Tuesday, February 18Lecture 9Guest Speaker—Nicholas BrowningKey DistinctionsAttitudesLearned, unexpressed predispositions to respond in a given wayThe thoughts in your head, unexpressedBut when you express them, they become opinionsOpinionsVerbal expressions of thoughts or beliefsHighly sensitive to important eventsOften temporaryUsually reactionaryOpinions with action don’t mean a whole lotBehaviorThis is our currency…Public Opinion: why should we care?In democratic states, policy rests on itRespect for it as safeguard against dictatorshipTells us about the cultureWhat do we value?Must sometimes be mobilized via persuasionNeutralize hostile opinionsCrystallize latent opinionsMaintain favorable opinionsDictate bounds of US foreign policyWhat is public opinion?5 definitions1. *Aggression of individual opinionsme going around saying what do you think about this to everyone, and aggregating it all uppublic opinion as grouping everyone’s opinion2. Reflection of majority beliefs3. Clash of group interests4. *Media and elite opinion5. Complete fictionMeasurement and PollingAggregate individual opinionsAsk individualsAdd it togetherMedia Opinion as Public opinionAgenda settingPeople talk about what they see and hear in mediaSet agenda for discussionThey media don’t tell us what to think, only what to think aboutWhy did I feature a poll about hard work leading to success?Maybe because I watched the State of the Union address, promoting thisFramingHow is the story shaped and presented? Which pieces are emphasized?Affects interpretationUses and GratificationsActive audienceNot passive consumerPay “less attention to what media do to people and more to what people do with media”People seek and have different rewards for different mediaAudience needsInformationEntertainmentSocial interactionEscapism“Elite” Opinion as Public OpinionMulti-Step Flow ModelInformation  Media message  Opinion leaders  attentive publics  less attentive publicsOprah’s Book Club-- From 1996 to 2010:70 books chosen55 million copies soldPeople buy because they look up to OprahThe Cornerstone of PersuasionWhat is persuasion?A communication process, often using appeals to self-interest, that conveys information in an attempt to get people to adopt a desired behavior.Wal-Mart, because we love to hate themAttitudes about Wal-Mart? And I care because…?Behavior change—you can get people to shop here or not toBEHAVIOR!Will need to PERSUADE if you want to change someone’s behavior…Classic Elements of PersuasionThe SpeakerCredibilityEthosThe AudienceEmotional appealPathosThe argumentLogic of positionLogosSource Credibility3 elementsExpertisedoes this person appear to know what he/she is talking about?SincerityDoes this person even believe what he/she is saying?CharismaDo I like this approach?Who do you trust? CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, BBC News, etc.Nature of the audienceElaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)Central RouteMotivationInvolvementRelevanceAbilityNot distractedKnowledgeableArgument QualityLogical appealPeripheral RouteSpeaker credibilityExternal cuesEmotional appealCentral route is the logical side of argument, peripheral is more of the emotional sideA series of simple yes no questions about how you want to approach itEx: is the audience motivated to pay attention to my argument?Argument type: the learn-feel-do modelDo  learn  feelThese are all interchangeable depending on if you want an emotional or rational reward, or high or low consequenceHigh consequence + emotional reward = engagement ringFeel  learn  doHigh consequence + rational reward = car purchaseLearn  feel  doRational reward + low consequence = ketchupDo  learn  feelEmotional reward + low consequence = miller liteImpulse buyMaybe based on flashy packagingDo  feel  learnKeys to persuasive messages: receiver-centered approachAudience analysisWho am I talking to and what do they want?Audience participationHow involved are they? How involved can they be?Suggestions for actionWhat outlets can I provide for them to do what I want them to do?Source credibilityWho can I get to deliver the message that they will believe?Keys to persuasive messages: receiver-centered approach, continuedClarity of messageWill they understand what I am talking about?Content and message structureLearn-feel-do model to guide choicesChannelsWhat media can I use to reach them?Ex: newspaper may be fading, but if you were campaigning a hearing aid you would want to use a newspaperTiming and contentIn which environments will my message be most persuasive?ReinforcementHow can I align my message with existing audience beliefs and attitudes?Limits to persuasionCognitive dissonanceTension of incongruent thoughtsOften results when attitudes and behaviors conflictDoing one thing and saying anotherHow do audience members overcome this?Search for information that confirms existing beliefsAvoid information that contradicts existing beliefsDistort information to fit with existing beliefsAdopt different beliefs (hard to achieve this)Lack of message penetrationCompeting or conflicting messagesEthical don’ts of persuasionUse false or distorted evidenceUse unsupported or illogical reasoningMisrepresent your level of expertiseDivert attention with irrelevant appealsRelate your proposal to unrelated emotional valuesConceal your purpose to deceive audienceMisrepresent the undesirablesUse emotional appeals that lack evidenceOversimplify the complexExaggerate the level of certaintyAdvocate for something you don’t believeADPR 3850 Lecture 9Outline of Last Lecture I. GoalsII. Objectives Outline of Current Lecture II. Attitudes and opinionsIII. Public opinion persuasion Current Lecture Tuesday, February 18  Lecture 9 Guest Speaker—Nicholas Browning Key Distinctions- Attitudeso Learned, unexpressed predispositions to respond in a given wayo The thoughts in your head, unexpressedo But when you express them, they become opinions- Opinionso Verbal expressions of thoughts or beliefs  Highly sensitive to important eventsThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute. Often temporary Usually reactionaryo Opinions with action don’t mean a whole lot- Behavioro This is our currency…Public Opinion: why should we care?- In democratic states, policy rests on it- Respect for it as safeguard against dictatorship-