Discussions: Persuasion & Argumentation

Siscussion 1

Bob is in charge of the local waterpark. At the beginning of the summer, he built a new waterslide for his park. At the end of the summer, he saw that his ticket sales were double what they were a year ago. What criteria should Bob consider to determine if the new waterslide caused the increase in ticket sales? Why is it important to determine causation when conducting persuasion research?

Discussion 2

Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the Theory of Planned Behavior (covered in Chapter 5 of the textbook) and the Dual-Processes Models of Persuasion (covered in Chapter 6). Which theory do you think best explains the purposes for persuasion?

Asignment: Persuasion, Manipulation, and Seduction

Prepare a three- to five-page paper (not including title and reference pages), formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center, that cites at least two outside scholarly sources to delineate the differences between the terms persuasion, manipulation and seduction as they relate to human communication. Provide at least three modern-day examples of the varying types of persuasive devices and describe which audiences respond best to which techniques.