1) Persuasive is pervasive. Give examples of three explicit examples and three implicit examples of it from your daily

life. Explain why each is explicit or implicit.

• Explicit:– Commercials

• Implicit:

2) Name two examples of careers that could be described as “professional persuaders.” Explain how each career

uses persuasion on a regular basis.

• Lawyer

• Teacher

• Business

• Can you think of more?

3) Discuss persuasion in interpersonal settings.

• Can you think of examples?

4) How does the study of persuasion serve a defensive function? Use examples to illustrate your analysis.

• By studying how and why attempts to influence succeed or fail, you can become a more discerning consumer of persuasive messages.

• How?

5) What are the two main criticism of the study of persuasion that are discussed in this chapter? Explain

each.

• Fostering manipulation

• Persuasive findings are too inconsistent or confusing

6) Ethics is an important issue in persuasion. Give two examples of ethical persuasion and two examples of

unethical persuasion. Explain why you believe each one to be ethical or unethical.

• You tell me!

7) Draw the preliminary model of persuasion and discuss the differences between its parts.

• Pure persuasion: clear cut cases of persuasion (e.g., TV ad, debate, editorial)

• Borderline persuasion: cases that are “on the line” in terms of persuasion (e.g., non-verbal behavior)

8) Gass and Seiter (1999) state that “[o]ur position is not that most, or all, human communication is just persuasion.” Explain what the authors mean by this statement, including examples of human

communication and its study to support your answer.

• Nearly all human communication is potentially persuasion, but not all of it is persuasion.

• It all depends on the degree of persuasive ingredients in the message (e.g., limiting criteria)

• A continuum of persuasion could be shown by….

none -> borderline -> pure persuasion

9) Other contextual factors discussed in the chapter are number of communicators, synchronous/asynchronous, ratio of verbal/non-verbal, mediation, and sociocultural factors. Pick one and explain the

constraints it has on the options available to persuaders.

• Number of communicators• Synchronous (real time) versus asynchronous

(back and forth)• Ratio of verbal to non-verbal cues (e.g., words

versus images)• Mediated (computers, TV) versus unmediated

(face to face)• Goal-directed versus not (all communication has

some goal)• Cultural differences

10) Petty and Cacioppo’s Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion postulates two routes to persuasion that operate in tandem. Explain how this model works.

• Central route:– involves cognitive elaboration, or thinking

about and analyzing the content of a message

• Peripheral route:– involves focusing on cues not directly relevant

to the substance of the message (e.g., catchy jingle, attractiveness of source)

11) The chapter discussed three types of goals as a contextual factor in persuasion. They are self-presentational goals, relational goals, and

instrumental goals. Describe each and their connection to pure

persuasion and/or borderline persuasion.

• Self-presentational goals– Related to identity management– More related to borderline persuasion

• Relational goals– Related to what people want out of relationships– More related to borderline persuasion

• Instrumental goals– Related to goals– More related to pure persuasion

12) There are five basic criteria for limiting what persuasion is. These are intentionality, effects, degree of free choice

or free will, symbolic action, and interpersonal vs. intrapersonal. Describe each criterion.

• Intentionality– Extent to which the persuasion involves a conscious effort at

influencing the receiver• Effects

– Extent to which persuasion has taken place in the absence of someone being persuaded

• Degree of free choice or free will– Extent to which persuasion is coercive or non-coercive

• Symbolic action– The extent to which persuasion is 1-channel symbolic

expression (language, text, etc.)• Interpersonal vs. intrapersonal

– The extent to which persuasion is 1 versus 2 or more people (or sources)