Comm Arts 368 Exam 1 Study Guide 02 25 2014 Communication Arts 368 Test 1 Review Guide February 2014 Test The test consists of 45 multiple choice questions Approximately 40 of the questions will come from the readings The remainder will come from lecture You are not expected to know dates You do not have to know the researchers who did specific studies but you should be able to identify names that are discussed extensively in the text like Plato Aristotle and Hovland You are not expected to know small details of specific studies for example no question will ask you to identify the details of the Iyengar and Kinder agenda setting study However a study may be described and you will be asked to identify which theory the study illustrates or if given the theory and study you should be able to identify the results When studying from the book it is best to concentrate on theories research studies discussed and italicized terms The sections below may not include all material for the test All sections below may not be included on the test This review guide should not serve as a template for your studying instead use it as another resource as you review lecture notes and readings Persuasion What is Persuasion A symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people to change their attitudes or behavior regarding an issue through transmission of a message in an atmosphere of free choice What does it entail 1 persuasion is a symbolic process 2 involves an attempt to influence deliberate attempt to influence another person and understanding that the person you are trying to persuade is susceptible to change 3 people persuade themselves people can not be forced to change their attitude on something you can only activate their desire to and show them the logic behind your reasons 4 Persuasion involves the transmission of a message the message may be verbal or nonverbal and come through a lot of different portals 5 Persuasion requires free choice an individual must feel free to alter his or her own behavior and have the ability to act otherwise How is persuasion different from Propaganda from Coercion from Social Influence Propaganda specific type of persuasion It works through the manipulation of symbols is one sided and seen typically through mass media and institutional sources Its goal is to make you have a more positive reaction towards something and works on having a large emotional appeal Communication with which one disagrees and to which the individual attributes hostile intent Coercion a technique for forcing people to act as the coercer wants them to act and presumably contrary to their own preferences It typically employs a threat of some dire consequence if the person does not do what the coercer demands Social Influence not deliberate anything you are influenced by others doesn t need to on purpose Ex Seeing a celeb wear an outfit and then you want to wear that too In what ways does persuasion seek to change an individual To influence your target audience s attitude and behavior How does persuasion change attitudes shaping reinforcing changing Shaping marketers shape attitudes by associating cigarettes with beautiful women and good looking men They try to shape attitudes through associations um Reinforcing reinforcing a position viewers already hold join um not beat Changing most important persuasive impact Although persuasion is a process it does happen Think about our political views as a country over the last 50 years What is the Target and the Audience Audience is the overall people hearing the message and the target is the portion of the audience the speaker is trying to persuade What is a Persuader the person who is trying to persuade What does it mean that persuasion is a symbolic process or that people have to persuade themselves Persuasion is a symbolic process its like the persuader is the teacher moving the people step by step to a solution helping them appreciate why they advocated this position solves the problem best It involves the use of symbols which are used to change attitudes and mold opinions People have to persuade themselves because you cant force people to be persuaded you can only activate their desire to change their own attitude There can be benevolent and malevolent persuaders trying to change your mind for good or bad reasons but both exist What is manipulation what does it entail Manipulation manipulation is a persuasion technique that occurs when a communicator disguises his or her true persuasive goals hoping to mislead the recipient by delivering an overt message that hides its true intent History of Persuasion Who were the Sophists a group of Greek teachers that decided to offer courses in rhetoric as well as other academic areas They traveled from city to city and sold their knowledge for a fee Two famous sophists were Gorgias and Isocrates How did they differ from Plato Plato was a Greek philosopher and they differed from him because he did not believe in what the sophists were doing He didn t believe the sophists were interested in discovering the truth or advancing arguments Plato believed rhetoric was not deserving of respect on the contrary sophists believed that persuasion was educational and they were democrats willing to each any citizen who could afford their tuition Plato are like people who hate advertisements because they lie and stretch the truth he believed that truth is important Sophists are like people who address practical persuaders and like persuasion who believe in a more style oratory simpler persuasive appeals persuasive communication was a useful tool What is Aristotle s theory of rhetoric ethos pathos logos He was Plato s best student He wrote a book called rhetoric that was the most significant work on persuasion rhetoric is not designed to persuade people but to discover scientific principles of persuasion developed first scientific approach to persuasion ethos the nature of the communicator pathos emotional state of the audience logos message arguments What contributions did the Romans make to the study of rhetoric and persuasion Practical romans persevered much of the Athenian civilization adapting classical rhetoric works to Roman culture Cicero and Quintilian wrote treatise on the art of oratory he emphasized the power of pathos and the power of persuasion Although a lot of stuff went down in the Roman Civilization like Christianity etc these works influenced the thinking of rhetorical theorists