ChaPTER 16 stUdY gUide 369study guide: review and apply
Meet Your Objectives
16.1 Describe the goals of persuasive messages.
Persuasion is the process of changing or reinforcing attitudes, beliefs, values, or
behavior. Attitudes are learned predispositions to respond favorably or unfavor-
ably toward something. A belief is a person’s understanding of what is true and
what is false. A value is an enduring concept of right or wrong, good or bad.
Key terms
Persuasion
Attitude
Belief
Value
16.2 Explain classic and contemporary theories of how persuasion occurs.
Aristotle suggested using ethos, logos, and pathos as methods to persuade
others. The elaboration likelihood model suggests that listeners either follow
a direct route to persuasion, in which they elaborate (think about) the issues
and evidence, or they can be persuaded via an indirect route when they don’t
elaborate.
Key terms
Ethos
Logos
Pathos
Motivation
Elaboration likelihood
model (ELM) of
persuasion
ElaborateDirect persuasion route
Indirect persuasion
route16.3 Describe four ways to motivate listeners to respond to a persuasive message.
One way to motivate listeners is to cause cognitive dissonance or discomfort.
Listeners may change their attitudes, beliefs, values, or behavior in order to to
maintain intellectual balance or cognitive consistency.
A second approach to motivation is to satisfy listeners’ needs. Abraham
Maslow identified a five-level hierarchy of needs, including physiological,
safety, social, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs.
Third, positive motivational appeals can help you develop a persuasive
message by encouraging listeners to respond favorably to your message.
A fourth approach to persuasion is the use of negative motivational appeals.
Fear can motivate us to respond favorably to a persuasive suggestion. To avoid
pain or discomfort, we may follow the recommendation of a persuasive speaker.
Key terms
Cognitive dissonance
Self-actualization
Benefit
Feature