La década de 1940 marcó un punto de inflexión en el estudio de la comunicación de masas y la influencia de los medios de comunicación en la sociedad, y la Universidad de Yale desempeñó un papel fundamental en este contexto histórico. En ese período, la Segunda Guerra Mundial estaba en pleno apogeo, y la propaganda desempeñaba un papel crucial en la movilización de las masas y la formación de la opinión pública. Los académicos y los gobiernos comenzaron a darse cuenta del poder que tenían los medios de comunicación para moldear la percepción y la actitud de la gente, y esto generó un interés creciente en comprender cómo funcionaba este proceso. Fue en este contexto que la Teoría de la Persuasión de Yale comenzó a desarrollarse. Los investigadores de Yale, como Carl Hovland, Paul Lazarsfeld y Harold Lasswell, se dedicaron a estudiar cómo los mensajes mediáticos influyen en la opinión pública y cómo se pueden utilizar de manera efectiva para cambiar actitudes y comportamientos. Estos académicos se dieron cuenta de que la persuasión no era un proceso simple, sino que involucraba una serie de factores interrelacionados, como la fuente del mensaje, el contenido del mensaje, el medio de comunicación utilizado y la audiencia receptora. Uno de los experimentos más conocidos realizados en Yale durante este período fue el estudio sobre la propaganda y la persuasión política, que examinó cómo los mensajes persuasivos podían cambiar las actitudes políticas de las personas. Este estudio reveló que factores como la credibilidad de la fuente y la estructura del mensaje eran críticos para el éxito de la persuasión. Además, se descubrió que la repetición del mensaje y la interacción entre la audiencia desempeñaban un papel importante en la formación de actitudes. A medida que avanzaba la década de 1950, la Teoría de la Persuasión de Yale siguió evolucionando. Se desarrollaron modelos más complejos para comprender el proceso de persuasión, como el modelo de dos pasos de Lazarsfeld, que destacaba la importancia de los líderes de opinión en la difusión de mensajes persuasivos. Además, se comenzó a prestar atención a la noción de que la persuasión no siempre lleva a un cambio inmediato en las actitudes, sino que a veces actúa como un proceso a largo plazo. El contexto histórico de la época también influyó en la investigación de Yale sobre la persuasión. La Guerra Fría y la creciente preocupación por la propaganda comunista llevaron a un aumento en la investigación sobre la propaganda y la persuasión política. Los académicos de Yale jugaron un papel fundamental en el desarrollo de estrategias de comunicación para contrarrestar la influencia de la propaganda enemiga.

Elections are the means by which democratic nations determine their leaders, and communication in the context of elections has the potential to shape people's beliefs, attitudes, and actions. Thus, electoral persuasion is one of the most important political processes in any nation that regularly holds elections. Moreover, electoral persuasion encompasses not only what happens in an election but also what happens before and after, involving candidates, parties, interest groups, the media, and the voters themselves. This volume surveys the vast political science literature on this subject, emphasizing contemporary research and topics and encouraging cross-fertilization among research strands. A global roster of authors provides a broad examination of electoral persuasion, with international perspectives complementing deep coverage of U.S. politics. Major areas of coverage include: general models of political persuasion; persuasion by parties, candidates, and outside groups; media influence; interpersonal influence; electoral persuasion across contexts; and empirical methodologies for understanding electoral persuasion.

This fully-updated fourth edition introduces readers to the rich tapestry of persuasive technique and scholarship, interweaving perspectives from rhetoric, critical theory, and social science and applying their insights to practical political, social, and business contexts. This text examines current and classical theory through the lens of contemporary culture, encouraging readers to explore the nature of persuasion and to understand its impact in their lives. Employing a contemporary approach, it draws from popular culture, mass media, social media, advertising, political campaigns, and social movements to help readers become informed creators and consumers of persuasive messages. Case studies show how and why people fall for persuasive messages, demonstrating how persuasion works at a cognitive level. This new edition includes extended treatment of the ethics of persuasion, including opposing views on handling controversial issues in the college classroom; a new chapter on propaganda and ideology; and a greater focus on digital contexts and social media. Discussion questions, exercises, and key terms are provided for each chapter. This textbook will be a valuable tool for students of communication, media studies, politics, psychology, and business and advertising. Online resources for instructors include PowerPoint slides and test bank.

Persuasion in Society introduces readers to the rich tapestry of persuasive technique and scholarship, interweaving rhetorical, critical theory, and social science traditions. This text examines current and classical theory through the lens of contemporary culture, encouraging readers to explore the nature of persuasion and to understand its impact in their lives. Employing a contemporary approach, authors Herbert W. Simons and Jean G. Jones draw from popular culture, mass media, and social media to help readers become informed creators and consumers of persuasive messages. This introductory persuasion text offers: A broad-based approach to the scope of persuasion, expanding students’ understanding of what persuasion is and how it is effected Insights on the diversity of persuasion in action, through such contexts as advertising, marketing, political campaigns, activism and social movements, and negotiation in social conflicts The inclusion of "sender" and "receiver" perspectives, enhancing understanding of persuasion in practice Extended treatment of the ethics of persuasion, featuring opposing views on handling controversial issues in the college classroom for enhanced instruction. Case studies showing how and why people fall for persuasive messages, demonstrating how persuasion works at a cognitive level Highlights of this second edition include: An extensively revised approach, written with the needs of today’s undergraduate students in mind Contemporary examples, selected for relevance, currency, and appeal Updated discussions of theory and research, including cognitive psychology and neuroscience Current illustrations from advertising, politics, social movements, propaganda, and other sources. To reinforce the topics covered in each chapter, discussion questions, exercises, and key terms are included. Additional resources are available on the Companion Website (www.routledge.com/textbooks/simons), along with materials for instructors, including supplements for lectures and sample exam questions. ? ? ?

Publisher Description

This accessible introductory textbook looks at the modern relationship between politicians, the press and the public through the language they employ, with extensive coverage of key topics including: ‘spin’, ‘spin control’ and ‘image’ politics models of persuasion: authority, contrast, association pseudo-logical and ‘post-truth’ arguments political interviewing: difficult questions, difficult answers metaphors and metonymy rhetorical figures humour, irony and satire Extracts from speeches, soundbites, newspapers and blogs, interviews, press conferences, election slogans, social media and satires are used to provide the reader with the tools to discover the beliefs, character and hidden strategies of the would-be persuader, as well as the counter-strategies of their targets. This book demonstrates how the study of language use can help us appreciate, exploit and protect ourselves from the art of persuasion. With a wide variety of practical examples on both recent issues and historically significant ones, every topic is complemented with guiding tasks, queries and exercises with keys and commentaries at the end of each unit. This is the ideal textbook for all introductory courses on language and politics, media language, rhetoric and persuasion, discourse studies and related areas.