Communication Theories by Werner Joseph Severin Essay

Werner Joseph Severin explored communication theories on a wide range through this book, and as our lives are based entirely on communication persuasion is used daily in different forms, based on different theories, aiming at changing our attitudes and directing them towards the desired outcome, therefore chapter 8 theories of persuasion focused on persuasion. As being exposed to new information every day and changing our attitudes accordingly persuasion has reached its goal, for example, if you like something and new information you have been exposed to changed your attitude towards it, then this is a successful persuasion communication. Persuasion can affect our beliefs as will, as what you believe to be true can be altered by a†¦show more content†¦The research involved a number of variables that are manipulated very carefully to note there effects. Additionally, according to Hovland attitudes are learned and are changed through the same process of learning. The experimental section of the research branch of the war departments information and education division evaluated studies of films already existing, and had experimental studies where two versions of the same film were compared, the second type of research set the way for the rest of the attitude change research. The first task that this section took upon as evaluating the first four films of a series of films called why we fight, which was designed to motivate American soldiers to fight in the war. This research became part of the evidence suggesting that strong held attitudes are less likely to change because of one mass communication message. On the top of that researchers began then to examine attitude change due to the cognitive process, which means that receivers of the message actively think about the message and change their attitude. But more recent theories reveal that a number of variables working together at the same time results in attitude change. furthermore, to chan ge attitudes there are specific techniques to follow, the first technique is the one-sided and two-sided messages, which is basically either presenting one side of the message