Subtlety is the quality of a message being important, but not obvious. Messages that are more subtle are more persuasive than direct messages.

Effect of Message Subtlety on Persuasion

Message sidedness refers to having more than one side, such as whether both sides of an argument are presented in a persuasive message.

Message Sidedness

The timing of a persuasive message affects its influence. Arguments that occur first, such as in a debate, are more influential if messages are given back-to-back. However, if there is a delay after the first message, and before the audience needs to make a decision, the last message presented will tend to be more persuasive.

Effect of Message Timing on Persuasion

Features of the message itself that affect persuasion include subtlety, sidedness, and timing, as well as whether both sides are presented.

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Persuasion is the process of changing an individual's attitude toward something based on communication. Unlike attitude change driven by internal factors like cognitive dissonance, persuasion typically involves external forces attempting to influence a person's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Persuasion

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

In typical, effective communications, the recipient is initially more persuaded, but over time the messaging loses its persuasive effects on the individual.

Decay of Persuasion 

The foot-in-the-door technique is a persuasion strategy where a persuader first gets an individual to agree to a small request, such as a small favor or a minor purchase. After securing this initial agreement, the persuader then makes a larger request. This method is effective because it leverages the principle of consistency, where individuals feel a desire to align their future actions with their past commitments.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

What are some real-life examples of persuasion?

Which of the following best describes the concept of persuasion?

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the use of persuasion?

Which of the following techniques is most commonly used in persuasion?

Attitude change can be prompted by both internal and external factors. Internal motivation often arises from the psychological discomfort of cognitive dissonance, where an individual alters their attitudes to resolve internal conflicts. In contrast, persuasion represents an external source of attitude change, where communication from outside forces is used to influence a person's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Cognitive Dissonance vs. Persuasion as Mechanisms for Attitude Change

Originating from Carl Hovland's research at Yale University after World War II, the Yale attitude change approach is a model that outlines the conditions necessary for attitude change. It posits that the effectiveness of a persuasive message is determined by three main factors: the characteristics of the source, the content of the message, and the attributes of the audience.

Yale Attitude Change Approach

The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), developed by Petty and Cacioppo, is a prominent theory explaining the dynamics of persuasion. It integrates variables from the attitude change approach—such as the characteristics of the source, the message, and the audience—to predict when attitude change will happen. The model posits that persuasive messages are processed through two primary routes: the central route and the peripheral route.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

The effectiveness of a persuasive attempt, such as in advertising, is determined by three key components: the source of the message (e.g., credibility, attractiveness), the content and nature of the message itself, and the characteristics of the audience being targeted.

Factors of Persuasion

Persuasion operates through two distinct pathways: the central route, which engages the audience with facts and logic, and the peripheral route, which relies on associative cues like emotions or celebrity appeal.

Routes to Persuasion

Attempts at persuasion are ubiquitous in the everyday world. Rather than being limited to formal advertising campaigns, persuasive messages are encountered everywhere in daily life, such as through bumper stickers on cars.

Ubiquity of Persuasion

Features of the source of a persuasive message that influence its effectiveness include the credibility of the speaker and the physical attractiveness of the speaker.

Features of a Persuasive Message Source

Features of the Persuasive Message

Several features of an audience affect how easily they can be persuaded. These characteristics include the audience's attention, intelligence, self-esteem, and age.

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