Persuasion: Theory and Research (Current Communication) Book

Persuasion is intended as a bridging text between undergraduate and graduate level courses which provide a general introduction to persuasion by covering relatively prominent theoretical perspectives and by discussing central lines of research in the area. No technical background in research methods is presumed. This volume makes a unique teaching contribution in three different ways. First, it is consistently focused on providing a clear, straightforward introduction to theory and research in persuasion, leaving instructors free to hand-pick non-text materials to satisfy ancillary aims. Second, it includes a discussion of research concerning the production of persuasive messages, as well as the more traditional research on the study of message effects. Thirdly, the text provides a careful, comprehensive and critical treatment of the relevant research literature in persuasion including examination of primary as well as secondary and tertiary sources, consideration of a wide body of published research including that from fields other than the author's own, attention to avoiding premature generalizations from limited research evidence, and provision of more than a superficial treatment of relevant theoretical and methodological questions.Read More