Product Description

The Dynamics of Persuasion provides a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to persuasive communication and attitude change. Offering a thorough discussion of classic and contemporary theories of persuasion, this text explores the structure and functions of attitudes, consistency between attitude and behavior, and issues in attitude measurement.

Examining persuasion through media, interpersonal, and psychological lenses, author Richard M. Perloff systematically investigates the impact of persuasive communication on attitudes toward a variety of topics, including health, politics, and racial prejudice. In addition to presenting persuasion theory and research, he provides numerous examples of persuasion in action, demonstrating the role of persuasion research in everyday life. Written in a highly accessible and clear style, The Dynamics of Persuasion serves to:

• introduce the social science perspective on persuasion


• enhance understanding of persuasion theories and research


• highlight the major issues discussed in the field of persuasion research


• explore the complexities and subtleties in the dynamics of everyday persuasion


• raise awareness about the ethics of contemporary persuasion.

This updated third edition offers new topics of discussion, including:

• the pervasiveness of persuasion


• discussion of implicit attitudes


• political segregation


• policy aspects of attitude measurement


• narrative persuasion


• political language


• social exchange with its applications to medical marketing


• product placement


• complexities in communication campaigns

The Dynamics of Persuasion is an engaging text appropriate for advanced courses on persuasion in communication, psychology, marketing, and sociology. In its exploration of the dynamics of persuasive communication, it illuminates the powerful effects persuasion has in contemporary society and enhances understanding of this ubiquitous communicative strategy. Visit the companion site, www.dynamicsofpersuasion.com, for discussion questions, practice test questions, exercises, and more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #177862 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 584 pages

Review

...this persuasion theories, research, issues, and contexts offers a useful supplementary resource for students, researchers, or practitioners of health.
—Journal of Health Communication

Rick Perloff handles the challenging issues in persuasion research directly and intuitively. This text is inviting enough to engage the advanced undergraduate, and sophisticated enough to satisfy the expert. A fine choice for undergraduate and master's level classes in persuasion.
—Michael D. Slater
Colorado State University

When a publisher chooses to invite an author to prepare a second (or higher) edition of a book, it is a strong indication that people have responded very well to the earlier edition. Hence, most new editions maintain most of the previous edition and make a few improvements but avoid a thorough overhaul of the book because that may disappoint readers of the first edition. Perloff has not taken that option. Instead he has kept the best parts of the first edition and made substantial improvements in this second edition of The Dynamics of Persuasion. The first edition was very good, this edition is much better. Every persuasion scholar should take a careful look at this edition. It includes information which may be unfamiliar even to experienced scholars. The writing in the book also is highly accessible to even beginning students of persuasion.
—James C. McCroskey
West Virginia University

...this persuasion theories, research, issues, and contexts offers a useful supplementary resource for students, researchers, or practitioners of health.
—Journal of Health Communication

Rick Perloff handles the challenging issues in persuasion research directly and intuitively. This text is inviting enough to engage the advanced undergraduate, and sophisticated enough to satisfy the expert. A fine choice for undergraduate and masters level classes in persuasion.
—Michael D. Slater
Colorado State University

When a publisher chooses to invite an author to prepare a second (or higher) edition of a book, it is a strong indication that people have responded very well to the earlier edition. Hence, most new editions maintain most of the previous edition and make a few improvements but avoid a thorough overhaul of the book because that may disappoint readers of the first edition. Perloff has not taken that option. Instead he has kept the best parts of the first edition and made substantial improvements in this second edition of The Dynamics of Persuasion. The first edition was very good, this edition is much better. Every persuasion scholar should take a careful look at this edition. It includes information which may be unfamiliar even to experienced scholars. The writing in the book also is highly accessible to even beginning students of persuasion.
—James C. McCroskey
West Virginia University

About the Author

Richard M. Perloff is Professor and Director of the School of Communication at Cleveland State University. He has taught at Cleveland State University for 30 years. Prior to that, he received his Ph.D. in mass communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in social psychology and communication at Ohio State University. Dr. Perloff has written books on persuasion, political communication, and applications of social science to the AIDS crisis. A Fellow of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research, he is nationally known for scholarship on perceptions of media effects.

Customer Reviews

Great book on the basics of persuasion.
This book is easy to read and understand. The concepts are backed up with studies and real-world examples, not too much speculation and theorizing. There is so much thought-provoking material, it really stands out for a textbook. In fact, this is one of the best textbooks I have ever seen.

Want to persuade people in everyday life? This isn't a bad place to start learning about it. You'll get an overview of dozens and dozens of ways to become more persuasive, why they work, and examples of how to use them.

great overview of theories of persuasion
I have used this book and its previous edition in a graduate-level course in strategic communications. It has been a perennial favorite with my students and I have heard from several who I advise for their theses projects that they refer back to it to refresh their memories on relevant theories of persuasion. I have yet to see a text that covers such a range of theories and that presents them (and their critiques) in such a comprehensive way. An appropriate text for upper-level undergrad or grad courses.

A Wonderful Textbook
I teach a course in social influence at a local university, and this is the textbook that I like to use. Some of my students think it is overly dense, but a textbook isn't supposed to read like a novel. It has a great range of information, and is written from a communications, rather than a psychological, perspective. I find it highly readable and accurate, and love the section on propaganda. I hope a second edition will be available soon.