Fall 2017 PSY403 Solution 3

SEMESTER FALL 2017 Social Psychology (PSY403) Assignment No. 03 Due Date: 15.01.2018

Marks: 20

Solution Question 01

In question 01, students were required to describe any three content (communication) variables that make a message persuasive. Following are a few important points in this reference:

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Facts VS. Vivid Images

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Fear

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Humor

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Use of One-Sided VS. Two-Sided Arrangements

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Repetition

Facts versus Vivid Images Vividness can make solid evidence even more persuasive, unless the vividness interferes with the ability to comprehend the evidence.

Fear Fear is supposed to motivate people and has been successfully used in attempts to terminate cigarette smoking, secure vaccinations, and wear seat belts. The anxiety that fear appeals cause may lead people to think up counterarguments, suppress their thoughts about the danger, or rationalize why they need not have any worries. Accordingly, it seems that fear-arousing messages result in greater persuasion if they contain recommendations for reducing fear.

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Humor Humor increases attention to a persuasive message, but it may interfere with message processing. So humor must be relevant to the content of the message.

Use of One-Sided verses Two-Sided Arrangements Two-sided messages can "inoculate" your audience against opposing views better than one-sided messages. If people are already convinced then just present one side. Otherwise ideas may be presented they didn't have. Two-sided messages are more effective in persuading those who initially disagree, are well-informed or who are going to hear counterarguments in the future.

Repetition Repeating a message increases its persuasive power. Frequent exposure of an initially positive or neutral object will increase liking.

Question 02

In question 02, students were required to define out-group homogeneity effect. The out-group homogeneity effect is one's perception of out-group members as more similar to one another than are in-group members, e.g. "they are alike; we are diverse".