Page 604 - Understanding Psychology

sion processes.
Persuasion
Reader’s Guide
Exploring Psychology
Why Do Kids Love McDonald’s?
By switching the channel on a Saturday morning, a child can watch “Ronald McDonald” in up to a dozen, col- orful, fast-paced commercials each hour; perhaps this is one reason why the chain sells so many billions of hamburgers.
—from The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson, 1995
s Main Idea
Persuasion is a direct attempt to influ- ence attitudes. We evaluate when, where, and how a message is presented, as well as the message itself, when determining the credibility of the message.
s Vocabulary
• persuasion
• boomerang effect
• sleeper effect
• inoculation effect
• brainwashing
s Objectives
• Describe the factors involved in the
communication process.
• Explain the different types of persua-
Advertisers use persuasion to encourage consumers to buy their products. McDonald’s uses at least one method of persuasion— familiarity. Most American kids know what McDonald’s is; most American kids have seen a McDonald’s commercial or advertisement. What methods of persuasion lure you?
PERSUASION
Persuasion is a direct attempt to influence attitudes. At one time or another everyone engages in persuasion. When a smiling student who is working her way through college by selling magazine subscriptions comes to the door, she attempts to persuade you that reading Newsweek or Sports Illustrated will make you better informed and give you lots to talk about at parties. Parents often attempt to persuade a son or daughter to conform to their values about life. Similarly, some young people try to persuade their parents that all their friends’ parents are buying them home computers. In each case, the persuader’s main hope is that by changing the other per- son’s attitudes, he or she can change that person’s behavior as well.
persuasion: the direct attempt to influence attitudes
590 Chapter 20 / Attitudes and Social Influence