Behaviour, Attitudes, & Persuasion: Lecture #4 topics How we measure attitudes Persuasion by communication Persuasion by our own actions.

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

source speaks well

important message we care about the

information

source speaks too fast

unimportant message we’re not interested in

the information

ROUTE SELECTION

_________ ROUTE _________ 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

_________ EFFECT

GROUP 2

message 1

(1 week)

message 2

decision

_________ EFFECT

Persuasion by communication

message discrepancy

extreme vs. cautious positions? _________ discrepancy is necessary for

persuasion to occur

Persuasion by communication

(courtesy: Cancer Institute NSW, Australia)

FEAR APPEALS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80fux1DE1kQ&mode=related&search=

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

Patty Hearst Phil Zimbardo

ROLE PLAYING

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

HIGH

LOWNo Lie $20 Lie $1 Lie

Condition

En

joym

ent

of

stu

dy

Persuasion by our own actions

Aronson & Mills (1959): Justifying our effort

HIGH

LOWNo Initiation Mild Initiation Severe Initiation

Condition

Lik

ing

of

dis

cuss

ion

gro

up

Persuasion by our own actions

George: handsome brings me flowers chews with mouth open

Justifying our choices

Brad: handsome funny pessimistic

Persuasion by our own actions

Brehm (1956): Justifying our choices

HIGH

LOW

Toaster Radio Toaster Radio

Pro

du

ct r

atin

gs

PRE-CHOICE RATINGS POST-CHOICE RATINGS

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 _________ self-

concepts, 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, self-

affirmation should _________ attitude change

Persuasion by our own actions

Steele, Spencer, & Lynch (1993): Justifying our choices

HIGH

LOW

CD1 CD2 CD1 CD2

Po

st-c

ho

ice

CD

rat

ing

s

EGO AFFIRMED EGO THREATENED