Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1611

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Sagarin BJ, Cialdini RB, Rice WE, Serna SB.
Dispelling the illusion of invulnerability: the motivations and mechanisms of resistance to persuasion.
J Pers Soc Psychol 2002 Sep; 83:(3):526-41
http://content.apa.org/journals/psp/83/3/526

Abstract:

Three studies examined the impact of a treatment designed to instill resistance to deceptive persuasive messages. Study 1 demonstrated that after the resistance treatment, ads using illegitimate authority-based appeals became less persuasive, and ads using legitimate appeals became more persuasive. In Study 2, this resistance generalized to novel exemplars, persevered over time, and appeared outside of the laboratory context. In Study 3, a procedure that dispelled participants’ illusions of invulnerability to deceptive persuasion maximized resistance to such persuasion. Overall, the present studies demonstrate that attempts to confer resistance to appeals will likely be successful to the extent that they install 2 conceptual features: perceived undue manipulative intent of the source of the appeal and perceived personal vulnerability to such manipulation.

Keywords:
Advertising* Analysis of Variance Arizona Deception* Female Humans Male Motivation* Persuasive Communication* Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.