Persuasion Essay, Research Paper
Persuasion is the force exerted to influence behavior that includes a
reflected change in attitude. Everyday we are bombarded with messagesfrom
people who wish to influence our behavior and attitudes. Persuasion canbe
used to accomplish good as well as bad, though, in my paper I willrefrain
from making value judgements and only report the factual aspects. I will
discuss the two basic routes to persuasion, the elements involved, andways
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 usingdirect
arguments and pertinent information. The peripheral route persuadespeople
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 influences behaviorand
attitudes much more than the media. Of course media still has great
influence. It has also been shown that the more realistic thecommunication
method the more likely it is to persuade, though complex messages arebest
understood and remembered if they are written. Simpler messages from the
media that are live or videotaped are most likely to persuade. Less
persuasive are audiotaped and written communication methods. The fourth
element of persuasion is the audience, or receiver of the message. Ageof
the audience matters greatly because many attitudes are directlyrelated to
how old the person is. There are two ways to explain the relationship
between age and attitude. The life-cycle explanation states that when
people get older their attitudes change. The generational explanation,
which is supported by more evidence, states that each generation adoptsan
attitude that is different from other generations, and does not changewith
time. The state of mind of the message receiver plays an important on
whether they are persuaded. When people feel they are about to bepersuaded
to do something they will build arguments against it and be less likelyto
be persuaded. A distracted state of mind often doesn?t have the abilityto
argue against persuasive messages, and therefore is more likely toaccept
them. Audiences that are image conscious and unconcerned with the truthare
more apt to be persuaded by the communicator?s attractiveness and other
peripheral cues. Analytical people who are more concerned with beingright,
are more influenced by central route communication. Now I?d like todiscuss
some ways for people to safeguard their beliefs and resist outside
influence. One of the best ways to prevent an unwanted attitudepersuasion
is to make public your commitment to your conviction. ?Once we havemade a
choice or taken a stand we will encounter personal and interpersonal
pressures to behave consistently with that commitmant.?(4) Because
inconsistency is viewed as a bad personality trait and consistentattitudes
and behavior equate to logic, stability, and honesty, people willrarely be
persuaded once they have made a strong commitment. Keep in mind,however,
that this persuasion resisting technique can be forced on you by othersas
seen in the cases of ?brain washing? of American POW?s during the Korean
war. The POW?s were asked to repeat mildly anti-American orpro-communist
statements. Once they willingly complied, prisoners were asked to make a
list of problems in America, which they had to discuss in a group. Thenext
step was to write an essay about the problems in America and have them
broadcast on the radio. Many POW?s stayed in China once granted freedom
because they had committed to their ant-American attitudes. Thisprevious
example also illustrates the foot-in-the-door phenomenon. Small requests
were made (the mildly anti-American statements) which opened the way for
larger, more substantial suggestions. Attitude inoculation is believedto
be the best way for people to avoid persuasion. It is defined as?Exposing
people to weak attacks upon their attitudes so that when strongerattacks
come they will have refutations available.?(5) Attitude inoculation was
found to increase commitment to an attitude in addition to developing
counterarguemnts. One application of the positive effects of attitude
inoculation was conducted by Alfred McAlister on a class of seventhgraders
that had them commit to anti-smoking attitudes. Role-Playing was used to
strengthen commitment to non-smoking by public declaration and therepeated
dialogue stimulated counterarguements. To truly understand the effectsof
persuasion on people you need to be familiar with the structure behind a
persuasive message. It is important to identify which route is beingused
(central or peripheral) and understand the effect of the communicator,the
content of the message, the method of communication, and the reaction by
the audience. Counterarguements in making a public commitment strengthen
out resistance to persuasion.
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