Anujan Kirubaharan
Student № 100619147
Submitted in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for
Psyc 2020
Social Psychology
Bachelor of Arts in Forensic Psychology
Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Oshawa, Ontario
Professor Shannon Vettor
March 22nd, 2018
The idea of persuading is the act of presenting individuals with facts and knowledge, which in turn may or may not point individuals towards a certain view, the majority of the time towards the view of the informant. When we are presented with this information, the process of which we retain the information and influence our decisions is based on the way this information is presented to us. There are two routes that our brains take on the way deciding how to interpret information, and this can be either in a central or a peripheral route. The route of persuasion that is chosen, can help determine and show us how well we perceive and view how the message can be interpreted. This paper will be discussing the persuasive techniques used on the website, www.joechemo.org, and how it may or not be very effective in preventing future smokers and aiding current smokers to successfully quit.
I believe that the route which was taken in understanding this information would most likely be the central route. Our textbook states the definition of the term central route as, "occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts" (Myers, Jordan, & Spencer, 2015). The website shows the importance of preventing the tobacco use by utilizing questions such as "does smoking make people look attractive?", and utilizing the statistics that were most relevant to that fact as well, such as "In one study, teenagers rated models in cigarette ads as less attractive, sexy, and healthy than when the same models were shown without a cigarette" ("Joe Chemo: A Camel Who Wishes He'd Never Smoked," n.d.). They use the factor of attractiveness in this example to help bring the fact that those that do use tobacco are deemed less attractive than those that do not, and this interests people. The various questions that the website poses to the respondent help pique the interest of the respondent, by using topics and facts that are applicable and are of interest to the demographic being targeted, younger children to teenagers. In addition, with the use of statistics related to the issue, this, in turn, helps the viewer become more interested and engaged with the topic as it is something that they may agree with or even understand on a higher level. When individuals are presented with arguments or even a topic that they consider as interesting, they are more likely to engage and focus, as it is something they deem important to them, and so when presented with the topic of attractiveness, many subjects are more likely to focus and listen to the arguments that are being presented.
The most important part of the website that I believe was the most persuasive was the IQ test itself. The IQ test did receive a little bit of assistance in persuasion itself, as it was provided by an individual that we, as students, perceive as a credible source, which would be our professor. And with that, we were able to go into the IQ test, with the preconceived notion that all the information on the website was and is a credible source, due to our understanding and belief that our professor is an individual of credibility, as we believe that she would not provide us with a source that is unreliable, but that being said, this example can only be applied to those that are showing the source by another credible source. But for the general public, I believe that the IQ test is the most persuasive because of the use of the arguments that are presented, and in the emotional language it was presented in is a large impact of how we interpret and decide what is or isn't persuasive.
When our attitudes are formed through the use of emotions, arguments utilizing emotions may be seen as more persuasive compared to those that may have formed their attitudes through logical reasons, may find arguments that are seen as more logical are more likely to find this method more persuasive. To be persuasive through fear, I believe that the website may have leaned towards fear to get their message across, which was not to smoke and if so what are some of the impactful consequences that may stem from this. As stated by the textbook, "messages can be effective by evoking negative emotions" when we are given negative fearful messages regarding a topic, we tend to stay away from the said topic in fear that it may happen to us (Myers et al., 2015). With the help of the negative messages alongside the help of images, the fearful message helps add to the persuasion of the topic that is being expressed, and which in turn prevents the act from occurring. It is shown that the more fear-inducing the message or image is, the more persuasive the message being spoken about will be, it will cause the person understand that this fearful situation could occur to them (Myers et al., 2015).
Another reason that the IQ test is seen as very persuasive is that it plays to a younger demographic, as the textbook states that "the attitudes of older people usually change less than those of younger people" (Myers et al., 2015). That being said, by advertising and targeting to the younger generation, it places the attitude within them that smoking cigarette in a horrible habit to partake in, and this is very effective because by placing this attitude within them at a young age, they grow older holding onto the same attitude, and when faced with the situation, it's easier to decline. In addition, the act of informing the younger generation, it helps change the mind or notion that they may have that smoking is cool, and as stated above, younger individuals are more likely to change their minds which then leaves them with the mindset that smoking isn't a cool act. And in the case, they already believe that smoking isn't good, it strengthens the opinion of the individual, as there is another individual or group that agrees with them and this helps them understand that with another individual or group supporting the same cause, it strengthens the belief in the cause.
The website is more informal than the other types of prevention such as through the use of different statistics and facts, and overall more information is being presented on the website. The strength of the website is that it is able to store a lot more content and it is much more easily accessible to the respondent as all the information relating to the fact or the statistic is only a click away. With the use of a billboard advertisement, a larger audience can be reached, as there are more people that have access to it, along with the proper placement, will have many individuals seeing it many times within a day and this can cause the message to be "stuck" in their brains. A common form of media used in association with smoking is the cartons in which cigarettes come in. A study that was conducted by Bansal-Travers and others show that the larger the picture and the larger the consequence of smoking caught their attention the easiest and led them to think of quitting and was seen as the most common answer among respondents. (Bansal, Hammond, Smith, & Cummings, 2011). In another study conducted by Noel Brewer and associates, show that pictures are seen as more effective than word only warnings that just inform the user of the consequences of smoking. They go on to say that "pictorial warnings (1) attracted and held attention better; (2) garnered stronger cognitive and emotional reactions; (3) elicited more negative pack attitudes and negative smoking attitudes and (4) more effectively increased intentions to not start smoking and to quit smoking." (Noar, Hall, Francis, Ribisl, Pepper, & Brewer, 2015). Regarding the website, if there were more images that showed consequences, similar to those on the cigarette box, it would be more beneficial as respondent's eyes would be easily moved there, and instead of answering questions in the survey, as seen in the IQ survey, a few more images would significantly aid the engagement and interest of the respondent.
The website is more persuasive in getting future generations to prevent smoking by stating facts and statistics, such as "Does smoking make teens look cool, most people aged 12-18 see smokers as:" and respondents would pick from the following "Independent, mature, sophisticated, or a turn-off" and this is targeted to younger individuals, the very same individuals who are susceptible to peer pressure as well social pressure ("Joe Chemo: A Camel Who Wishes He'd Never Smoked," n.d.). By targeting the younger generations, it allows the younger generations to grow up with the notion that smoking isn't cool and that there are other ways to be considered cool by their peers. Although there are certain parts of the web site that are directed more to the individuals that are currently smokers such as the tab for tips on quitting as well as certain questions in the IQ survey such as: "Know that your smoke harms friends, children, and pets" and this plays to a negative emotional arousal as well, because smokers that may have kids or pets would be fearful that the same may happen to their child or pet if they continue to smoke ("Joe Chemo: A Camel Who Wishes He'd Never Smoked," n.d.). In the section directed to those trying to quit, it provides steps that lead up to preparing to quit, followed by once the individual is ready to quit ("Joe Chemo: A Camel Who Wishes He'd Never Smoked," n.d.). And to conclude, all though there are facts and steps leading to quitting, majority of the site is directed to a younger demographic including their mascot, the various images, and the ability to take a "smoke -o-scope" where the individual answers questions and it will give them an answer to determine if they will live a long life ("Joe Chemo: A Camel Who Wishes He'd Never Smoked," n.d.).
Personally, this website did have a moderate effect on my personal views and actions, and merely strengthened my view on smoking, as I follow all the same precautions and steps they mention on the website itself. Growing up, I had various family members that smoked cigarettes, and they personally relayed stories to me on the negative effects, such as throat cancer, and how hard it was to quit. My grandpa, who I was very close with, was a very heavy smoker himself and on various occasions would tell me how horrible that impact cigarettes had on a person and how it ruined his life, and to promise to never try it. Using the past experiences and memories that I have, I believe it had much of an impact, along with the few new facts I learned, it strengthened my view on the horrible effects of smoking cigarettes. When my relatives told me about the consequences of smoking and along with me being able to see it firsthand in addition to the various cigarette cartons strewed around the home, I was brought up with a negative perspective as well as a negative emotional arousal on cigarettes. The facts and enticing information on the website play to the negative emotional arousal aspect and strengthen the belief of mine, that the habit of smoking cigarettes is not a beneficial habit and a habit that will impact the user greatly in the future.
In conclusion, I believe that the website does a good job of targeting the intended demographic of teens, aged 12 and over, in the route to prevent smoking. The website does this using, what I believe it is the central route of persuasion, by stating facts and information which may pertain to the target audience, such as the attractiveness of a person that smokes, which in turn gets the audience to think about each statement being mentioned as well as being engaged with quizzes and images. The website's main highlight is the option to test your IQ on the subject of Tobacco, which poses various questions to the respondent on various topics related to smoking (such as attractiveness, sexual activity, etc.) and helps plant implicit attitudes and emotions in the respondent's mind on the various consequences by providing a reason along with numerous statistics for each correct or incorrect answer chosen, and when the arguments presented are valid and strong, it is more likely that the respondent will be persuaded and side with the message being presented (Myers et al., 2015). In addition, the use of the website is well done, but there are also other methods that can be used to help reach a larger demographic group, such as billboards, larger images on cigarette cartons, etc. With the structure of the website, it appeals to many individuals but mostly pertains to those that have not yet begun to smoke and are in the stage of their lives where they are easily swayed by the decisions of those around them, the teenage years of 12 and over. Overall, the website is very persuasive to those of the targeted age group and for those who may be on the fence on the topic itself, but for those who already agree with the message, it helps strengthen our beliefs and aids in the future generations having a good understanding of the consequences of smoking cigarettes.
Reference
Myers, D. G., Jordan, C. H., & Spencer, S. J. (2015). Social psychology(6th ed.). Whitby, Ont.: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Bansal-Travers, M., Hammond, D., Smith, P., & Cummings, K. M. (2011). The Impact of Cigarette Pack Design, Descriptors, and Warning Labels on Risk Perception in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine,40(6), 674-682. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2011.01.021
Noar, S. M., Hall, M. G., Francis, D. B., Ribisl, K. M., Pepper, J. K., & Brewer, N. T. (2015). Pictorial cigarette pack warnings: a meta-analysis of experimental studies. Tobacco Control,25(3), 341-354. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2014-051978
Joe Chemo: A Camel Who Wishes He'd Never Smoked. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2018, from http://www.joechemo.org/