Psychology for Dummies (50 page)
Read Psychology for Dummies Online
Authors: Adam Cash
Tags: #Psychology, #General, #Body; Mind & Spirit, #Spirituality
The power of persuasion is something I think we all wish we had a little more of. The greatest example of this power comes from a movie series,
Star Wars.
Jedi warriors possessed the ability to influence the thoughts of others by using “the force.” It was called the “Jedi mind trick.” I think the car salesman who sold me my last car used the Jedi mind trick on me. He used the dark side of the force I think.
Persuasion
is a powerful force in all social interactions and arrangements. People don’t just use it to sell products. Persuasion is used in a wide variety of applications, from formal to informal. There are two paths to persuasion:
Central route:
The central route occurs when the “persuadee” actively processes the potentially persuasive information. Verplanken in 1991 found that when people think deeply about something, any associated change in attitude or opinion is more likely to stay changed.
Peripheral route:
This communication is less direct than the central route and involves associating the intended message with other images, sometimes positive and sometimes negative. Classic examples are using Fabio to sell a butter substitute or hard-bodied models to sell gym memberships. The peripheral route is not direct and requires substantially less thinking. The persuaders are counting on our minds’ natural ability to associate things. Remember classical conditioning? (If not, check out Chapter 8.)
Psychologists Petty and Caccioppo warn that if you’re going to try to persuade people, don’t warn them that it’s coming. Distracting them helps because they won’t be able to mount a counter-argument to your claims. In addition, four key components make up any persuasive argument:
Communicator characteristics:
A message is more likely to be persuasive if someone perceived as credible delivers it.
• Expertise is often a powerful indicator of credibility. We listen to experts. One thing to keep in mind, though: Just because someone says that she’s an expert doesn’t mean she necessarily is. When in doubt, always check credentials, education, training, and experience.
• We’re also more likely to be persuaded by someone we see as trustworthy. I buy my oatmeal from the company with the old, trustworthy, grandpa guy in the commercials. Would he lie?
• Most of us still find attractive people’s messages more persuasive. Attractive people can be physically attractive or have an appealing personality.
• Similarity plays a role. The more they are like us the better.
Message characteristics:
Should a persuader appeal to someone’s emotion or to her reason and critical thinking? Here’s a breakdown of these and other message characteristics:
•
Reasoned approach:
In 1983, Caccioppo and others have found that when trying to persuade highly educated or analytical people, a reasoned approach is best. These individuals seem to like to think things over, analyzing the information before making a decision. They’re not necessarily smarter, but they are typically more involved in and up on recent information.
•
Emotional approach:
Those of us who don’t have the time or inclination to read every consumer review when we go to buy a new car trust other people and are more swayed by emotional appeals. “My sister said she loved her new car. I think I’ll get one.”
•
Fear factor:
A lot of persuasive messages use fear to scare people away from harmful or unhealthy behaviors (as you can see in Chapter 23 on stress and health). These messages work. Fear- evoking ads are all around us — anti-smoking, drug abuse prevention, and political campaigns, for example. There’s only one catch. If you’re going to scare people in order to persuade them, you have to provide concrete information on how to deal with or how to change their behavior; otherwise, they may resign themselves in the face of the fear.
•
Two-sided argument:
This is another helpful tactic to employ in your quest for persuasion. A two-sided argument is one that acknowledges the other position, giving the impression of fairness and objectivity. Advertisers have been using this technique for years, conducting “taste tests” and other comparative challenges with their rivals. We know what they’re up to!
Mode of message communication:
How a message is presented is important. The best way to present persuasive information is to make the persuadee play an active part in processing the argument. Active arguments capture the perceiver’s attention and carry an expectation that the perceiver will comprehend the message, remember it, and then take action. As we increase the energy that we invest in mentally processing a message, we increase the likelihood that it will stick. Passive reception of a message, like listening to a lecture, is less likely to have an impact. People have to get involved in the message.
Characteristics of the audience:
Sears in 1986 found that older people are less likely to change their attitudes and opinions than people who are younger. Our early twenties are years in which we are particularly vulnerable to persuasion. This is a time in many people’s lives when choices abound and information is being exchanged at a rapid rate. People are in college, entering the work force, and expanding their social networks. They’re exposed to a whole new world of information, and this can make resisting persuasion more difficult.
Finally, here’s a little tip on how to resist persuasion. With each of us being bombarded by persuasive messages every day, it helps to know how to stay committed to our own beliefs and attitudes. In 1970, Kiesler found that a good way to resist persuasion is through the process of
attitude inoculation.
Attitude inoculation involves exposing people to weak, or weaker, arguments against their position in order to inoculate, or firm up, their resistance to counter-arguments. This process gives them practice and confidence in refutation. It’s kind of like warming-up before the big game. If I want to bolster someone’s position on increasing handgun regulation for example, I might present him with weak arguments against increased regulation.