The Dynamics of Persuasion

Richard M. Perloff is Professor and Director of the School of Communication at Cleveland State University. He has taught at Cleveland State University for 30 years. Prior to that, he received his Ph.D. in mass communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in social psychology and communication at Ohio State University. Dr. Perloff has written books on persuasion, political communication, and applications of social science to the AIDS crisis. A Fellow of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research, he is nationally known for scholarship on perceptions of media effects.

Part 1 Foundations


1 Introduction to Persuasion




Persuasion: Constancies and Changes
Foundations of Persuasion
Defining Persuasion
Persuasion Versus Coercion
The Bad Boys of Persuasion
Understanding Persuasive Communication Effects
Historical Review of Persuasion Scholarship
The Contemporary Study of Persuasion
Seeing the Big Picture
Persuasion and Ethics
The Present Approach
Conclusions


2 Attitudes: Definition and Structure




The Concept of Attitude
Characteristics of Attitudes
Values and Beliefs
Structure of Attitudes
Attitude Structure and Persuasion
Are Attitudes Internally Consistent?
The Psychology of Strong Attitudes
Attitudes and Information Processing
Implicit Attitudes
Conclusions


3 Attitudes: Functions and Consequences




Functions and Attitudes
Attitudes and Persuasion
Attitudes and Behavior
Models of Attitude-Behavior Relations
Implications for Persuasion
Judging Consistency
Conclusions


4 Attitude Measurement




Overview
Questionnaire Measures of Attitude
Pitfalls in Attitude Measurement
Policy Implications
Asking Good Questions
Indirect Methods to Measure Attitudes
Conclusions


Part 2 Changing Attitudes and Behavior


5 Processing Persuasive Communications




Historical Foundations
Elaboration Likelihood Model
Peripheral Processing In Real Life
Central Processing
Complications and Criticisms
Criticisms and Reconciliations
Conclusions


6 "Who Says It": Source Factors in Persuasion




Understanding the Communicator
Conclusions


7 Message Factors




Understanding the Message
Message Structure
Evidence
Fear Appeals
Guilt Appeals
Language
Conclusions


8 Personality and Persuasion




The Myth of the Vulnerable Other
Need for Cognition
Self-Monitoring
Dogmatism
Additional Issues
Other Personality Factors
Conclusions


9 Cognitive Dissonance Theory




Foundations
Dissonance and Decision Making
Dissonance and Expenditure of Effort
Induced Compliance
Explanations and Controversies
The Dissonance Debate: Intellectual Issues
Summary
Conclusions


10 Interpersonal Persuasion




Foot-in-the-Door
Door-in-the-Face
Applications
Other Compliance Techniques
Compliance-Gaining
Ethical Issues
Conclusions


Part 3 Persuasion in American Society


11 Advertising




The Subliminal Myth
The Psychology of Low Involvement
High Involvement
The Role of Personality
Advertising Ethics
Conclusions


12 Communication Campaigns




Thinking About Campaigns
Theoretical Perspectives
Campaign Effects
The McGruff Crime Prevention Project
Antismoking and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Campaigns
Antidrinking Campaigns
Drug Prevention Campaigns
Interventions to Reduce Health Care Disparities
Complicating Factors
Values and Ethics
Conclusions