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Book Review Influence Science and Practice Robert B. Cialdini Persuasion Reception and Responsibility Charles U. Larson Valarie Udeh COMM 612 Persuasion valarie.udeh @qmail.queens.edu

2 Influence Science and Practice by Robert B. Cialdini delves into the psychological principles that are at the root of why people comply with certain requests. With extensive experiments conducted on the topic of persuasion, Cialdini decided to enrich his research by integrating into his study insights gained from observing compliance professionals. He observed individuals we encounter everyday who work tirelessly to get us to purchase, donate, alter our plans or shift our thinking regarding a range of activities, believes and opinions. His interest in compliance is both academic and personal. Cialdini is a professor of social psychology at Arizona State University and has used and complied with the very practices he explored. Influence Science and Practice has a dual purpose, one is to educate individuals about the common practices of influence and how they are used to impact decisions and change behaviors. The other is to offer ways to defend against those practices. Cialdini defines the tactics of influence as weapons and the individuals targeted by these weapons as victims. Influence is a double-edged sword and its usage is either a communication asset or liability. Ethical communication practitioners and consumer awareness are the best defense to avoiding deceptive practices. Influence Science and Practice covers six basic compliance categories; reciprocity, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. These categories broadly represent most of the compliance tactics used to influence people. The categories are fundamentally rooted in the psychological drivers of human behavior. If you think you are immune to persuasive tactics, think again. Your psyche has more control over you than your will power.

RUNNING HEAD: Cialdini book review

While Cialdini offers insight into the use of and defense against influence, Persuasion Reception and Responsibility by Charles Larson provides an historical and theoretical foundation for persuasion. Larsons book, like Cialdinis, is written from the perspective of the receiver of persuasive practices. His work distinguishes influence from persuasion, noting that persuasion is actually one form of influence. It is important to understand the difference between the two. Larson defines influence as the ways in which some kinds of things alter a persons attitude or behavior. Persuasion is communication that attempts to change a way a person thinks or behaves. It requires participation from both the sender and receiver. Other forms of influence include social and cultural forces, coercion and intentional behavior modeling. By including Cialdini work on the topic of influence in his book, Larson helped me realize I had used the concepts interchangeably. I now have a broader view of the practice of influence. Larson outlines what he believes are the seven faces of persuasion in our contemporary world. One that impacts Cialdini work explores the reasons why we are moved to make decisions quickly. Persuasion in a 24/7 World directly speaks to the increase in the number of messages we receive a day. As stated in Larsons work, the average American hears more than 5,000 persuasive messages per day across a range of media. These appeals are sophisticated, often distort facts or intentionally shift reality. Consumers need to become more critical of the information directed toward them and more selective regarding the messages they pay attention to, but in most instances the opposite is occurring. Persuasion in a Multicultural World is another one of Larsons seven faces that impacts Cialdini work. Our society is becoming

RUNNING HEAD: Cialdini book review

4 increasingly multicultural. Values, beliefs, and customs are unique across diverse groups and influence how and why decisions are made. I mention Persuasion in a 24/7 World and Persuasion in a Multicultural World because both impact three similar information-processing models; the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), the Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM), and Cialdinis click/whirr model. ELMs peripheral processing route, HSMs heuristic processing route and the click/whirr model result in quick, often automatic, decisions that require little thinking or analysis and rely on mental shortcuts. Click/whirr-generated decisions are based on the premise that the same situation will generate the same set of sequential behaviors. Simple cues, classic conditioning or the ubiquitous nature of brand marketing influence ELMs fast-paced peripheral processing route. HSMs heuristic processing route relies on judgmental rules that may or may not be accurate but reduce the time needed to make a decision. Larson also describes Cialdinis mental shortcuts that are products of cultural patterning or the socially transmitted values, behaviors and other products of a society. A higher level of complexity is added to the science of influence and behavior predictability when accounting for multicultural consumers in information processing models. Fast, often unconscious, and limited critical thinking information processing routes have become increasingly common and necessary as individuals strive to digest the onslaught of persuasive messages that are a part of everyday life. The adage if you think long, youll think wrong could describe how individuals feel as they use mental shortcuts to make a range of decisions.

5 RUNNING HEAD: Cialdini book review Several of Cialdinis six weapons of persuasion are reflected in theories discussed by Larson. The power of likeability is rooted in Aristotles artistic proof or appeal of ethos. Audiences are drawn to individuals who are physically attractive, exude confidence or present an image of honesty and integrity. Likeability can be based on one single attribute that morphs into other positive attributes assigned to an individual without evidence that he or she actual possess them. As Cialdinis explains good-looking people are assigned a range of favorable traits, e.g., intelligence, honesty and kindness. However, attractiveness is more than a physical attribute and includes power, prestige, and social standing. The Pelz effect mentioned in Larsons book states that people like to be associated with those who have power and influence because it enhances their self-esteem. Its simple -- the more there is to like about someone the easier it will be for him or her to influence us. Aristotle believed that persuasion was more effective when common ground was established with an audience. Shared values, beliefs or interest between the persuader and receivers makes influencing an audience easier. Cialdinis social proof relies on some of the same concepts of similarity. Individuals are more inclined to be influenced and follow others who are like them. Social proof provides comfort in moments of uncertainty when individuals can look to others to determine how to appropriately act or behave. Social proof also gives individuals a sense of being part of a majority. Instinctively, we all want to be like those who are around us. Reciprocity is another one of Cialdinis six weapons of influence. The rule of reciprocity is simple and universal; we should try to repay what has been given to us. Larson labels RUNNING HEAD: Cialdini book review

6 reciprocity as an IOU. Both tactics rely on a feeling of obligation to influence behavior. The power of reciprocity is that it is intrinsically embedded in each of us. Our collective survival as human beings is based on a network of reciprocity. Larsons refers to Cialdini in discussing the functional role of words. The definition and usage of words are powerful persuasive tools. Words serve as symbols to motivate, inspire, call people to action, create fear or generate blame. Cialdini sees the functional role of words as they relate to influencing individuals as devices to address individual shortcomings, reinforce or create strong emotional appeals, create deference to authority or promote urgency. In summary, Influence Science and Practice provided well-documented insights into the art and science of influence. Offering a first person view of compliance practices was invaluable. Learning how salespeople, fundraisers and advertisers use tactics from the six weapons of influence was eye opening. As a consumer, I know that persuasive tactics exist, but I believe Im savvy enough not to unconsciously fall prey to them. The one area I feel the most vulnerable is with my children. Neither Cialdini nor Larson covered the persuasive power of families. I think it would be interesting to take the six weapons of influence-- reciprocity, consistency, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity and analyze their use within the construct of a family. I also wonder how mental shortcuts will develop for children already technologically inclined, find multitasking commonplace and are exposed to advertising messaging at every possible touch point. We know through both dual-processing models that critical thinking occurs

RUNNING HEAD: Cialdini book review when major decisions need to be made. What will constitute a major decision for children who will be adults in 2025?

7 Cialdini stated that the ever-changing pace of our day-to-day lives would result in a growing reliance on short cuts to make decisions. As he stated, we are creating our own cognitive deficiencies by constructing a more complex world. Maybe its time to make the argument for simplicity.