ABSTRACT
Implicitly or explicitly, persuasion underlies much of mass and human communication theory and research. Persuasion is a special case of the larger study of social infl uence. Social infl uence may be defi ned as creating, changing, or reinforcing the cognitions, affective states, or overt behaviors of another person. Persuasion involves an intentional communicative act that excludes force (i.e., coercion) and achieves private acceptance. At a minimum, a successful persuasive attempt generates some type of cognitive, affective, or behavioral modifi cation in the target. In the following discussion we begin by defi ning several important terms and types of persuasion research, examine different research paradigms, explore the variables that infl uence persuasive strategies, and offer a sample study.
