Exam 2 PUR3000 Gilmer Thank you for purchasing my study guide Here are some tips I have for the next test Don t try to memorize lists or numbers just try to remember what items are associated with The italicized words are also italicized in the book Some information is in the book and not the notes and vice versa I have included notes from the reading that are not in the class notes and those are in gray Information the teacher repeated multiple times or said would make excellent test questions are bolded Chapter 9 Public Opinion Persuasion 1 What is public opinion a Public opinion is elusive not monolithic and extremely difficult to measure b Only a small number of people at any given time take part in public opinion for an issue i However once public opinion on an issue gets publicity public opinion creates its own momentum becomes a movement c Public opinion is based on self interest d Public opinion collection of views held by persons interested in an issue OR the sum of individual opinions on an issue affecting those individuals a Declining to express an unpopular position on a controversial issue is often part of a spiral An example during the presidential election college campus was generally pro Obama therefore no one would talk badly about him because everyone is in favor 2 Spiral of silence of silence i 3 Factors that influence public opinion a Self interest being vested in an issue Opinion is determined by self interest When self interest is involved opinions are not easily changed b Events Public opinion is highly sensitive to events It does not anticipate events it reacts to them Major events may sway public opinion temporarily Ex negative feelings about the Marines during war time Events trigger public attention 4 Opinion leaders a An opinion leader has the following characteristics Highly interested in issue Better informed than your average bear i ii i ii iii iv i ii iii iv v i ii i ii iii iv Avid consumers of media Early adopters of new ideas Good organizers who get others to take action b Two types of opinion leaders Formal opinion leaders hold this status based on their positions as elected officials presidents etc 1 A k a power leaders Informal opinion leaders have clout with peers because of some special characteristic 1 Example Oprah 5 Two step flow theory of communication a Describes how we get information b Mass media relays information to key opinion leaders who followers rely on for information i P R media opinion leaders general public 6 Other theories on opinion flow a Multiple step flow model involves opinion leaders attentive public less attentive public and there is a large inattentive public b N step theory individuals are influenced by multiple sources c Diffusion of innovations individuals are influenced by media in the first two steps but family and friends in the last two 7 Mass media s influence on public opinion a Minimal interest on electoral choices because voters rely on person to person information and do not change opinions quickly b Does not bring about rapid influence c Do set agendas get people to talk about things d May influence if no other information is known or available e Theories on role of mass media with public opinion Agenda setting theory Media dependency theory Framing theory 1 Selecting facts themes or words to slant a story 2 Began with journalists 3 Put stories in context to lead people to believe a certain thing 4 Example framing bottled water companies as environmentally irresponsible Conflict theory 1 Controversies may shape public opinion 2 Usually should avoid conflict but in some cases the opinion needs to be expressed 3 Escalation theory mass media makes conflict exasperated 4 Stir conflict to gain positive standing in public opinion 8 Persuasion a Called rhetoric 2 000 years ago formalized by Greeks i The art of using language effectively and persuasively b Persuasion an activity or process in which communicator attempts to induce a change in the belief attitude or behavior of another through the transmission of a message in a context in which the target has some degree of free choice c Public relations as persuader i ii Advocate PR is persuasive communicator on behalf of client PR uses a variety of sending techniques but still uses feedback 9 PR uses of persuasion a Change or neutralize hostile opinions hard to do this b Crystallize latent opinions and positive attitudes c Conserve favorable opinions 10 Factors involved in persuasion process a Audience analysis Knowledge of audience s characteristics such as beliefs concerns lifestyles helps to persuade Demographics Psychographics 1 Classifies people by lifestyles attitudes and beliefs VALS 2 Harder to measure but very important b Source credibility A message is more believable if the source has credibility Source credibility is based on three factors 1 Expertise of messenger 2 Sincerity 3 Charisma or attractiveness Using celebrities popularity is called transfer Problems with celebrities 1 Too many celebrities the public can t remember who endorses what 2 Overexposure of the celebrity 3 Endorser s negative actions undercut product c Appeal to self interest People are willing to give but always for something in return even if the something in return is a sense of belonging Maslow s hierarchy of needs i ii iii i ii iii iv i ii iii iv i ii iii iv v vi ii iii i ii iii Everyone has lower level needs but a physiological person who doesn t have enough food will not be convinced to buy a Lexus The public pays attention to issues or messages that appeal to their psychological or economic needs d Other factors involved in persuasion Clarity of message 1 The most persuasive messages are direct simple and have one idea Timing and context 1 Must have support of the environment Audience participation 1 The audience should be involved in the solution and success Suggestions for action Content and structure of messages Persuasive speaking e Make a message more persuasive with Gilmer said to read about these in the book so I have included notes from this section i In public relations use a personal story or case studies Drama everyone likes a good story use this to get the audience s attention 1 Statistics people are impressed by statistics Surveys and polls the most credible surveys are those conducted by independent research organizations let the company make claims about being the best f Other ways to persuade Examples use examples to make an opinion more persuasive
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