Persuasion is a process of social influence in which attitudes are changed. Although to many persuasion may be a difficult task, to some it is an art. Perhaps persuasion is difficult for some because they do not understand the "Elaboration Likelihood Model" proposed by Petty and Cacioppo (1986). This dual-process model of persuasion purposes two routes to persuasion: a central route and a peripheral route. The central route of persuasion is used when a person thinks carefully and critically about the arguments being communicated to them and the peripheral route is used when the argument being communicated is influenced by positive or negative cues rather then its strength. Throughout research,
this model has provided a framework that helps others to understand the process of persuasion and persuasion communication (Petty & Wegener, 1998) . Another reason people may not be great persuaders is because of other problems that get in the way such as the concept known as Psychological Reactance. This theory suggests that people react against threats to their beliefs by perceiving their threatened beliefs as more attractive (Brehm & Brehm, 1981).
Before I met Dee, I prided myself on how easily I could persuade others. Whether it was my family, friends, or teachers it wasn't very hard to get my way because I understood Petty and Cacioppo's dual-process model (1986). I was able to change my persuasion communication to fit whoever I was trying to persuade. With Dee, I believe that the psychological reactance theory comes into effect every time an argument that he doesn't agree with comes about. Take our religion as an example. He and I both have different religions. One day my mother invited him to church
and he stated that he wouldn't be able to go until he talked to him mom about it (his religion is very strict about that kind of thing). Later on that night, I didn't think it would be that big of a deal so I began to explain my beliefs and how I didn't understand his views about not being able to go to another church. I also explained to him that when I envisioned my future I wanted my husband and I to be a big part of the church (and the same church at that.) He felt as though I was trying to persuade him to go to church with me (although I wasn't, I was just being honest) and needless to say, after that conversation he clung to his religion more then I had ever seen in the 8 months we had been together. He even began to go to church with his family EVERY Sunday although he had not done so for months or maybe years.
Although religion is a topic we have learned to avoid, many other things come up everyday that require attempts towards persuasive communication. It is pretty frustrating to be able to persuade everyone but him! Despite this problem, I know there is a way to persuade him and one day I will learn how...
Brehm, S.S., & Brehm, J.W. (1981). Psychological reactance: A theory of freedom and control. New York: Academic Press.
Petty, R.E., & Cacioppo, J.T. (1986). Communication and persuasion: Central and Peripheral routes to attitude change. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Petty, R.E., & Wegener, D.T. (1998). Attitude change: Multiple roles for persuasion variables. In D. Gilbert, S. Fiske, & G. Lindzey. (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (4th ed., pp.323-390). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Whether conscious or subconscious we all hold stereotypes and prejudices due to our natural social categorizations and our social learning. In the past, stereotypes and prejudices were much more obvious and shown through deliberate discrimination between groups. Nowadays this discrimination is more likely to be displayed when it is "safe" and unlikely to be detected because people want to see themselves as fair although they may still harbor feelings of discomfort towards other groups (Hass et al., 1992).
The Implicit Association Test, also known as the IAT, is a measure that helps to detect and compute a person’s unconscious thoughts and feelings about different groups (Greenwald et al., 1998). It does this by having participants complete a word/picture association task. An example of how this is done is shown to the left.
A participant completing an African American - European American IAT will be shown a computer screen with the word "Black" and "Good" in the top left-hand corner and the word "White" and "Bad" in the top right-hand corner. In the middle of the screen a picture that is associated with either the "Black" or "White" category will be shown. The participant is asked to sort each of the pictures into the correct “Black/Good” or “White/Bad” category by pressing the “e” key (representing the left side of the screen) or “i” key (representing the right side of the screen). Before taking the IAT participants are told to respond as fast as possible to the images they see; therefore, the reaction times become directly associated with one’s unconscious thoughts and feelings. If a participants reaction time is faster when pairing the "Good" terms and pictures of black faces than when pairing the "Good" terms and pictures of white faces, this person may unconsciously associate "Black" and "Good" and ""White" and "Bad".
As I looked through the numerous IAT tests to decide which I would prefer to take, 3 of the IAT tests stood out: the African American - European American IAT, the Fat-Thin IAT, and the Religions IAT. The first test I completed was exactly like the IAT explained above (the African American - European American IAT). The results showed a moderate automatic preference for white people compared to African American people. These results were not consistent with my prior beliefs about my behavior towards this group. Throughout my life I believe that I have had more contact with African Americans then European Americans. Growing up in South Austin and going to Akins High School, European Americans were the minority compared to Hispanics and African Americans and although my best friend is White, my other half is African American.
I believe that this IAT is showing an attitude that is consistent with my culture as an American. As an American, African Americans are often viewed as more unfavorable or the minority. Growing up in America I believe that although I may not consciously know that I prefer Whites over African Americans I have been taught that that is the more favorable choice. Despite the fact that I was not aware of my preference for Whites I understand where and how it may have been created. Completing the IAT has made me think about my prejudices very differently. I am now more aware of them and will no doubt think about the results of my IAT when interacting with White or African Americans and when having to choose between the two groups.
As a former athlete my health and weight are very important to me. This is why the second IAT I chose to complete was the Fat-Thin IAT. The results showed a moderate automatic preference for thin people compared to fat people. I believe that the results were pretty much consistent with my conscious beliefs about my behavior towards this group and because of this I believe that the IAT is showing my true attitudes. I am very self conscious about my weight (especially because I am no longer an athlete and have every opportunity to become fat) and sadly a part of me believes that if I become completely okay with others being overweight I may become overweight myself and that scares me. Because I know that it is not right to treat people that are thin/fat differently and my beliefs were confirmed, in the future I will think about my IAT results and try to change this prejudice of mine. The last IAT I chose to complete was the Religions IAT. As many of you may or may not know I was formally a Phi Lamb and (although I have become more liberal) I am still moderately religious; this is why I chose to take this IAT. The results showed that my thoughts of Christianity and Judaism are significantly more positive then my thoughts about Islam and Buddhism. My results were somewhat inconsistent with my beliefs about my behavior towards these groups. Me being more favorable towards Christianity would make sense because I am a Christian but for me to have equal positive thoughts towards Judaism? Maybe it is because the two are similar? Or maybe they aren’t? I honesty have no idea. I believe that the IAT is showing not my prejudice but how little knowledge I have about the other three religions.
For the Religions IAT I had to sort certain words that were associated with a certain religion. I did not recognize many of the words to be associated with the certain religion they were assigned to therefore I believe that the results are inaccurate. Because I do not agree with the results, I will probably not think about them very much in the future. I may however take the time to learn about and appreciate other religions like Buddhism or Islam more.
Overall, I think that taking the different IATs was beneficial for me and others around me. Now that I better understand my implicit thoughts and feelings I can work on myself and changing my prejudices.
Greenwald, A. G., McGhee, D. E., & Schwartz, J. L. K.(1998). Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The implicit association test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1464 - 1480.
Hass, R.G., Katz, I., Rizzo, N., Bailey, J., & Moore, L. (1992). When racial ambivalence evokes negative affect, using a disguised measure of mood. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 786-797.
Although I would have loved to enjoy my Fall Break away from school, work, and Georgetown it was my boss's 21st wedding anniversary and I was the only worker who had not already requested off. I was scheduled to work 3 seven-hour shifts for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday... Lucky me!
Despite the money I would make from the large amount of hours I was given, I was not excited. I decided to challenge myself and complete my "Day of Compassion" assignment on Sunday... the day of my last seven hour shift and the day I, as well as everyone around me, would need it the most.
I believe that compassion can be displayed in many ways:
My Sunday started off early. Even though I had had a late night and Dee was laying sound asleep, I woke up to make breakfast (eggs, bacon, and cinnamon rolls!) Breakfast was great... cleaning up the breakfast mess? not so much. I usually make Dee clean when I cook but I decided to take care of it that morning. After breakfast and the cleaning it was time to get ready for work! I made sure I got to work extra early to help Steve (my boss) with whatever he needed; he had actually been running behind that morning so it worked out great and he was able to leave earlier then he expected. I was somewhat excited about my Sunday shift because Sunday mornings at work are usually slow but of course this Sunday the customers started rolling in bright and early! With a huge smile on my face I welcomed them in and instead of going to the back to finish other things I was working on I decided to stay out to chat. I continued this throughout the day and learned more about my customers then I ever had (good and bad...I never realized how many people try to get more yogurt or toppings without paying for it!) After a long seven hour shift I was beat. When nine o'clock comes around on a Sunday I make sure the open sign is turned off at 8:59:55 so I can get out of there as fast as I can, but this Sunday a customer strolled in at 9:02 and I acted as if there was an hour until close and treated them like anyone else who came in letting them try samples and lolly gag. I was finally able to start closing at around 9:15 and I made sure to take my time so that the place was spotless. I got out a little later then usually but it was no biggy. After work I called my mom who was making mums for my brother and sister's
homecoming that week. I have made them every year and she didn't sounds to happy to be making them herself. Because I planned on going home the next day anyway, I ended up packing my things and heading home to help her. The look on her face was priceless as I walked in the door!
Although I am normally a pretty compassionate person, I liked who I became by the end of my "Day of Compassion". I was more fun and a lot more of an enjoyable person! I believe that psychologically it takes more effort to be overly compassionate because instead of acting automatically, throughout the day I found myself constantly thinking of ways I could be more compassionate. The ways in which I went out of my to please others made my "Day of Compassion" not only psychologically costly but physically exhausting as well (waking up early... cleaning... when I was washing something in the back or cutting up brownies and someone came in or out of the store I would run to the front to make sure all the customers were welcomed as they entered and satisfied when they left... making mums). It might have been costly but the benefits definitely outweigh the costs of being compassionate. I believe that because I was overly compassionate I had a smile on my face that made me feel more happy and made the work day more enjoyable... and not only did my work day go by faster but being extra compassionate really paid off when it came to tips. I made $19.75 which is great compared to the usual $3-9!!!
The recipients of my compassion responded very well. I had never seen so many smiles in one day or smiled that much myself for that matter. I talked to customers about everything from their volleyball games to their grandchildren and a lot of the customers who came in alone seemed to really appreciate the conversation and kindness. Because the people I am closest too knew that it was my last day of my seven-hour shifts and expected me to be a bit on the grumpy side I believe that they attributed my compassion to my personality. I believe that the customers I encountered also attributed my compassion that day to my personality. I am generally a nice cashier and experiencing the compassion I put forth that day would only enhance their thoughts of my service. Who is happy working a minimum wage job as a busy college student? No one... therefore they must attribute the trait to my personality.
If I was to encourage others to behave in the same manner that I did for my "Day of Compassion" assignment I would explain to them the theory of Reciprocal Altruism (Krebs, 1987; Trivers,1985). This theory explains the benefits of being compassionate by stating that helping someone else can be in your best interest since it increases the chances that they will help you in return. As a Yogo Bowl employee, being compassionate and helping the customers with whatever needs or questions they have will make them more likely to help you by giving you tips or calling the manager and getting you a raise. When Steve called me to tell me my schedule on Tuesday he mentioned someone calling into Yogo Bowl about how great of a worker I am. He then explained that he now wants to teach me how to open the store and give me a key (a task that another employee that has been working at Yogo Bowl for over a year is not able to do) and I am sure with that comes a raise! I would also explain the Facial Feedback Hypothesis to encourage compassion (Laird, 1974). James Laird (1974) explored facial expressions and emotion and found that changes in facial expressions can lead to similar changes in emotion. Being compassionate, can lead to smiling which can lead to an overall more happy feeling!
If I were to predict my behavior in the future I would predict that it would be changed as a result of my "Day of Compassion". Although it may be hard to be compassionate to others all the time due to different stresses and the busyness of life, there were a lot of things I liked about myself that day. I was happier and so were the people around me. My "Day of Compassion" has helped me appreciate all the good things that can come out of a simple smile or helping hand and has shown me how much a little compassion can do in this crazy world. Because of my "Day of Compassion" I believe that I will be an overall more successful person in understanding others and making a difference.
Last but not least I couldn't end without sharing my favorite song on the Yogo Bowl play list that repeated about 3 times every shift:
and as I would say to a customer who was heading out
"Thank you so much for coming in. Have a great day!"
Krebs, D. (1987). The challenge of altruism in biology and psychology. In C. Crawford, M. Smith, & D. Krebs (Eds.), Sociobiology and psychology: Ideas, issues, and applications (pp. 81-118) Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Laird, J.D. (1974). Self-attribution of emotion: The effects of expressive behavior on the quality of emotional experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 475-486.
Trivers, R. L. (1985). Social evaluation. Menlo Park, CA: Benjamin/Cummings.
