Designing Persuasive Texts
Lecture 1 – Chapter 1-2
Persuasive -vs- Convincing
A text is persuasive when it has the aim of being convincing. It wants to influence readers’
attitudes through the transfer of information, with the readers having a certain degree of
freedom. A convincing document did CHANGE the attitude already.
➔ When analysing whether a document is persuasive, one asks about the aim and not
about the text itself.
Persuasive: aim of the writer
Convincing: effect on the reader
This means, that a persuasive text is not necessarily convincing, and a non-persuasive text
can possibly be convincing.
Persuasion: “Successful intentional effort at influencing another’s mental state through
communication in a circumstance in which the persuadee has some measure of freedom.”
Main mental state: attitude; a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a
particular entity with some degree of favour or disfavour. (goal attitude = objects,
behavioural attitde = behaviour)
➔ Communication is not part of the definition of persuasion, because it cannot have a
direct impact on behaviour. However, it can change mental states which in turn
change behaviour.
Central Theory 1: Integrative model of behavioural prediction
Reasoned Automatic
Behaviour behaviour
Basing one's
behaviour Not thinking
on reason
Predicted by Predicted by
explicit implicit
attitudes attitudes
, 1. Attitude
Evaluating behavioural beliefs
Depends on the desirability of an
outcome and its probability. Multiply
those together and add/subtract to
get the final score.
2. Perceived norm
Injunctive norm: your perception of what other people think
Descriptive norm: your perception of what other people do
Self-monitoring determines the importance of norms. High self-monitors find other people’s
norms very important. They judge themselves based on (their perception of) other people’s
norms. Low self-monitors do not let this hinder their actions.
3. Self efficiacy
Do you feel like you have the skills?
-> not relevant if you actually have the skills, but on your perception of your skills.
➔ Reasoned behaviour can be changed more easily by communication than automatic
behaviour
Persuasive or Informative documents
Informative documents are read based on the communication principle that states the four
criteria ‘clarity, honesty, efficiency, relevance’. Readers expect all these to be present.
Readers of persuasive documents are unconvinced, because they expect the writer to
suppress negative arguments – they distrust the information. Therefore, persuasive
documents should seem like informative documents, as the readers are then less suspicious.
,Foundations of attitudes
1. Beliefs
Values are important
2. Feelings
Valence – positive/negative
Intensity
Feelings influence attitudes: classical conditioning
(‘low conditioning’ = doesn’t use language)
If conditioning uses language, it is a ‘higher-order conditioning)
3. Behaviour
Cognitive Dissonance Theory Self-Perception Theory
‘under which circumstances can …even if there is no discrepancy
behaviour influence attitudes?’ between our attitudes and our
behaviour, our behaviour can still
When I value gender-equality but influence our attitudes.
then make only men promote, I
experience cognitive dissonance. Sometimes, we use the way in
It is the discrepancy between my which we determine people’s
behaviour and my attitude. attitude to determine our own
attitude. We determine our and
Solutions: other’s attitude based on
Change behaviour to fit attitude behaviour.
Change attitude to fit behaviour
Explicit attitudes are the result of beliefs
Implicit attitudes are the result of feelings
, Lecture 2 – Chapter 3
McGuire’s information processing paradigm
1. Attention for the text
Classification of expected curiosity resulting from liking and wanting
Wanting
Weak Strong
Weak
Boredom Need to eliminate
uncertainty
Liking
Strong
Curiosity as a feeling Curiosity as a feeling
of interest of deprivation
Readers have attention for a text if they
• want the information (deprived of information)
• like the information (enjoyment)
Attention as an interaction between reader and text (inverted u-shape)
If you know nothing or everything
about the topic, you are not
interested. However, if you know
a bit and would like more
information, your interest is
highest. Also, this increases
interest:
- Expectations
- Personal relevance
Lecture 1 – Chapter 1-2
Persuasive -vs- Convincing
A text is persuasive when it has the aim of being convincing. It wants to influence readers’
attitudes through the transfer of information, with the readers having a certain degree of
freedom. A convincing document did CHANGE the attitude already.
➔ When analysing whether a document is persuasive, one asks about the aim and not
about the text itself.
Persuasive: aim of the writer
Convincing: effect on the reader
This means, that a persuasive text is not necessarily convincing, and a non-persuasive text
can possibly be convincing.
Persuasion: “Successful intentional effort at influencing another’s mental state through
communication in a circumstance in which the persuadee has some measure of freedom.”
Main mental state: attitude; a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a
particular entity with some degree of favour or disfavour. (goal attitude = objects,
behavioural attitde = behaviour)
➔ Communication is not part of the definition of persuasion, because it cannot have a
direct impact on behaviour. However, it can change mental states which in turn
change behaviour.
Central Theory 1: Integrative model of behavioural prediction
Reasoned Automatic
Behaviour behaviour
Basing one's
behaviour Not thinking
on reason
Predicted by Predicted by
explicit implicit
attitudes attitudes
, 1. Attitude
Evaluating behavioural beliefs
Depends on the desirability of an
outcome and its probability. Multiply
those together and add/subtract to
get the final score.
2. Perceived norm
Injunctive norm: your perception of what other people think
Descriptive norm: your perception of what other people do
Self-monitoring determines the importance of norms. High self-monitors find other people’s
norms very important. They judge themselves based on (their perception of) other people’s
norms. Low self-monitors do not let this hinder their actions.
3. Self efficiacy
Do you feel like you have the skills?
-> not relevant if you actually have the skills, but on your perception of your skills.
➔ Reasoned behaviour can be changed more easily by communication than automatic
behaviour
Persuasive or Informative documents
Informative documents are read based on the communication principle that states the four
criteria ‘clarity, honesty, efficiency, relevance’. Readers expect all these to be present.
Readers of persuasive documents are unconvinced, because they expect the writer to
suppress negative arguments – they distrust the information. Therefore, persuasive
documents should seem like informative documents, as the readers are then less suspicious.
,Foundations of attitudes
1. Beliefs
Values are important
2. Feelings
Valence – positive/negative
Intensity
Feelings influence attitudes: classical conditioning
(‘low conditioning’ = doesn’t use language)
If conditioning uses language, it is a ‘higher-order conditioning)
3. Behaviour
Cognitive Dissonance Theory Self-Perception Theory
‘under which circumstances can …even if there is no discrepancy
behaviour influence attitudes?’ between our attitudes and our
behaviour, our behaviour can still
When I value gender-equality but influence our attitudes.
then make only men promote, I
experience cognitive dissonance. Sometimes, we use the way in
It is the discrepancy between my which we determine people’s
behaviour and my attitude. attitude to determine our own
attitude. We determine our and
Solutions: other’s attitude based on
Change behaviour to fit attitude behaviour.
Change attitude to fit behaviour
Explicit attitudes are the result of beliefs
Implicit attitudes are the result of feelings
, Lecture 2 – Chapter 3
McGuire’s information processing paradigm
1. Attention for the text
Classification of expected curiosity resulting from liking and wanting
Wanting
Weak Strong
Weak
Boredom Need to eliminate
uncertainty
Liking
Strong
Curiosity as a feeling Curiosity as a feeling
of interest of deprivation
Readers have attention for a text if they
• want the information (deprived of information)
• like the information (enjoyment)
Attention as an interaction between reader and text (inverted u-shape)
If you know nothing or everything
about the topic, you are not
interested. However, if you know
a bit and would like more
information, your interest is
highest. Also, this increases
interest:
- Expectations
- Personal relevance
