| A | B |
|---|
| Persuasion | The process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes or behaviors |
| Central Route to Persuasion | Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond w/ favorable thoughts |
| Peripheral Route to Persuasion | Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness |
| Credibility | Believability. A credible communicator is perceived as both expert and trustworthy |
| Sleeper Effect | A delayed impact of a message that occurs when an initially discounted message becomes effective, such as we remember the message but forget the reason for discounting it |
| Attractiveness | Having qualities that appeal to an audience. An appealing communicator (often someone similar to the audience) is most persuasive on matters of subjective preference |
| Physical Attractiveness | Arguments, especially emotional ones, are often more influential when they come form people we consider beautiful |
| Similiarity Also Makes for Attractiveness | We tend to like people who are like us, also are influenced by them |
| Primacy Effect | Other things being equal, information presented first usually has the most influence |
| Recency Effect | Information presented last sometimes has the most influence. Recency effects are less common than primacy effects |
| Channel of Communication | The way the message is delivered—whether face-to-face, in writing, on film, or in some other way |
| Two-Step Flow of Communication | The process by which media influence often occurs through opinion leaders, who in turn influence others |
| Need for Cognition | The motivation to think and analyze. Assessed by agreement w/ items such as “The notion of thinking abstractly is appealing to me” and disagreement w/ items such as ”I only think as hard as I have to.” |
| Cults | (Also Called New Religious Movement) A group typically characterized by (1) distinctive rituals and beliefs related to its devotion to a god or a person, (2) isolation from the surrounding “evil” culture, and (3) a charismatic leader. (A sect, by contrast, is a spinoff from a major religion.) |
| Attitude Inoculation | Exposing people to weak attacks upon their attitudes so that when stronger attacks come, they will have refutations available |
