Persuasive communication
Summary of the book
Chapter 2
Persuasive communication does not directly target behavior but its underlying determinants: the
factors determining how we behave. This chapter will be focused on these factors.
There are two forms of behavior: reasoned- and automatic behavior
There are two types of attitudes: explicit- and implicit attitudes
Automatic behavior and its determinants 2.1
Car drives perform a lot of these actions on autopilot, automatic behavior.
Automatisms originate from external stimuli and events that control our internal psychological
processes without us being aware of this control.
The goal is to be able to automatically perform the correct behavior on the basis of external stimuli.
Thinking about a certain action already increases the likelihood that this action will be performed.
Observing other engaged in behavior has a similar effect.
Priming – activating concepts or stereotypes by confronting people with words. (confronting subjects
with words that are primarily associated with old age, and then they walk slower to the elevator)
Subliminal priming – showing pictures for a very short amount of time, so they cannot be consciously
perceived. (showing faces of young Afro-Americans on a computer screen for such a short time that it was
impossible to consciously perceive them, and afterwards acting more hostile than subjects who have not seen it)
The behavior of others is a trigger to automatic behaviour.
Automatic activation of goals is also a trigger to automatic behavior.
A description of a person can be remembered better if the subjects has to form an opinion about that
person instead of just memorizing the description.
Instead of telling the subject to memorize or form an opinion, they activate this goals through priming
the subject with words associated with either forming an opinion or memorizing . (the opinion subjects
still remembered more than the memorizing subjects)
this also work for behavior when subjects are primed with words associated with performance.
,Reasoned behavior and its determinants 2.2
Model:
Reasoned behavior: is the result of a weighing process
in which three factors play an important role: attitude,
perceived norm and self-efficacy
Attitude is a direct variable, it has a direct bearing on
a person’s behavior.
Personality is an indirect variable, and only influence
behavior through the effect they have on direct
variables.
A persons behavior is primarily decided by three
determinants: skills, intention and environmental
constraints that may hinder.
Intention is influenced by three determinants: attitude, perceived norm and efficacy beliefs.
Attitude concerns the person evaluation of the behavior, how positive or negative are they thoughts
towards an action?
Perceived norm can be either what the person thinks the significant others may believe (normative
perceived norm) or to what others in the same situation actually do (descriptive perceived norm)
Efficacy beliefs: do I think I can perform this behavior.
The relative weight of these determinants differ for each behavior.
Attitude is seen as an evaluative summary of the assumed consequences of the behavior: behavioral
beliefs and evaluations. (someone’s attitude towards a healthy diet can be determined by the belief that it is
‘probably healthier’ or ‘certainly more expensive’) --> (next an evaluation is linked to each of these
consequences: how to evaluate better health and higher costs?)
What determinants of a particular attitude are relevant differs from person to person
The number of beliefs playing a role in attitudes is limited.
Normative beliefs concern what people think other people believe they should do. It is the belief about
what relevant others feel.
The motivation to comply is the degree to which the person is willing to fulfil the wishes of these
others.
These two are important for the normative perceived norm.
Attitudes: types, functions and fundamentals 2.3
Definition attitude: a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity
with some degree of favor or disfavor.
, Goal attitudes concern object (iPad) = indirect variable
Behavior attitude concern behavior (buying an iPad) = direct variable determining intention
Attitudes have various functions
- Instrumental – human tendency to be attracted to objects that make our lives more agreeable
- Knowledge – enables people to quickly make a decision. This attitude functions as a summary
of all knowledge about the attitude object
- Egodefensive – attitudes to others is more negative, to create a more positive image about
yourself
- Value-expressive – show what values you cherish
Implicit attitudes – the automatic association people have between an object and an evaluation
(primarily bases on early experiences with the attitude object, and ps that are automatically evoked)
Explicit attitudes – the result of an rational deliberation process (result of more cognitive
considerations, thus bases more on beliefs.)
Attitudes are based on three fundamentals of attitudes
- Beliefs – truth value of beliefs can be established.
- Affects
- Behavior
Higher-order conditioning – the stimulus evoking a positive or negative response does not do so itself
but makes the individual learn the positive or negative response.
Affective connotation of a word – words with negative connotation = nasty painful, how a rootcanal
treatment is described. This feeling is referred to affective connotation of a word.
Sometimes personal behavior can be used to determine attitude, two approaches to this phenomenon
are cognitive dissonance and self-perception.
Cognitive dissonance explains under what circumstances behavior can influence attitudes
Dissonance is an unpleasant feeling which people try to prevent or resolve. (if we feel that fair play is
important but on the other hand foul our opponents, we experience dissonance)
Dissonance occurs as a result of discrepancy (difference) between an attitude we have and our actual
behavior. (it is not healthy to consume alcohol, and drinking four glasses of wine every day)
To resolve this dissonance people can bring their behavior in line with their attitude or fit their attitude
to their behavior. In the latter case the attitude towards an action is influenced by behavior.
Summary of the book
Chapter 2
Persuasive communication does not directly target behavior but its underlying determinants: the
factors determining how we behave. This chapter will be focused on these factors.
There are two forms of behavior: reasoned- and automatic behavior
There are two types of attitudes: explicit- and implicit attitudes
Automatic behavior and its determinants 2.1
Car drives perform a lot of these actions on autopilot, automatic behavior.
Automatisms originate from external stimuli and events that control our internal psychological
processes without us being aware of this control.
The goal is to be able to automatically perform the correct behavior on the basis of external stimuli.
Thinking about a certain action already increases the likelihood that this action will be performed.
Observing other engaged in behavior has a similar effect.
Priming – activating concepts or stereotypes by confronting people with words. (confronting subjects
with words that are primarily associated with old age, and then they walk slower to the elevator)
Subliminal priming – showing pictures for a very short amount of time, so they cannot be consciously
perceived. (showing faces of young Afro-Americans on a computer screen for such a short time that it was
impossible to consciously perceive them, and afterwards acting more hostile than subjects who have not seen it)
The behavior of others is a trigger to automatic behaviour.
Automatic activation of goals is also a trigger to automatic behavior.
A description of a person can be remembered better if the subjects has to form an opinion about that
person instead of just memorizing the description.
Instead of telling the subject to memorize or form an opinion, they activate this goals through priming
the subject with words associated with either forming an opinion or memorizing . (the opinion subjects
still remembered more than the memorizing subjects)
this also work for behavior when subjects are primed with words associated with performance.
,Reasoned behavior and its determinants 2.2
Model:
Reasoned behavior: is the result of a weighing process
in which three factors play an important role: attitude,
perceived norm and self-efficacy
Attitude is a direct variable, it has a direct bearing on
a person’s behavior.
Personality is an indirect variable, and only influence
behavior through the effect they have on direct
variables.
A persons behavior is primarily decided by three
determinants: skills, intention and environmental
constraints that may hinder.
Intention is influenced by three determinants: attitude, perceived norm and efficacy beliefs.
Attitude concerns the person evaluation of the behavior, how positive or negative are they thoughts
towards an action?
Perceived norm can be either what the person thinks the significant others may believe (normative
perceived norm) or to what others in the same situation actually do (descriptive perceived norm)
Efficacy beliefs: do I think I can perform this behavior.
The relative weight of these determinants differ for each behavior.
Attitude is seen as an evaluative summary of the assumed consequences of the behavior: behavioral
beliefs and evaluations. (someone’s attitude towards a healthy diet can be determined by the belief that it is
‘probably healthier’ or ‘certainly more expensive’) --> (next an evaluation is linked to each of these
consequences: how to evaluate better health and higher costs?)
What determinants of a particular attitude are relevant differs from person to person
The number of beliefs playing a role in attitudes is limited.
Normative beliefs concern what people think other people believe they should do. It is the belief about
what relevant others feel.
The motivation to comply is the degree to which the person is willing to fulfil the wishes of these
others.
These two are important for the normative perceived norm.
Attitudes: types, functions and fundamentals 2.3
Definition attitude: a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity
with some degree of favor or disfavor.
, Goal attitudes concern object (iPad) = indirect variable
Behavior attitude concern behavior (buying an iPad) = direct variable determining intention
Attitudes have various functions
- Instrumental – human tendency to be attracted to objects that make our lives more agreeable
- Knowledge – enables people to quickly make a decision. This attitude functions as a summary
of all knowledge about the attitude object
- Egodefensive – attitudes to others is more negative, to create a more positive image about
yourself
- Value-expressive – show what values you cherish
Implicit attitudes – the automatic association people have between an object and an evaluation
(primarily bases on early experiences with the attitude object, and ps that are automatically evoked)
Explicit attitudes – the result of an rational deliberation process (result of more cognitive
considerations, thus bases more on beliefs.)
Attitudes are based on three fundamentals of attitudes
- Beliefs – truth value of beliefs can be established.
- Affects
- Behavior
Higher-order conditioning – the stimulus evoking a positive or negative response does not do so itself
but makes the individual learn the positive or negative response.
Affective connotation of a word – words with negative connotation = nasty painful, how a rootcanal
treatment is described. This feeling is referred to affective connotation of a word.
Sometimes personal behavior can be used to determine attitude, two approaches to this phenomenon
are cognitive dissonance and self-perception.
Cognitive dissonance explains under what circumstances behavior can influence attitudes
Dissonance is an unpleasant feeling which people try to prevent or resolve. (if we feel that fair play is
important but on the other hand foul our opponents, we experience dissonance)
Dissonance occurs as a result of discrepancy (difference) between an attitude we have and our actual
behavior. (it is not healthy to consume alcohol, and drinking four glasses of wine every day)
To resolve this dissonance people can bring their behavior in line with their attitude or fit their attitude
to their behavior. In the latter case the attitude towards an action is influenced by behavior.
