer already has pos attitude toward pdt

2) when pdt is low involvement

3) when pdt is not upscale or serious

4) when brand makes fun of itself, not othe rbrands/ppl

5) joke and message are integrated/joke references specific properties of the pdt

Question 19

2 circumstances when humor backfires

Answer 19

1) when it makes fun of a specific group

2) when considered bad taste

Question 20

how can companies use emotional reactions to increase effectiveness of ads

Answer 20

positive emotions: put you in a good mood –> increase easy peripheral thinking –> more likely to be persuaded

fear appeals: capitalize on real people and real fears –> here’s our pdt as a solution!

Question 21

different levels of fear appeals and effectiveness

Answer 21

low fear –> can’t grab attention

high fear –> blanket rejection and possibly dissonance/defensive processing

moderate fear –> most effective, especially when given a specific way to reduce the fear

Question 22

What is the deviance regulation theory

Answer 22

• deviation can be desirable or undesirable
• people try to maintain pos self esteem by deviating in pos ways and conforming to avoid neg perceptions (avoid neg deviance)

Question 23

what behaviors can you encourage using deviance regulation theory and how

Answer 23

encourage deviance by associating positive attributes with deviance

encourage conformity by associating negative attributes with deviance

(people feel seen when pointed out in small groups)

Question 24

Blanton and Stuart deviance regulation theory study

Answer 24

have ppl read one of two fake newspapers

2 variables:
1) flu shot norms (do most people get it or do most people not get it)

2) positively or negatively framed message encouraging the Vx

–> 4 total groups
1) flu shot is normal; people who don’t get it are bad (minority neg)

2) flu shot is normal; people who do get it are good (majority pos)

3) flu shot is not normal; people who don’t get it are bad (majority neg)

4) flu shot is not normal; people who get it are good (minority pos)

result: minority statements were more effective than majority
- minority neg > minority pos

Question 25

compliance

Answer 25

changing behavior in response to direct request (salespeople, ads, anyone asking for a favor)

Question 26

langer et al experiment on the "because heuristic"

Answer 26

1) experimenter cuts line to use copier 2) gave a reason (legit vs not) or no justification 3) small vs large request result: "just because" --> people let cut for small request, not large legit answer --> people let cut for small and large request

Question 27

6 principles of compliance

Answer 27

1) reciprocity 2) social validation 3) consistency 4) friendship/liking 5) scarcity 6) authority

Question 28

norm of reciprocity

Answer 28

you should return the form of behavior you received (a favor)

Question 29

types of reciprocal concessions (2)

Answer 29

1) door in the face 2) that's not all (type of door in the face)

Question 30

door in the face

Answer 30

reciprocal concession where person makes large request up front --> lowers it (doing you a favor) --> you comply to return the "favor"

Question 31

that's not all

Answer 31

special case of door in the face/reciprocal concession where they add additional perks before you can reject the initial offer

Question 32

social validation and what theory is it based on

Answer 32

we look to others to figure out what behavior is appropriate social comparison theory: we need other people to compare ourselves to more willing to comply if others are doing it too

Question 33

types of social validation

Answer 33

salting the tip jar "best selling" or "number one" list technique: shows names of other people participants conformity to norms (tell what other people are doing - "most of our guests reuse their towels")

Question 34

consistency and what theory it is based on

Answer 34

people have a desire to appear consistent; after committing to something, they do not change their mind/take it back cognitive dissonance theory

Question 35

what is cognitive dissonance

Answer 35

psychological discomfort/tension from a discrepancy between: 2 cognitions or attitudes and behavior

Question 36

3 ways to reduce dissonance

Answer 36

change behavior change attitude or cognitions add new cognitions

Question 37

subtypes of dissonance (2)

Answer 37

1) insufficient justification: when you exert a lot of effort/pay high price for something and it doesn't live up to expectations --> have to change your attitude to be more positive twd the thing because you can't take back your behavior which suggested the thing was amazing 2) post-decision dissonance: spreading of alternatives after having to pick between two equally good options; you had to behave out of line with your positive attitude toward one of the options --> point out the good qualities of the option you chose to make it seem even better than it really is to justify the choice

Question 38

4 requirements to experience dissonance from a behavior

Answer 38

1) behavior must be freely chosen 2) behavior must have neg foreseeable consequences 3) individual must feel responsible 4) arousal/feeling from the behavior must be labeled as negative; cannot be misattributed to something else causing the arousal

Question 39

types of consistency (3)

Answer 39

1) foot in the door: ask for small favor --> subconsciously commit to pos attitude --> agree to bigger requests in future 2) bait and switch: advertise a pdt for a low price --> get people to commit to buying/really want the pdt --> make it unavailable or lead them to believe it's not a good option; they've already committed to buying some type of pdt --> will buy a different one even if more expensive 3) low-ball: get consumer to agree before telling them full cost

Question 40

is foot in the door or door in the face more effective?

Answer 40

depends on situation foot in the door > door in the face when there is a delay between requests; foot in the door forms lasting positive attitudes door in the face > foot in the door (BARELY) when requests are asked immediately after one another

Question 41

things that can lead to enhanced liking (4)

Answer 41

1) physical attractiveness: halo effect; assume beautiful = good in other ways 2) similarity: mirror and match/dressing similarly; common ground 3) complements: feel need to reciprocate even if not genuine 4) cooperation: someone rooting for you/being on your side

Question 42

2 reasons why things seem more valuable when scarce

Answer 42

1) rare is good heuristic 2) loss of freedom --> reactance (you make it hard to get --> i'm going to try harder to get it)

Question 43

examples of scarcity

Answer 43

1) deadline technique: for a limited time; this week only 2) negative framing effects: people are more motivated by loss than gain; motivated by individuals' approach/avoidance orientations; approach the good vs. avoid the bad?

Question 44

2 types of authority

Answer 44

1) symbols: lab coats, badges, uniforms 2) specific area of expertise: babies are our business and our only business; mens clothiers since 1873