Ch 5: Attitudes and Persuasion

1. The ABC Model of Attitudes: Affect, Behavior & Cognition

Attitudes are an important topic of study for social psychologists. In this lesson, we define attitudes and discuss their three components as illustrated by the ABC Model: affective, behavioral and cognitive.

2. Implicit vs. Explicit Attitudes: Definition, Examples & Pros/Cons

In this lesson, we define and distinguish between implicit and explicit attitudes. We also identify various methods used to measure attitudes and the pros and cons of each.

3. Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion: Central vs. Peripheral Route

The Elaboration Likelihood Model is discussed in this lesson, including the distinction between the central route and the peripheral route, examples of each route and when people are likely to take one route over the other.

4. How Emotion Influences Attitudes and Persuasion

Emotions can be used to induce attitude change in a number of ways. In this lesson, we discuss how they can be used within persuasive communication to illicit both short-term and long-term attitude change.

5. Types of Persuasion Techniques: How to Influence People

It's easy to underestimate just how frequently we are affected by persuasion techniques. In this lesson, we discuss four of the classics: low-balling, foot-in-the-door, door-in-the-face, and scarcity. We also define and discuss reactance theory in relation to scarcity.

6. Subliminal Messages: Definition, Examples & Validity

The use of subliminal messages - especially in advertising - has been controversial for decades. In this lesson, we define subliminal messages and discuss their validity using several examples of research conducted on the topic.

7. Attitude Inoculation: Definition, Explanation & Examples

Every day, other people try to persuade us into changing our attitudes and behavior. In this lesson, we discuss a couple of ways to resist persuasion - using attitude inoculation, in particular. We define attitude inoculation and explain how it can prevent attitude change in spite of persuasion efforts.

8. Theory of Planned Behavior: Definition, Examples & Usefulness

Most assume that our attitudes determine our behavior. However, according to the theory of planned behavior, there is more to predicting behavior than just knowing one's attitude. In this lesson, we discuss this theory and its usefulness in predicting actual behavior.