Persuasion: Psychological Insights and Perspectives

"It bodes well for the teaching and giving away of psychology that so many respected researchers are able and willing to write well and simplify without oversimplifying their findings. ... The contributors represent an unusual breadth of disciplines and academic rank... The scholarship behind the writing and the findings is incontrovertible. This book should have wide appeal not only for advanced undergraduates in psychology but also to a variety of other disciplines, such as marketing, political science, and advertising." -- PsycCRITIQUES:Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books (2005, Vo.50, No. 28, Article 8) Continuing chapter contributors include: Timothy C. Brock John T. Cacioppo Robert B. Cialdini Joel Cooper Russell H. Fazio Jon A. Krosnick Howard Leventhal Richard E. Petty David R. Roskos-Ewoldsen New chapter contributors include: David M. Amodio Patricia G. Devine Leandre R. Fabrigar Melanie C. Green Shanto Iyengar Elaine A. Leventhal Charlan Jeanne Nemeth Frank R. Kardes Persuasion is a powerful force - it can be used to reconfigure millions of minds and hearts. The key targets of persuasion are our attitudes and opinions. Whether it is an attitude toward a political candidate, a social policy, an organization, a person, or a consumer product, the power of persuasion can remake us into persons who are irrevocably changed. Sometimes imperceptibly, oftentimes dramatically. Persuasion: Psychological Insights and Perspectives, Second Edition brings together leading persuasion researchers who write engagingly and authoritatively on the basics of persuasion theories. This edited book highlights important and influential views on persuasion and guides users through the important contemporary centers of basic and applied persuasion research. The renowned contributors to this volume apply cutting-edge knowledge from their current research across a variety of domains, including health, advertising, prejudice, political communication, group decision making, and the impact of narratives This Second Edition has been revised and updated to reflect new research from the past decade. It includes entirely new chapters on prejudice, persuasiveness of narratives, mass media and political persuasion, small groups, and advertising. Key Features Includes up-to-date coverage of key topics that are authored by leading psychology-of-persuasion researchers, making this the most comprehensive and authoritative textbook on persuasion Uses an engaging writing style that avoids highly technical language, along with syndicated cartoons, photos, and ads to enhance student comprehension Includes a comprehensive glossary at the end of the book for the necessary technical terms Provides end-of-chapter summaries and a full set of references to guide users to more in-depth resources on each topic This is an ideal book for everyone interested in persuasion processes. The concepts and tools are central to application in Psychology, Business, Marketing, Communication, Journalism, Sociology, and Political Science.

Table of Contents:
Preface About the Editors 1. Domains of Persuasion: An Introduction - Timothy C. Brock and Melanie C. Green 2. Attitude Measurement: Techniques for Measuring the Unobservable - Leandre R. Fabrigar, Jon A. Krosnick, and Bonnie L. MacDougall 3. Acting as We Feel: When and How Attitudes Guide Behavior - Russell H. Fazio and David R. Roskos-Ewoldsen 4. Actions and Attitudes: The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance - Joel Cooper, Robert Mirabile, and Steven J. Scher 5. To Think or Not to Think: Exploring Two Routes to Persuasion - Richard E. Petty, John T. Cacioppo, Alan J. Strathman, and Joseph R. Priester 6. Persuasiveness of Narratives - Melanie C. Green and Timothy C. Brock 7. Principles of Interpersonal Influence - Robert B. Cialdini and Brad J. Sagarin 8. Influence and Persuasion in Small Groups - Charlan Jeanne Nemeth and Jack A. Goncalo 9. Do Messages From Your Body, Your Friends, Your Doctor, or the Media Shape Your Health Behaviors? - Howard Leventhal, Linda Cameron, Elaine A. Leventhal, and Gozde Ozakinci 10. Mass Media and Political Persuasion - Shanto Iyengar and Jennifer McGrady 11. Changing Prejudice: The Effects of Persuasion on Implicit and Explicit Forms of Race Bias - David M. Amodio and Patricia G. Devine 12. The Psychology of Advertising - Frank R. Kardes Glossary - Katherine Walker-Smith and Melanie C. Green Name Index Subject Index

About the Author :
Timothy C. Brock has published articles and book chapters on a wide variety of topics in the psychology of persuasion, including effects of salesperson-consumer similarity on purchasing behavior; the role of cognitive responses in determining acceptance of persuasive messages; processing of unintelligible persuasive messages; and the effect of cognitive tuning on attitude change persistence.  He has authored, coauthored, and edited nine books, most on attitudes and persuasion.  Dr. Brock is currently Professor of psychology at Ohio State University. Melanie C. Green has focused her research on the mechanisms of narrative persuasion, as well as the ways in which technology affects social interactions.  She has published articles and chapters on these topics, and she is the co-editor of the book, Narrative Impact: Social and Cognitive Foundations (with J.J. Strange and T.C. Brock).  Dr. Green is currently Assistant Professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Review :
"It bodes well for the teaching and giving away of psychology that so many respected researchers are able and willing to write well and simplify without oversimplifying their findings. ... The contributors represent an unusual breadth of disciplines and academic rank, yet, while preserving their own style of writing, they present important material in a provocative, engaging, and interesting fashion. The scholarship behind the writing and the findings is incontrovertible. This book should have wide appeal not only for advanced undergraduates in psychology but also to a variety of other disciplines, such as marketing, political science, and advertising."