Lecture 1 course introduction and dual process model
Read: H1, H2
Persuasion is neutral, purpose of persuasion is what matters, persuaders' motives can be
ethical or unethical
Viral persuasion
- "Law of the few" (a small number of influential people can generate a groundswell of
support for an idea, brand, or phenomenon.)
- Context: the right time and place
- Messages must be "sticky"
- Scalability is requirement
- Oxymoron of viral campaigns
- Planned to appear unplanned
- Intended to seem genuine
Nudges theory (Thaler & Sunstein)
The way choices are presented can affect behavior
Critique: lack of theoretical grounding, ethical concerns
Defining persuasion → limiting criteria:
- Intentionality
- Is it conscious/purposeful? Can it be accidental?
- Effects
- Has it taken place if no one is persuaded?
- Is persuasion a product or a process?
- Free will and conscious awareness
- Distinction between persuasion and coercion?
- Can it occur without awareness of receiver?
- Symbolic action
- Does it involve more than words and symbols?
- Actors
- How many actors are required for it to take place?
- Context
- Contextual factors?
Dual process models of processing information
- Fast vs. slow thinking
- Reflexive vs. reflective thinking
- Mental shortcuts vs. thoughtful deliberation
Elaboration likelihood model
Central route:
- Thoughtful and deliberate
- Requires much cognitive effort
,Peripheral route:
- Relies on mental shortcuts
- Requires little cognitive effort
Parallel processing is possible, but people tend to favor one.
Route depends on motivation, ability and personal characteristics (need for cognition).
Need for cognition = an individuals' tendency to engage in and enjoy activities that require
thinking.
Heuristic System Model of Persuasion
- Similar to ELM
- Systematic processing vs. heuristic processing
- Motivation and ability determine processing mode
- Sufficiency principle: people strive to know as much as needed to make a decision
Three challenges in digital information system
1. Relatively low trust in institutions and experts
○ Disinformation and fake news
2. Major platforms not regulated as media companies
3. Attention economy
○ Effect = algorithms privilege more extreme content
Lecture 2 what are persuasive effects?
Read: H3 Attitudes and Consistency, H4 Credibility, Article Wojdynski
Key aspects of attitudes:
- They are predispositions guiding our behavior
- They represent favorable or unfavorable evaluations
- They have valence and intensity
- They are directed toward an attitude object
Attitudes can't be observed directly as they are in our heads
Explicit attitude measures:
- Self-report scales
- Likert scales (choices ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree).
- Semantic differential scales
- Bipolar adjective pairs (dark-light, young-old)
Pitfalls in measuring attitudes:
- Social desirability bias (giving the socially correct answer)
- Non-attitudes (making up an attitude to appear informed)
- Mindfulness (no conscious knowing of their attitudes)
, Implicit Association Test (IAT)
- Snap judgements reveal underlying attitudes
- IAT to measure implicit attitudes towards a variety of topics (countries, weight,
sexuality, skin color, age, gender)
Physiological measures:
- Affect or emotion is often accompanied by physiological reactions (heart rate, blood
pressure, skin conductance, pupil dilation)
- Mixed results: physiological measures often bi-directional
Attitude Behavior Consistency increases when:
- Attitudes are strong
- Attitudes concern a specific situation, time & place
- Attitudes are based on (direct) personal experience
- Attitudes are important to a person
- Attitude certainly is high
But other factors are involved → Reasoned Action Approach (intentions are the best
predictor of behavior)
Intentions are formed through beliefs and attitudes
Normative beliefs:
- Descriptive norms
- What people generally do
- Injunctive norms
- What people should do
- Social pressure
Perceived behavioral control = a person's confidence that he/she is capable of performing
a given behavior.
Attitudes as associative networks
- Attitudes exist in associative networks
- Associations are often unconscious or implicit
- Changes in one attitude can have a ripple effect in a person's cognitive system
- Persuaders seek to establish connections among attitudes
- Goal is to link product, brand, idea to favorable attitudes
Manufacturing positive associations:
- Brand personality
- Brand relationships
- Authenticity
- Aspirational brands
- Sponsorship
- Cause-related marketing
- Sloganeering
Read: H1, H2
Persuasion is neutral, purpose of persuasion is what matters, persuaders' motives can be
ethical or unethical
Viral persuasion
- "Law of the few" (a small number of influential people can generate a groundswell of
support for an idea, brand, or phenomenon.)
- Context: the right time and place
- Messages must be "sticky"
- Scalability is requirement
- Oxymoron of viral campaigns
- Planned to appear unplanned
- Intended to seem genuine
Nudges theory (Thaler & Sunstein)
The way choices are presented can affect behavior
Critique: lack of theoretical grounding, ethical concerns
Defining persuasion → limiting criteria:
- Intentionality
- Is it conscious/purposeful? Can it be accidental?
- Effects
- Has it taken place if no one is persuaded?
- Is persuasion a product or a process?
- Free will and conscious awareness
- Distinction between persuasion and coercion?
- Can it occur without awareness of receiver?
- Symbolic action
- Does it involve more than words and symbols?
- Actors
- How many actors are required for it to take place?
- Context
- Contextual factors?
Dual process models of processing information
- Fast vs. slow thinking
- Reflexive vs. reflective thinking
- Mental shortcuts vs. thoughtful deliberation
Elaboration likelihood model
Central route:
- Thoughtful and deliberate
- Requires much cognitive effort
,Peripheral route:
- Relies on mental shortcuts
- Requires little cognitive effort
Parallel processing is possible, but people tend to favor one.
Route depends on motivation, ability and personal characteristics (need for cognition).
Need for cognition = an individuals' tendency to engage in and enjoy activities that require
thinking.
Heuristic System Model of Persuasion
- Similar to ELM
- Systematic processing vs. heuristic processing
- Motivation and ability determine processing mode
- Sufficiency principle: people strive to know as much as needed to make a decision
Three challenges in digital information system
1. Relatively low trust in institutions and experts
○ Disinformation and fake news
2. Major platforms not regulated as media companies
3. Attention economy
○ Effect = algorithms privilege more extreme content
Lecture 2 what are persuasive effects?
Read: H3 Attitudes and Consistency, H4 Credibility, Article Wojdynski
Key aspects of attitudes:
- They are predispositions guiding our behavior
- They represent favorable or unfavorable evaluations
- They have valence and intensity
- They are directed toward an attitude object
Attitudes can't be observed directly as they are in our heads
Explicit attitude measures:
- Self-report scales
- Likert scales (choices ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree).
- Semantic differential scales
- Bipolar adjective pairs (dark-light, young-old)
Pitfalls in measuring attitudes:
- Social desirability bias (giving the socially correct answer)
- Non-attitudes (making up an attitude to appear informed)
- Mindfulness (no conscious knowing of their attitudes)
, Implicit Association Test (IAT)
- Snap judgements reveal underlying attitudes
- IAT to measure implicit attitudes towards a variety of topics (countries, weight,
sexuality, skin color, age, gender)
Physiological measures:
- Affect or emotion is often accompanied by physiological reactions (heart rate, blood
pressure, skin conductance, pupil dilation)
- Mixed results: physiological measures often bi-directional
Attitude Behavior Consistency increases when:
- Attitudes are strong
- Attitudes concern a specific situation, time & place
- Attitudes are based on (direct) personal experience
- Attitudes are important to a person
- Attitude certainly is high
But other factors are involved → Reasoned Action Approach (intentions are the best
predictor of behavior)
Intentions are formed through beliefs and attitudes
Normative beliefs:
- Descriptive norms
- What people generally do
- Injunctive norms
- What people should do
- Social pressure
Perceived behavioral control = a person's confidence that he/she is capable of performing
a given behavior.
Attitudes as associative networks
- Attitudes exist in associative networks
- Associations are often unconscious or implicit
- Changes in one attitude can have a ripple effect in a person's cognitive system
- Persuaders seek to establish connections among attitudes
- Goal is to link product, brand, idea to favorable attitudes
Manufacturing positive associations:
- Brand personality
- Brand relationships
- Authenticity
- Aspirational brands
- Sponsorship
- Cause-related marketing
- Sloganeering
