PS270 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Physical Attractiveness, Generation Gap, Gluttony
Document Summary
Persuasion the process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviours. Persuasive forces also have been harnessed to promote healthier living. Efforts to persuade are sometimes diabolical, sometimes controversial, and sometimes beneficial. Persuasion is neither inherently good nor inherently bad: it is usually the content of the message that elicits judgments of good or bad, the bad we call propaganda"; the good we call education". Television, radio appearances, psas, books, and documentaries could be considered a program of mass persuasion. Persuasion whether it be education or propaganda is inevitable because it is everywhere. The best way to convince people that something is good is just to associate it with something positive. If we"re distracted or busy, we may take the time to reflect on the message"s content. Rather than noticing whether the arguments are particularly compelling, we might follow the peripheral route to persuasion.