Communication- Argumentation and Persuasion
uthej19
COM470_Week8_Thursday_Fall20201.pptxCOM 470: Argumentation and Persuasion
Week 8, Thursday, 10/15
Agenda
Discuss Final Paper
Discuss Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Reminders:
Discuss Inoculation Theory on Saturday, 10/17
Please read Chapter 5, pp. 108-115; NO case study reading
Final Paper
Description on Blackboard
Critically analyzing an advertising, marketing, etc. effort based on persuasion strategies learned
Make recommendation on a persuasion strategy that should be used
Questions
Has there ever been a time where you DID something you did NOT believe in?
Have you ever made a bad decision that you wish you could take back?
Have you ever been split between two things in making a decision?
Another Example…
Cognitive Dissonance theory
Human beings desire consistency in their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors
Dissonance is caused by logical inconsistencies
Dissonance is an unwanted state
Distressing mental state caused by inconsistency between a person’s two beliefs or a belief and an action
Dissonance causes us to perform efforts to achieve consonance and reduce dissonance
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Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Created by Leon Festinger (1957)
Basic premise: we do not like dissonance in our lives
Tried to explain what happens when our actions don’t match our beliefs and how we try to avoid this
Deals with cognitive elements - There are three possible relations between any two cognitive elements
They are irrelevant
They are consonant or consistent
They are dissonant or inconsistent
In order to prevent it from occurring we will selectively tune out opposing information, change our beliefs to match our actions, or seek reassurance following a difficult decision.
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Dissonance Magnitude
Factors influencing the magnitude of dissonance
First is the relative proportions of consonant and dissonant elements
Cognitions are often in clusters, so dissonance depends of the number in each cluster
As the number of consonant elements grows, dissonance is decreased
As the number of dissonant elements grows, dissonance is increased.
Second is the importance of the elements or issue
Decision making
Dissonance is a post-decisional phenomenon
When making a decision one experiences conflict
After the decision one will experience some dissonance
General sequence is—conflict, decision, dissonance, dissonance reduction
Rarely do we choose between a completely good and completely bad option
Amount of conflict depends on initial evaluation of alternatives
When the options are initially evaluated similarly, there is more dissonance
Dissonance Reduction
Amount of dissonance after a decision depends on two factors
The similarity of the initial evaluations
The relative importance of the decision
Dissonance Reduction Strategies
Change the importance of the decision
Change the ratio of consonant to disconsonant cognitions
Denial
Bolstering
Transcendence
Differentiation
Selective exposure
People prefer to be exposed to information that is supportive of their current beliefs rather than non-supportive information
Several factors influence the strength of this preference
Relevance to a person’s core values
Perceived utility of the information
People prefer useful information even if it is non-supportive
Fairness norms—people may want as much information as possible in order to be fair
Induced Compliance
Occurs when an individual is induced to act in a way that is discrepant from his or her beliefs and attitudes
Counter attitudinal advocacy occurs when persons are led to advocate some viewpoint opposed to their position
“Low, Low Price” offer
Has some limitations – need to have freedom of choice, and no other alternative cause for attributing dissonance
Induced compliance can arouse dissonance because people act in ways that go against their beliefs
The amount of dissonance depends on the amount of incentive being offered
The larger the reward the lower the amount of dissonance
The smallest reward that will induce compliance leads to the greatest level of dissonance
The relationship between the reward and the amount of dissonance is shaped like an inverted V
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Would you lie for a $1?
Famous experiment by Festinger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kmVy1QPXn0
What would be minimal justification for you to lie to a friend???
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Hypocrisy Induction
Calling attention to the inconsistencies in attitudes and actions can induce dissonance
The mechanisms for inducing hypocrisy have not been fully explored but the most effective means combine two elements
Ensure the salience of the relevant attitude
Ensure the salience of past failures
Strategy can backfire
When faced with inconsistencies, people may change their attitudes instead of their behavior
Another explanation – self-perception Theory
Self-Perception Theory
Attributions (internal or external)
Attribution Theory
Consensus
Consistency
Distinctiveness
Example type of question…
Imagine that you are in charge of creating a campaign that will increase the number of students and employees on your campus that get the flu vaccine each year. How could you potentially use cognitive dissonance theory to inform your campaign?
Incentives?
Hyprocrisy?
Selective exposure a factor?
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Next time….
Discuss Inoculation Theory on Saturday, 10/17
Please read Chapter 5, pp. 108-115
