Persuasion Essays - Social Psychology, Attitude Change, Persuasion

Persuasion Persuasion is the force exerted to influence behavior that includes a reflected change in attitude. Everyday we are bombarded with messages from people who wish to influence our behavior and attitudes. Persuasion can be used to accomplish good as well as bad, though, in my paper I will refrain from making value judgements and only report the factual aspects. I will discuss the two basic routes to persuasion, the elements involved, and ways to protect current attitudes and behaviors from change. When trying to persuade someone, there are two different methods from which to choose-the central and peripheral routes. The central route persuades by using direct arguments and pertinent information. The peripheral route persuades people by association with incidental cues that are pleasing to the senses. The central route is used to reach people who are more motivated and analytical, while people who are less analytical and less involved aremore likely to be influenced by the peripheral route. In advertising a combination of the two is common and effective. Computer ads relyprimarily on the central route, because their target audiences are perceived as highly analytical. Promotion for alcohol and tobacco products employ the peripheral route because they wish to draw attention away from thepossible negative effects that they are, in reality, associated with. To truly understand the effects of persuasion it is necessary to break the actdown to its smaller components. The for elements of persuasion are 1.) The communicator, 2.) The message content, 3.) How it is communicated, and4.) The receiver of the message. The content of the message is important but also whoever gives the message has an effect on people?s acceptance ofit. The major determinant of the communicator?s success are his/herperceived credibility and attractiveness. Credibility, or believability isdetermined by the communicator?s appearance as an expert or as someone who can be trusted. Expertise is established when the communicator is introduced as someone who has a great deal of knowledge concerning the topic of conversation. When the communicator relays viewpoints that areidentical to the audience she/he will be perceived as smart. Also, to project animage of expertise it is necessary to speak confidently and withouthesitating. Trustworthiness of the communicator is assumed if direct eye contact is used and speech is rapid. If the speaker is seen as not trying toinfluence or is arguing a position that is against their personal interest theywill be considered trustworthy. An attractive communicator has certain qualities, like physical appeal and similarity, that draw in theaudience. If the arguments of the attractive speaker are more readily accepted, central route persuasion has occurred or if we are persuaded by the unconnected positive association between the communicator and theproduct there has been peripheral route persuasion. When statements are made toa group by someone from the same ethnic background, the group is morewilling to listen. It appears true, the belief that we like people who aresimilar to us- and if we like someone we are more open to their suggestions. The second element of persuasion, the content of the message, deals with the specific type of messages that work best to convince. Emotional messages are most effective on less educated people, while rational appeals tendto score better with analytical or well educated people. Discrepancybetween the message and receiver opinion often effects whether persuasionoccurs. A credible communicator is most effective when arguing an extreme position and someone who is not viewed as credible is best off giving a viewpoint where there is a moderate discrepancy. Communicators must decidewhether to put forth a one-sided or two-sided appeal. One-sided appeals work bestwith those who already agree. Two-sided appeals work best with people who are initially opposed to your idea. Also message acceptance is effected bywhen it is heard and when the argument against that message is heard. Primacy affect states ?Other things being equal, information presented first usually has the most influence.?(1) The primacy effect works only whenboth messages are heard at once, with a period of time passing before responding. In a situation where a message is given followed by alengthy period of time, and then the second message is given, the response is usually to accept the second message. This is recency effect.?Information presented last sometimes has the most influence. Recency effects areless common than primacy effects.?(2) How the message is communicated, thethird element to persuade, stresses the importance of message delivery. ?Communication is the most important and complex thing we do. It canshape our careers, our lives, and our world... You can control the outcome of your important interactions if you control your communication style.?(3) The studies have shown that interpersonal contact