Persuasion, Theory and Research – Daniel O’Keefe
Hoofdstuk 1: Persuasion, Attitudes and Actions
Persuasion = “a successful intentional effort at influencing another’s mental state
through communication in a circumstance in which the persuadee has some
measure of freedom” (O’Keefe).
Attitude = “a person’s general evaluation of an object (a judgement)”. Attitudes
have an impact on cognitions, emotions & behavior.
Features of paradigm cases of persuasion:
Persuasion is a successful attempt to influence
The persuader intends to influence the persuadee
There need to be some measure of freedom on the persuadee’s part
Effects are achieved through communication
It involves a change in the mental state of the persuadee
The aim is ordinarily accomplished by changing what people think.
Attitude measurement techniques:
Explicit measures (direct)
Simple, straightforward, easy to administer, easy to construct. But: it’s just
an estimate (schatting) of the attitude.
o Semantic differential evaluative scale
Respondents rate the attitude object on a number of 7-point bipolar
scales that are end-anchored by evaluative adjective pairs (good-
bad, desirable-undesirable).
o Single-item attitude measures
A single questionnaire item that asks for the relevant judgement
(extremely favorable-extremely unfavorable).
Quasi-explicit measures
Provide more information, but may take more time to administer.
o Paired-comparison: the respondent is asked a series of questions
about the relative evaluation of each of a number of pairs of
objects.
o Thurstone & Likert: the respondent’s attitude is inferred from
agreement or disagreement with statements that are rather
obviously attitude-relevant.
Thurstone: a list of statements and asked to check the ones
with which they agree.
Likert: the strength of agreement is assessed through some
appropriate scale.
Implicit measures
Attitudes are being assessed. Implicit measures are most attractive in
circumstances in which one fears respondents may distort their true
attitudes.
o Autonomic responses
o Measures of brain activity
o Priming measures (examining the speed with which people make
evaluative judgments when those judgements are preceded by the
attitude object).
o Implicit Association Test (attitudes are assessed by examining the
strength of association between attitude objects and evaluative
categories)
1
, o Etc.
Moderating factors of attitude and behavior consistency:
The degree to which the behavior is effortful or difficult
The perceived relevance of the attitude to the behavior
Attitude accessibility
Attitudinal ambivalence
Having a vested interest in a position
The extent of attitude-relevant knowledge
Etc.
Attitudinal measures and behavioral measures are likely to be rather more
strongly associated when there is substantial correspondence between the two
measures and underscore the folly of supposing that a single specific behavior
will necessarily or typically be strongly associated with a person’s general
attitude.
Attitudes base on direct behavioral experience with the attitude object have been
found to be more predictive of later behavior toward the object than are attitudes
based on indirect experience.
Encouraging attitude-consistent behavior:
Enhance perceived relevance
Encourage people to see their attitudes as relevant to their behavioral
choices (control condition vs. experimental condition).
“You might not have realized it, but this really is an opportunity to act
consistently with your attitude”.
Induce feelings of hypocrisy
When persons have ben hypocritical, one way of encouraging attitude-
consistent behavior can be to draw person’s attention to the hypocrisy.
Leads people to recognize their hypocrisy.
“You haven’t been acting consistently with your attitude, but here is an
opportunity to do so”.
Encourage anticipation of feelings
Invite people to consider how they will feel if they fail to act consistently
with their attitudes (regret and guilt).
“Here is an opportunity to act consistently with you attitude – and think
how bad you’ll feel if you don’t”
Different kinds of communications:
Informational documents
Instructional documents
Persuasive documents
Aspects of rhetorical system:
Orator (invention, elocutio, dispositio, memoria, pronunantio (actio).
Discourse (exordium, narratio, propositio, argumentatio, peroratio)
Audience: conciliare (win), movere (move), docere & probare (teach &
approve)
Topic
o Deliberative discourse: political principles and policy issues
o Forensic discourse: legal matters
2
Hoofdstuk 1: Persuasion, Attitudes and Actions
Persuasion = “a successful intentional effort at influencing another’s mental state
through communication in a circumstance in which the persuadee has some
measure of freedom” (O’Keefe).
Attitude = “a person’s general evaluation of an object (a judgement)”. Attitudes
have an impact on cognitions, emotions & behavior.
Features of paradigm cases of persuasion:
Persuasion is a successful attempt to influence
The persuader intends to influence the persuadee
There need to be some measure of freedom on the persuadee’s part
Effects are achieved through communication
It involves a change in the mental state of the persuadee
The aim is ordinarily accomplished by changing what people think.
Attitude measurement techniques:
Explicit measures (direct)
Simple, straightforward, easy to administer, easy to construct. But: it’s just
an estimate (schatting) of the attitude.
o Semantic differential evaluative scale
Respondents rate the attitude object on a number of 7-point bipolar
scales that are end-anchored by evaluative adjective pairs (good-
bad, desirable-undesirable).
o Single-item attitude measures
A single questionnaire item that asks for the relevant judgement
(extremely favorable-extremely unfavorable).
Quasi-explicit measures
Provide more information, but may take more time to administer.
o Paired-comparison: the respondent is asked a series of questions
about the relative evaluation of each of a number of pairs of
objects.
o Thurstone & Likert: the respondent’s attitude is inferred from
agreement or disagreement with statements that are rather
obviously attitude-relevant.
Thurstone: a list of statements and asked to check the ones
with which they agree.
Likert: the strength of agreement is assessed through some
appropriate scale.
Implicit measures
Attitudes are being assessed. Implicit measures are most attractive in
circumstances in which one fears respondents may distort their true
attitudes.
o Autonomic responses
o Measures of brain activity
o Priming measures (examining the speed with which people make
evaluative judgments when those judgements are preceded by the
attitude object).
o Implicit Association Test (attitudes are assessed by examining the
strength of association between attitude objects and evaluative
categories)
1
, o Etc.
Moderating factors of attitude and behavior consistency:
The degree to which the behavior is effortful or difficult
The perceived relevance of the attitude to the behavior
Attitude accessibility
Attitudinal ambivalence
Having a vested interest in a position
The extent of attitude-relevant knowledge
Etc.
Attitudinal measures and behavioral measures are likely to be rather more
strongly associated when there is substantial correspondence between the two
measures and underscore the folly of supposing that a single specific behavior
will necessarily or typically be strongly associated with a person’s general
attitude.
Attitudes base on direct behavioral experience with the attitude object have been
found to be more predictive of later behavior toward the object than are attitudes
based on indirect experience.
Encouraging attitude-consistent behavior:
Enhance perceived relevance
Encourage people to see their attitudes as relevant to their behavioral
choices (control condition vs. experimental condition).
“You might not have realized it, but this really is an opportunity to act
consistently with your attitude”.
Induce feelings of hypocrisy
When persons have ben hypocritical, one way of encouraging attitude-
consistent behavior can be to draw person’s attention to the hypocrisy.
Leads people to recognize their hypocrisy.
“You haven’t been acting consistently with your attitude, but here is an
opportunity to do so”.
Encourage anticipation of feelings
Invite people to consider how they will feel if they fail to act consistently
with their attitudes (regret and guilt).
“Here is an opportunity to act consistently with you attitude – and think
how bad you’ll feel if you don’t”
Different kinds of communications:
Informational documents
Instructional documents
Persuasive documents
Aspects of rhetorical system:
Orator (invention, elocutio, dispositio, memoria, pronunantio (actio).
Discourse (exordium, narratio, propositio, argumentatio, peroratio)
Audience: conciliare (win), movere (move), docere & probare (teach &
approve)
Topic
o Deliberative discourse: political principles and policy issues
o Forensic discourse: legal matters
2
