SOCI 323 Social Psychology 1 – Attitude Change (Persuasion) Session 1 Lecturer: Dr . Peace Mamle T etteh, Department of Sociology Contact Information: ptetteh@ug.edu.gh College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017 godsonug.wordpress.com/blog
Session Overview Our attitudes have been seen to help us make meaning of and survive in our world. But this world and the human environment are constantly changing around us. Change has become constant. Thus being able to keep up with the changing times has survival value. This session on attitude change considers how you can persuade another person to change his or her attitude towards something, someone, or a situation. In addition, we shall examine the strategies individuals adopt to resist persuasive messages targeted at them. At the end of the session, the student will be able to: • define and explain the concept of Persuasion • identify the various factors that influence persuasion and • identify ways through which people resist persuasion. Social Psychology
Session Outline The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows: • Definition of Persuasion • The Process of Persuasion • T echniques of Persuasion • Resisting Persuasion • Sample Question • Session Summary • References Social Psychology
Reading List • Read chapter five of the required text and the articles posted on Sakai on session 11 Social Psychology
T opic One DEFINING PERSUASION Social Psychology
What is Persuasion? • The process of changing attitudes through the presentation of various types of information. • ͚ A process of consciously attempting to change attitudes through the transmission of some message (Franzio, 2000). • Efforts to change others attitude through the use of various kinds of messages (Baron et al, 2006; Baron and Branscombe, 2012) Social Psychology
T opic Two THE PERSUASION PROCESS Social Psychology
The Persuasion Process • Attitude change is assumed to follow a series of stages namely, paying attention to the message, comprehending the message, and accepting the message. Each stage is dependent on the preceding stage. • The basic question that helped identify the key elements that determine persuasion was ͚who says what to whom and with what effect ?͛ Thus the focus is on four (4) factors that influence persuasion namely; The Communicator (Source of the information) The Message (Content of the information) The Medium (Channel through which the information comes) The Audience (Target/Recipient of the information) Social Psychology
Characterisitcs of the Communicator • In relation to source, attention is paid to credibility or believability . Credibility is based on two factors namely: expertise (the amount of knowledge that a communicator is assumed to possess) and trustworthiness (the perceived intention of the communicator to deceive). • Research indicates that highly credible sources are more persuasive immediately after the message is presented. However, over time the credibility factor seems to weaken and less credible sources tend to gain credibility. • The delayed effect that a low credible source has on attitude change is called the sleeper effect (the delayed effectiveness of a persuasive message from a non credible source). Social Psychology
Characteristics of the Communicator • Attractiveness : It has been suggested (Stanton et al, 1996) that an attractive communicator can be more persuasive than an unattractive one. Attractiveness could be based on physical appearance, likeability and similarity to the audience. • Similarity : We are attracted to those who are similar to us. A communicator can be similar to his audience in a number of ways that include: sharing attitudes or values (does s/he think like me/ are his morals like mine?) having similar backgrounds as his audience (race, hometown etc), appearance (does s/he look like me/ dress like me). Social Psychology
The Message • The basic question here is ͚what makes a message persuasive in its own right regardless or independent of its source? • Numerous researchers have indicated that the characteristics of an effective message include several factors some of which are: Using facts and/or vivid images Using fear and/or Humor Using one-sided arguments and/or two-sided arguments The order in which the arguments are presented The number of times the message is repeated Social Psychology
The Medium/Channel of Communication • Speed of Speech: Research suggests that fast talkers are generally more persuasive than those who speak slowly. This is because they are seen as, or create the impression that they are credible and know what they are talking about. • Again, rapid speech makes it difficult for the listener to adequately process the content of the message and so they just accept it as compared to if they had time to analyze and scrutinize the message. • In other words, when you talk fast you win a person over before he has time to digest what you said and assess its worth Social Psychology
Style of Speech • Powerful speech is more persuasive than powerless speech. Powerless speech according to socio-linguistics includes the following language forms: • Hesitation Forms : ͚uh͛ , ͚you kŶow͛ - which indicate a lack of confidence or certainty. • Disclaimers : ͚you may not believe this bu t͛ , ͚aŵ not an expert bu t͛ - asking the listener to be patient or refrain from criticism. • Qualifiers : ͚sort o f͛ , ͚kiŶd o f͛ , ͚ I gues s͛ - serve to tone down or blunt the force of an assertive statement. • Tag Questions : ͚I did well, do Ŷ͛ t you thiŶk͛ , ͚ tha t͛ s the right thing to d o͛ is Ŷ͛ t it ?͛ - a plea for agreement. • Thus, two messages with the same content can be presented but which one leads to persuasion and attitude change is influenced greatly by the power with which it is presented. Powerful speech adds an assertive punch to ones message. Social Psychology
Characteristics of the Audience • Certain characteristics of the audience are crucial in determining whether a message will be received leading to attitude change or not. These characteristics include: The intelligence of the audience The audience need for social approval The audience self esteem The audience size The audience mood The age of the audience Social Psychology
Sample Question • Discuss the relevance of the use of fear in persuasive communication. Social Psychology
T opic Three TECHNIQUES OF PERSUASION Social Psychology
Persuasion Techniques • Foot-in-the-Door T echnique : With this technique, you make a small reasonable request. After your target agrees to that request however, you follow up with a larger request. • The low-ball technique : is similar to the foot- in-the-door. First you are offered a very reasonable deal. When you accept it, the deal is changed- for the worse- but you have come too far to resist. Social Psychology
T opic Four RESISTING PERSUASION Social Psychology
Resisting Persuasion: Forewarning • This is the advance knowledge that you have that someone is about to persuade you or that you are about to become the target of persuasion. • Forewarning provides you with several cognitive processes that help you to resist persuasion. For example, forewarning provides you with the opportunity to gather counter arguments; those that refute the content of the persuasive message. Forewarning provides you with the time to gather all the data needed to counter argue the persuasive message. • There are instances though in which forewarning can lead to positive attitude change; but this effect is often a temporary response to peopl e͛ s desire to maintain their images as independent people and not gullible or easily influenced ones. • Thus, forewarning gives people the opportunity to alter their views (on their own) prior to hearing the persuasive message. This way, they made the decision and were not forced to do so. This often happens when people know that the persuader is an expert and they will appear foolish if they do Ŷ͛ t agree with him. Social Psychology
Resisting Persuasion: Selective Avoidance • This is the tendency to direct your attention away from information that challenges your existing attitudes and behavior. • Television watching provides a clear illustration of selective avoidance. When you sit before a television, you simply do not absorb all that is thrown at us. You often change channels, mute, record and skip sections or simply tune your minds off when whatever is in T.V is counter to the views or behavior you hold. • When it supports what you believe, you give it your full attention. This practice of selective avoidance is what helps you to ensure that your attitudes remain largely intact for a long time. Social Psychology
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