Based on a review of persuasion theory and research, we collate and outline the most important variables to be collected when designing a persuasion model and the most commonly used models of persuasion. This paper also presents a taxonomy which outlines the landscape of persuasion techniques and which, along with presented examples, may assist in message tailoring and developing data-driven models of persuasive communication.

Source

Paper related to this workshop and moc-persuasion.

Resource for Developing Persuasion Communication Systems: Key Variables, Techniques and Theories

Annye Braca and Pierpaolo Dondio

The following content (reaction paper) was generated by an LLM.

What is the summary of the paper?

The paper provides a comprehensive review of persuasion techniques and their application in online advertising and persuasion, aimed at system designers and data scientists. It presents a taxonomy of cognitive errors from a persuasive perspective, integrating psychological research on reasoning with theories of critical thinking, and explores the role of language in persuasion. The review is based on peer-reviewed literature relevant to beliefs, attitudes, emotions, persuasion, or behaviors, and offers practical guidance for interdisciplinary researchers, with a focus on the design features of propaganda.

What is the research question? (How) was it answered?

The central research question is how persuasive communication systems can be tailored for marketing to enhance their impact. It was answered by exploring secondary research questions regarding the fundamental components of the persuasion process and their contribution to persuasive outcomes, as well as the relationships between these components. The paper likely discusses these aspects through systematic reviews, content analysis, and examples of persuasive techniques in various contexts.

What research approach did the authors choose? Is it appropriate for achieving the chosen research objective?

The authors chose to conduct an integrative literature review, as indicated by their extensive literature search, inclusion criteria, and systematic screening process. This approach is appropriate for achieving the research objective of understanding how persuasive communication systems can be tailored for marketing purposes to enhance their impact, as it allows for a comprehensive synthesis of existing research on persuasion techniques and their effectiveness. The review methodology is designed to identify and analyze relevant studies that measure outcomes related to beliefs, attitudes, emotions, persuasion, or behaviors in the context of propaganda design features.

What are the key findings of the article? What are the implications?

The key findings of the article include a comprehensive overview of strategies for designing persuasive messages, an exploration of psychological theories of persuasion, and the application of persuasion techniques within a data science framework. The implications suggest that while the research provides valuable insights into persuasion components and their relationships, there are limitations due to potential population biases, confounding variables, and the varying applicability of findings across different cultures and contexts. Practitioners are advised to consider these factors and possibly conduct pilot studies to better understand the effects of persuasion techniques.

What are the limitations of the article? How might future work build on this article?

The limitations of the article include potential population biases in persuasion research, the confounding effects of other variables, and the limited applicability of findings across different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. Misleading self-reporting assessments and the challenge of navigating the abundance of literature and theories in the field also pose limitations. Future work could focus on conducting systematic reviews or quantitative content analyses to navigate the extensive literature, deploying pilot work to better understand receivers’ beliefs, and promoting the responsible use of user data in leveraging machine learning for persuasive communication.

@book{braca_resource_2022,
	title = {Resource for Developing Persuasion Communication Systems: Key Variables, Techniques and Theories},
	shorttitle = {Resource for Developing Persuasion Communication Systems},
	abstract = {Persuasion can be seen as a higher-level, abstract and complex cognitive process. Within the field of persuasion theory and research, there are a myriad of overlapping concepts and techniques which can lead to ambiguity and potential confusion in the choice of the most appropriate strategies. Persuasion communication is integral to areas including social psychology, marketing, health communications and political campaigning. Based on a review of persuasion theory and research, we collate and outline the most important variables to be collected when designing a persuasion model and the most commonly used models of persuasion. This paper also presents a taxonomy which outlines the landscape of persuasion techniques and which, along with presented examples, may assist in message tailoring and developing data-driven models of persuasive communication. We believe this paper can be a valuable resource to support researchers and practitioners in expediting and enhancing the process of data collection, selection of persuasion techniques and models of persuasive communication, and ultimately in the realisation of a more adequate and effective persuasion system.},
	author = {Braca, Annye and Dondio, Pierpaolo},
	date = {2022-08-05},
	doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-1932699/v1},
}