Extensive summary in question format Designing Persuasive Texts
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Course
Designing Persuasive Texts (LETCIWB267IBC2021)
Institution
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (RU)
Very concise summary in question format. The summary covers chapter 1-8 of the book Persuasive Texts: Research and Design [unpublished draft, version December 2019] by Hoeken, Hornikx & Hustinx. I always read the book and summarized the chapters before the lecture and then added notes from the lect...
Designing Persuasive Texts
Chapter 1 (1-2-2022)
Individual written exam
1. Textbook chapters (1-9)
2. Presentation slides
3. State of the Art guest lectures
Influencing behaviour: How to get people to do something?
- No freedom (threat of violence)
- Very limited freedom (legal provisions)
- Considerable freedom (transfer of information) (focus of this course!)
What is persuasion?
Successful intentional effort at influencing another’s mental state through communication in a
circumstance in which the persuadee has some measure of freedom (O’Keefe, 2002). (So only if the
mental state of the persuadee indeed changed!)
What is another important goal of persuasion apart from what O’Keefe says about the mental state?
That many attempts at persuasion are aimed at influencing behaviour. But O’Keefe does not mention
behaviour because persuasion proceeds by means of communication: the transfer of communication.
Information transfer affects people’s mental state before it influences their behaviour.
What are the functions of documents?
They can be informative. It is not persuasive.
They can be instructive (e.g. how to place a baby wrap). The intent is also not persuasive.
They can be persuasive. The intent is mostly clear and made clear, written with the intent of
audience of having a particular behaviour: clicking on the donate button. Persuasive document does
not always have to be a text. It can be a poster, or can be conveyed through humour. It can also be
achieved through sharing of shared heritage.
Which three goals distinguished Hoeken (1992) who he linked to three document types?
1. Informative documents intended to provide information (newspaper)
2. Instructive documents intended to help readers perform certain actions (user manual)
3. Persuasive documents intended to convince readers of a particular point of view (ads)
How can understanding, appreciation and persuasiveness are the product of both document and
reader properties?
A good document fits the properties of its readers. It has been tailored to match the knowledge,
preferences and values of its readers. The underlying principle is that the document should stimulate
the processes required to achieve the document’s goal.
What is the goal of this course?
To understand how persuasion communication processes work so we can intentionally influence
people’s behaviour by purposefully and meaningfully applying theory on persuasive communication
in an evidence-based way.
What is an attitude according to Eagly and Chaiken (1993)?
A psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of
favour or disfavour. Attitudes provide us with mental templates that guide our behaviour. In general,
our attitudes match our behaviour, but that is not always the case.
,How does the Persuasion Communication Process looks simplified?
Understand how to control the properties of the document in order to fit our goals. We become
aware of how they are processed by our receiver.
What are persuasive documents?
Persuasive documents are designed with the aim of influencing readers’ attitudes through the
transfer of information, with the readers having a certain degree of freedom.
How does the processing by the receiver functions?
Mental state is very important. A mental state can be an attitude. Attitude: “A psychological
tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favour or disfavour
(Eagly & Chaiken, 1993). Attitude change precedes behaviour change.
Communication as a panacea?
We cannot do everything successfully with communication. Narrow down what you consider as
persuasive communication. The writer’s intention does not guarantee that the intended effect will be
achieved.
What is the difference between directive and non-directive communication?
Information given in directive communication is intended to make the target group draw a particular
conclusion (persuasive). Non-directive communication does not have the intention to steer people
towards a particular conclusion (informative).
What is the difference between Legislation vs. Communication?
Does the government implement rules or do they try to communicate in order to change behaviour.
An important question is how realistic it is to expect behaviour changes in response to
communication.
- Urgency of Situation: choice for direct or social regulation depends upon this. In very urgent use
direct regulation, because it is in principle more effective to enforce the desired behaviour.
- Enforcement Burden: certain enforcement burden because the government must be prepared to
enforce them (e.g. employ inspectors)
1. Personal Responsibility Appeal: in social regulation, this instrument has no enforcement burden
In less urgent situation the government can choose between several instruments, based on the
nature of the situation, with the following three dimensions playing a role.
2. Measurability of the Behaviour: whether the government can monitor if people abide by the rules,
if this is easier, the enforcement burden will be lower.
3. Structure of Target Group: size and heterogeneity of group, if small enforcement burden will be
,low.
4. Costs for Target Group: higher the target group perceives the costs to be, they will be less inclined
to adopt desired behaviour.
What does the model of the WRR look like?
Why should governments use both legislation and communication?
Persuasion to diminish resistance and increase acceptance. The softer to convince people, this will be
more favoured. Explain rationale behind the measure.
What is the high enforcement burden? And why does high enforcement burden lead to persuasion?
High enforcement burden when choosing for legislation means that the costs, complexity and
difficulty to measure a particular behaviour change are high - which means that you will not
achieve and cannot measure your goal. That is why you go for persuasion - because in that case
you are at least increasing the chances that a part of your target group adopts the behaviour . So it
is a decision about what is the most efficient course of action to achieve the highest success rate
possible.
How does this abovementioned model relates to HRM?
In big companies HR deals with the same dilemma. Are we trying to influence our employees, how
, in our Asian or American branches? Or are we setting rules.
How does the integrative model of behavioural prediction works?
What are according to Noar (2006) the seven steps of a successful campaign?
1. Conducting formative research
2. Using theory
3. Segmenting the target group
4. Using an appropriate message design
5. Choosing appropriate channels
6. Controlling the process
7. Conduct good evaluation research
Chapter 2 Determinants of behaviour (7-2-2022)
What is automatic behaviour?
Behaviours that are automatic and performed without thought. These are examples of automatisms.
They originate from external stimuli and events that control our internal psychological processes
without us being aware of this control. We do this because our cognitive energy is limited. But the
acquisition of these forms of automatic behaviour was preceded by a reasoned choice.
What is the principle of ideomotor?
Simply thinking about a certain action already increases the likelihood that this action will be
performed.
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