Psychology 3723F/G Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Inflectional Phrase, Eval, Dcf Interframe Space
30 Apr 2018
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Chapter 5- Cognitive Influences on Attitude:
The close connection between beliefs and attitudes:
Incentives to change:
• First models persuasion focused understanding what types factors make people motivated
accept cog info about object and change their att
• Yale Communication Research Program- first modern attempt examine factors det
whether persuasive messages cause atts to change
• Yale model of persuasion Hovland et al (1953) sugg messages change peoples att by
presenting incentive att change ex: ad might describe utilitarian bens buying part model
mobile phone (inexpensive, large mem)/ might describe social bens (fashionable, sleek)
• Focus on how incentives can be infl by 3 factors in “who says what to whom”- comm and
persuasion emph importance considering how incentive att change infl by source
persuasive comm (who), content (what) and audience (whom)
• Ps eval articles sources believable and trustworthy (reputable journal) more fav than low-
cred sources (politically biased columnist) across several topics
• Message advocating frequent tooth-brushing more eff if elicited moderate fear effects
failures brush (discoloration and decay) than if gorily depicted severe effects (serious
infection and death)
Processing stages:
• Hovland et al (1953)- First need to notice and pay attention to message, then comprehend
it and finally, accept message’s conclusions
• McGuire (1968)- broke down stages even further= succ message must be presented
(presentation stage) and then draw attention (attention stage), next understood
(comprehension stage) and change att (yielding stage), finally need to remember new att
later time (retention stage) so new attt can infl behav (behav stage)
• Chances completing all stages may be low- many ads compete for our attention so odds
completing each stage (esp yielding and behav) may be far lower, creating much lower
chance succ
• Mcguire focused idea variable can have dif effects dif stages during message processing-
one prob can be high while other low ex: high SE better chance attending and
understanding message (greater confidence) less driven agree w message after understood
• Opposing effects occur= sugg SE prod U/ inverted U-shaped effects persuasion- may
increase low to moderate levels SE but then show little change mod-high levels
(moderate supp)
• Cognition-in-Persuasion Model- receive message start w interp persuasive message and
any other info (source characts, own affect) avail at the time- interp message cues recall
relv prior knowledge from mem, and ident, select and use some info basis final att and
subsequent behav
• Curvelinear predictions b/c sugg decreases motivation and ability affect people’s chances
first ident pot info and then selecting info basis relevance
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• Message processing can occasionally bypass early stages= imp b/c evidence people can
skip processing stages/ use in dif order (step toward add role processing stages on att
change)
Cognitive responses:
• Crucial weakness McGuire’s stage model- offered little info about how message
acceptance actually emerge- simply predicted messages should have higher impact when
message more likely processed, comprehended and remembered, doesn’t make sense
weak messages
• Stupid messages could make att become more neg- addition considering when messages
infl evals, researchers stated more comprehensively address how messages infl evals
• Greenwald (1968) argued persuasion must be understood by considering people’s cog
responses (message-relv thought) following persuasive message
• Cog responses function beliefs people have before receiving message, comm itself and
other factors outside message- regardless origin, cogs should affect att following message
• Framework sugg att change should be more likely among people gen positive cog
responses to message than Ps gen neg responses message
• Tested by ask people describe thoughts about message after reading/ hearing it- found
listened more fav cog responses expressed more agreement w message, subtle
manipulations thoughts about persuasive message can shape att formed after message
• Fishbein and Ajzen Acceptance-Yielding Impact Model based assumption beliefs
important basis att- true messages should cause att change when change beliefs
underlying people’s att, evals these beliefs/ both
• Argue not all beliefs important det att- beliefs immed come to mind ask describe att=
ones count- modally salient/ primary (change att= change salient, primary beliefs)
• Expectancy X Value persp belief change can occur by altering either expectancies ass w
beliefs/ values ass w them- few studies attempted test effectiveness attempts change eval
component b/c may be dif- few studies have tried found little effect
• May be even easier add beliefs- form people’s beliefs about product, rather attempt
change= new total att
• New total att reflects more acceptance message position than existed before, then
yielding occurred according to model- next crucial variable is impact- message’s total
effect on person includes effects on beliefs not targeted in message= includes rel indirect
effects of message on evals
o Ex: laundry detergent strong could also assume harmful to clothes (unwanted
side-effect neg changing dif, relv belief)
Different processes: To think or not to think:
Basic assumptions:
• Two imp postulates Elaboration Likelihood Model are prediction people’s primary aim is
to attain accurate/ correct att and persuasion variables can act as arguments, cues/ factors
affect nature and amount elaboration persuasive message
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