🍁 The effectiveness of persuasive communications
✍🏻 Elliot Aronson et al:
The effectiveness of persuasive communications depends on who says what to whom.
Who: The Source of the Communication
•Credible speakers (e.g., those with obvious expertise) persuade people more than speakers lacking in credibility (Hovland & Weiss, 1951; Schwarz, Newman, & Leach, 2016).
• Attractive speakers (whether due to physical or personality attributes) persuade people more than unattractive speakers do (Eagly & Chaiken, 1975; Khan & Sutcliffe, 2014).
• People sometimes remember a message longer than they do information about the message source. In this manner, information from a low-credibility source sometimes becomes more persuasive with the passage of time, a phenomenon referred to as the sleeper effect (Kumkale & Albarracín, 2004; Albarracín, Kumkale, & Poyner-Del Vento, 2017).
What: The Nature of the Communication
People are more persuaded by messages that do not seem to be designed to influence them (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986; Walster & Festinger, 1962).
• It is generally better to present a two-sided communication (one that presents arguments for and against your position) than a one-sided communication (one that presents only arguments favoring your position), especially when you are sure to refute the arguments on the other side of the issue (Cornelis, Cauberghe, & De Pelesmacker, 2014; Igou & Bless, 2003).
• In terms of order effects, if speeches are to be given back to back and there will be a delay before people have to make up their minds, there tends to be a primacy effect: the first speech is usually more persuasive. However, if there is a delay between the speeches and people will make up their minds right after the second one, there is likely to be a recency effect: it is then better to give the last speech (Haugtvedt & Wegener, 1994; Miller & Campbell, 1959).
To Whom: The Nature of the Audience
An audience that is distracted during the persuasive communication will often be persuaded more than one that is not distracted (Albarracín & Wyer, 2001; Festinger & Maccoby, 1964).
• Some individual differences predict a greater likelihood of persuadability, including having lower intelligence, being of moderate (versus high or low) self-esteem, and being between the impressionable ages of 18-25 (Krosnick & Alwin, 1989; Rhodes & Wood, 1992; Sears, 1981).
• Cultural differences have also been found for which argument types are most persuasive. For American or other “Western” audiences, personal preferences are often central to effective messages, such as an advertisement that emphasizes, “I like it because it makes me feel good.” In other cultures that prioritize contextually appropriate behavior, an advertisement might be more effective by emphasizing the message, “I like it because others I am connected to like it” (Riemer et al., 2014)(Aronson et al, 2021: 216).
📚 Aronson, Elliot & Wilson, Timothy D. & Sommers, Samuel R. (2021). Social psychology. 10th Global edition. UK: Pearson Education.
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