Learning goals

1
Learning goals

• identify and understand various theories of
  attitudes
• understand the three critical components of
  persuasion
• identify factors that influence persuasion

2
Attitudes and persuasion

• attitudes
• a general evaluative response, view or position
• components
• affective
• behavioral
• cognitive
• persuasion
• attempts to change an attitude

3
Theories of attitudes

• attempt to explain
• source
• where attitudes come from
• maintenance
• the consistency of attitudes over time
• change
• under what circumstances attitudes change

4
Learning theory

• fundamental principles
• classical conditioning
• associative learning
• operant conditioning
• rewards and punishments
• social learning
• observation and imitation
• relies upon message learning and transfer of
  affect

5
Balance theory

• relies upon cognitive consistency
• motivated by a persons need to have harmonious
  social relationships
• factors
• person (self)
• other person (social relationships)
• attitude object
• we strive to maintain a balance between our
  attitudes and our social relationships

6
Cognitive dissonance theory

• relies upon cognitive consistency
• dissonance
• discomfort experienced when our behavior does not
  match our attitudes
• people are motivated to have consistency between
  their attitudes and behavior
• impact of cognitive dissonance is especially
  powerful
• when a person makes a conscious choice
• when one demonstrates attitude-discrepant
  behavior
• when there is insufficient justification
• when a person has committed to or put effort into
  a behavior

7
Self-perception theory

• relies upon individuals explanations about their
  behavior
• basic premise
• people are not consciously aware of their
  attitudes
• behavior is easily observable
• attitudes are inferred from behavior

8
Expectancy-value theory

• based on the notion that people are rational,
  active decision-makers
• attitudes are formed based on the perceived pros
  and cons
• people try to maximize possible outcomes of their
  attitudes by looking at the value of potential
  outcomes and the likelihood that they will occur

9
Cognitive response theory

• assumes that people are active processors of
  information
• when we hear information, we automatically
  generate cognitive responses
• we evaluate our cognitive responses to form
  attitudes and positions
• if our thoughts trigger counterarguing - we are
  likely to adopt a stronger attitude position
• if our thoughts do not trigger counterarguing -
  we are likely to accept others attitudes

10
Discussion questions

• Which theory do you think is most commonly used
  to form attitudes? Why?
• Which theory of attitudes do you find most
  useful? Why?
• Which theory do you think is most likely to
  produce attitude change?
• Which theory do you think advertisers most often
  rely on to attempt to persuade consumers?

11
Persuasion

• dual processing
• under some conditions, people make quick
  decisions based on heuristics (heuristic
  processing)
• relies on peripheral routes to persuasion
• in other conditions, people make very deliberate
  and careful decisions (systematic processing)
• relies on central routes to persuasion

12
Source of information

• communicator characteristics leading to attitude
  change
• credibility
• expertise
• trustworthiness
• likability
• reference groups
• when a person does not agree with an attitudinal
  message, they often utilize source degregation

13
Content of the attitudinal message

• communication characteristics leading to attitude
  change
• moderate discrepancy between message and attitude
• power of the strength of an argument depends on
  active processing of the message
• rhetorical questions
• moderate repetition
• when a person does not agree with an attitudinal
  message, they often distort or reject the message

14
Target of persuasion

• characteristics of the target leading to attitude
  change
• when aggressively aroused, we are motivated to
  take actions to reduce arousal
• moderate fear
• ego-involvement
• low commitment
• low issue involvement
• high response-involvement

15
Situational influences

• situational variables that lead to attitude
  change
• distraction
• situational variables that promote resistance to
  attitude change
• forewarning of position
• forewarning of intent
• supportive defense
• inoculation defense