1
Attitudes and Persuasion
Inhoud
Lecture 1: A psychological approach to persuasion....................................................................2
Lecture 2 (OD): Does advertising work?....................................................................................4
Lecture 3: How do people acquire and process information?.....................................................6
Lecture 4: Measuring attitudes....................................................................................................9
Lecture 5: How do attitudes influence behavior?......................................................................11
Lecture 6 (OD): How does behavior influence attitudes?.........................................................14
Lecture 7: Persuasion part 1......................................................................................................16
Lecture 8 (OD): Boundaries of online persuasion....................................................................17
Lecture 9: Resisting persuasion................................................................................................19
Lecture 10 (OD): Compliance beyond persuasion....................................................................20
Lecture 11: Overcoming resistance to advertising....................................................................21
Lecture 12: Persuasion part 2....................................................................................................22
, 2
Lecture 1: A psychological approach to persuasion
Some foundations of psychology:
Bounded rationality (Herbert Simon): The brain is an information processor. Because
of limits on computing speed, intelligent systems must use approximate methods
(heuristics/rules of thumb) to handle most tasks. Therefore, rationality is bounded.
o Scissors metaphor: human rational behavior is like a scissors whose two
blades are the structure of task environments and the computational
capabilities (psychological capacities) of the actor.
Humans have goals (William James): pursuit of ends and choice are the marks of
Mind’s presence. Also, Maslow’s classic hierarchy of needs is an example of this
statement.
Evolution by natural selection (Charles Darwin): evolution by natural selection is
the only known causal process capable of producing complex physiological and
psychological mechanisms. But: natural selection does not explain everything.
Psychology/theory must be consistent with natural selection.
Advertising basics:
Advertising is any paid communication by identified sponsor aimed to
inform/persuade target audience about organization, product, service, or idea.
Advertising is ancient.
Advertising goals change over product life cycle.
Other forms of marketing and promotion are used (direct marketing, sponsorship).
Different views on the functions of advertising (informing consumers, free
services/media, funding public broadcasters, creating jobs, etc.).
Persuasion can be useful.
Psychological approach to advertising:
Psychological approach: focuses on the causal mechanisms behind advertising effects,
including attention, memory, emotions, attitudes, intentions and actual buying
behavior.
Identify effects of advertising at the individual level.
o Relate specific advertising stimuli to specific and individual consumer
responses.
o Articulate the intrapersonal, interpersonal, or group-level psychological
processes that are responsible for the relation between advertising stimuli and
consumer responses.
Models of advertising:
Sales response models: only measures your ad expenditures compared to your sales.
However, the models do not incorporate a psychological mechanism to explain how
ads influence behavior.
o Concave shaped model: diminishing returns to additional spending
o S-shaped model: low initial impact, and then suddenly a saturation point.
Hierarchy-of-effects models: adds intermediate steps between message and consumer
response, but assumes one order and high consumer involvement. However, consumer
behavior is more complex than a fixed sequence, and consumers should not be seen as
passive recipients.
o AIDA: attention > interest > desire > action
, 3
o AIDCA, AIETA, AKLPCP > all models assume a fixed sequence and a
passive consumer, without accounting for real-life variability in consumer
decision-making.
o DAGMAR: defining advertising goals for measured advertising results
o Foote, Cone, and Belding grid: a sequential model that acknowledges
differences in consumer involvement.
Cognitive response approach: consumers are seen as active processors of
information. Attitude change depends on how a person responds to a message rather
than just exposure. However, this approach still assumes relatively high involvement,
which is why dual-process theories are important.
Psychological approach to persuasion:
Persuasion happens not only in advertising, but in everyday interactions.
Persuasion happens, but is not yet fully understood.
The ABC model of attitudes: states that attitudes are evaluative responses directed toward an
object, meaning that attitudes involve multiple psychological systems. They are based on
three components:
Affective component: feelings
Behavioral component: actions
Cognitive component: beliefs
Breckler (1984) suggests that attitudes can be stable but also shift depending on how they are
measured.
Attitudes as predispositions: stable psychological tendencies expressed through
evaluations (favor/disfavor).
Attitudes as evaluative responses: shifting categorization of a stimulus along an
evaluative dimension, often context-dependent.
Traits versus attitudes:
Traits Attitudes
Not necessarily evaluative Evaluative
Response tendency in a situation Response tendency toward an object
Relatively stable Can change rapidly based on new information
How attitudes are stored and accessed depends on situational factors (Beckler, 1984).
File-drawer model: Attitudes are stored in memory and activated when encountering
the attitude object. Implies stability.
Attitudes-as-constructions model: Attitudes depend on accessible information at the
moment of evaluation. Implies flexibility and context dependence.
Attitudes and Persuasion
Inhoud
Lecture 1: A psychological approach to persuasion....................................................................2
Lecture 2 (OD): Does advertising work?....................................................................................4
Lecture 3: How do people acquire and process information?.....................................................6
Lecture 4: Measuring attitudes....................................................................................................9
Lecture 5: How do attitudes influence behavior?......................................................................11
Lecture 6 (OD): How does behavior influence attitudes?.........................................................14
Lecture 7: Persuasion part 1......................................................................................................16
Lecture 8 (OD): Boundaries of online persuasion....................................................................17
Lecture 9: Resisting persuasion................................................................................................19
Lecture 10 (OD): Compliance beyond persuasion....................................................................20
Lecture 11: Overcoming resistance to advertising....................................................................21
Lecture 12: Persuasion part 2....................................................................................................22
, 2
Lecture 1: A psychological approach to persuasion
Some foundations of psychology:
Bounded rationality (Herbert Simon): The brain is an information processor. Because
of limits on computing speed, intelligent systems must use approximate methods
(heuristics/rules of thumb) to handle most tasks. Therefore, rationality is bounded.
o Scissors metaphor: human rational behavior is like a scissors whose two
blades are the structure of task environments and the computational
capabilities (psychological capacities) of the actor.
Humans have goals (William James): pursuit of ends and choice are the marks of
Mind’s presence. Also, Maslow’s classic hierarchy of needs is an example of this
statement.
Evolution by natural selection (Charles Darwin): evolution by natural selection is
the only known causal process capable of producing complex physiological and
psychological mechanisms. But: natural selection does not explain everything.
Psychology/theory must be consistent with natural selection.
Advertising basics:
Advertising is any paid communication by identified sponsor aimed to
inform/persuade target audience about organization, product, service, or idea.
Advertising is ancient.
Advertising goals change over product life cycle.
Other forms of marketing and promotion are used (direct marketing, sponsorship).
Different views on the functions of advertising (informing consumers, free
services/media, funding public broadcasters, creating jobs, etc.).
Persuasion can be useful.
Psychological approach to advertising:
Psychological approach: focuses on the causal mechanisms behind advertising effects,
including attention, memory, emotions, attitudes, intentions and actual buying
behavior.
Identify effects of advertising at the individual level.
o Relate specific advertising stimuli to specific and individual consumer
responses.
o Articulate the intrapersonal, interpersonal, or group-level psychological
processes that are responsible for the relation between advertising stimuli and
consumer responses.
Models of advertising:
Sales response models: only measures your ad expenditures compared to your sales.
However, the models do not incorporate a psychological mechanism to explain how
ads influence behavior.
o Concave shaped model: diminishing returns to additional spending
o S-shaped model: low initial impact, and then suddenly a saturation point.
Hierarchy-of-effects models: adds intermediate steps between message and consumer
response, but assumes one order and high consumer involvement. However, consumer
behavior is more complex than a fixed sequence, and consumers should not be seen as
passive recipients.
o AIDA: attention > interest > desire > action
, 3
o AIDCA, AIETA, AKLPCP > all models assume a fixed sequence and a
passive consumer, without accounting for real-life variability in consumer
decision-making.
o DAGMAR: defining advertising goals for measured advertising results
o Foote, Cone, and Belding grid: a sequential model that acknowledges
differences in consumer involvement.
Cognitive response approach: consumers are seen as active processors of
information. Attitude change depends on how a person responds to a message rather
than just exposure. However, this approach still assumes relatively high involvement,
which is why dual-process theories are important.
Psychological approach to persuasion:
Persuasion happens not only in advertising, but in everyday interactions.
Persuasion happens, but is not yet fully understood.
The ABC model of attitudes: states that attitudes are evaluative responses directed toward an
object, meaning that attitudes involve multiple psychological systems. They are based on
three components:
Affective component: feelings
Behavioral component: actions
Cognitive component: beliefs
Breckler (1984) suggests that attitudes can be stable but also shift depending on how they are
measured.
Attitudes as predispositions: stable psychological tendencies expressed through
evaluations (favor/disfavor).
Attitudes as evaluative responses: shifting categorization of a stimulus along an
evaluative dimension, often context-dependent.
Traits versus attitudes:
Traits Attitudes
Not necessarily evaluative Evaluative
Response tendency in a situation Response tendency toward an object
Relatively stable Can change rapidly based on new information
How attitudes are stored and accessed depends on situational factors (Beckler, 1984).
File-drawer model: Attitudes are stored in memory and activated when encountering
the attitude object. Implies stability.
Attitudes-as-constructions model: Attitudes depend on accessible information at the
moment of evaluation. Implies flexibility and context dependence.
