Compare and Contrast Two Methods for Achieving Attitude Change through Persuasion

Attitudes refer to one’s evaluations of the social world: others, objects and ideas. These overall evaluations can be positive, negative, or neutral, vary in their extremity and be based on a variety of information (Tesser and Martin, 1996; Petty, Wheeler, and Tormala, 2003 ). A popular conceptualization of the attitude construct, the tripartite theory, holds that there are three primary types of information in which attitudes can be based (Breckler, 1984; Rosenberg & Hovland, 1960; Zanna & Rempel, 1988) : cognitions or beliefs, affect or feelings and actions or behaviour. As defined by Richard Perloff, persuasion is the process which moulds and shapes attitudes. It is through persuasion that changes in attitudes can occur. The two methods for achieving attitude change through persuasion that will be the main focus of this essay are: the Ingratiation and Door-in-the face techniques. Discussed will be the factors that might inhibit their ability through cognition, feeling and actions. Additionally addressed with be the classes of independent variables examined by the Yale group that aid in persuasion such as message source, message and processing of the message (page124AAC).

The fundamental component of the ingratiation technique is the level of likeability the target regards towards persuader. Through flattery or kindness, one can ingratiate themselves to their persuasive target before making the persuasive attempt, making the target more likely to change their attitude (Smith, Pruitt and Carnevale, 1982page283textbookpage120/130AAC). Through this process it is possible to activate particular heuristics such as 'I agree with people I like'(page120chaiken et al.,ithinkAAC). While the Door-in-the-face technique involves the per...

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...age142AAC). Additionally mood may also be used to deduct how much cognitive effort a target should invest in a task, which may directly influence a targets decision to agree to the second request of a door-in-the-face technique(page147AACMartin, Ward, Achee, and Wyer, 1993). A person who is feeling bad for example, may perceive a situation as problematic or threatening which may motivate them to invest considerable effort in message processing which, especially if the persuasive aim is counter attitudinal, weak, mismatched or perceived to serve within the interest of the persuader, will inhibit persuasion of both techniques. On the other hand, a person who is feeling happy is more likely to rely on a salient peripheral cue. Therefore, unattractiveness may play an even greater role in the inhibition of persuasion.(Schwarz, 1993; Bless and Schwarz, 1999)page147AAC