An attitude is a cognitive component expressed through behavior, emotions, and beliefs towards particular people, events, or objects (Eagly, & Chaiken, 1993). Attitudes can be formed through the experiences of an individual. While attitudes are often enduring, they can be changed. Persuasion is one way through which attitudes can be changed. Changing the mindset of an individual through persuasion is based on a form of communication.
A personal example of persuasion is when a television advertisement changed my attitude towards a particular mobile phone brand. For as long as I can remember, I have only used mobile phones from one manufacturer, Samsung. I have often found the features in their mobile devices to meet the specific requirements that I have for a mobile phone. The price and simplicity of the gadgets were vital considerations which led to the continued loyalty to the brand. However, sometime last year, I acquired an Oppo mobile after viewing a television commercial. Several features of the advert stood out and changed the attitude I had about Oppo phones.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
First, the advertiser mentioned that he held a Ph.D. in Computer Science. He was a tech expert and therefore had adequate knowledge about the product. He was trustworthy due to his expertise in technology. Research has shown that expert communicators in an advertisement are more likely to persuade their audiences (Chaiken, & Eagly, 1983). In my case, the fact that he was an expert made his message credible and reliable. Secondly, he was confident and dressed like most tech experts that I know. He was casually dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. The dress code is characteristic of most IT experts I know of, such as Mark Zuckerberg. If he had worn a suit and a tie, I would have thought of him as a salesperson out to persuade me to buy a low-quality mobile device. Also, the message was more subtle; he gave crucial details about the Oppo device that was not obvious at first glance of the gadget. The fact that essential but not distinct information about the phone were given in the advert further persuaded me to acquire the device.
According to the Elaboration Likelihood Model of persuasion, another feature of the advert persuaded me to change my attitude. The advertiser used logic to describe the gadget and also used data and facts to validate his argument about the quality of the product. This stimulated my mind to analyze the message systematically, and I was convinced that the mobile device had desirable features (Petty, & Cacioppo, 1986). There are several situations under which the attitude change, in this case, would be altered. If the advertiser had not presented a logical and data-based argument to persuade the audience, I would have used auxiliary features to form the attitudinal response (Crano, & Prislin, 2006). I would have relied on the communicator's physical appearance to develop an attitude. Studies indicate that attitudes formed in such a manner are less stable and less resistant to counter pressures (Crano, & Prislin, 2006). Likely, I would not have changed my brand preference.
References
Chaiken, S., & Eagly, A. H. (1983). Communication modality as a determinant of persuasion: The role of communicator salience. Journal of personality and social psychology , 45 (2), 241.
Crano, W. D., & Prislin, R. (2006). Attitudes and persuasion. Annu. Rev. Psychol. , 57 , 345-374.
Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The psychology of attitudes . Harcourt brace Jovanovich college publishers.
Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. In Communication and persuasion (pp. 1-24). Springer, New York, NY.
