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Implications for Persuasion

1. Target relevant beliefs.

2. Target outcome evaluations.

3. Appeal to social nourms.

4. Target perceived behavioral control.

5. Helps people make good on their intentions.

6. Change attitudes through association techniques.

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Accessibility Theory, developed by Fazio, suggests that attitudes influence behavior only when they are quickly and automatically activated from memory at the moment of decision. If someone can instantly recall how they feel about something, that attitude will guide how they perceive the situation and how they behave.

The MODE model (Motivation and Opportunity as Determinants) explains that:

• When people have time and motivation, they act thoughtful.

• When they lack time or motivation, they act based on the most accessible attitudes.

Research shows that people who can quickly recall a positive attitude are more likely to act on it than those who have the same attitude but need more time to remember it.

In short, attitudes only affect behavior when they are easily accessible and activated in the moment.

Attitude toward the object

This refers to a pre-existing attitude stored in memory — e.g., you dislike people who dress sloppily, or you love pets.

When you encounter a relevant object or event, this attitude is automatically activated.

. Activation of attitude

The arrow from "Attitude toward the object" shows how the attitude is instantly retrieved from memory when the situation triggers it.

Perception of the object

Your perception of the object is not neutral — it is shaped by the activated attitude.

You focus on and interpret the object in a way that aligns with your attitude.

Definition of the event

After perceiving the object, you define or interpret the event — e.g., "This person looks suspicious" or "This is a kind action."

At this stage, attitude + context → lead to your understanding of the situation.

Behavior

Your definition of the event directly leads to behavior.

You might walk away, offer help, react with anger, call security... depending on how you interpreted the situation.

Example

You walk into a supermarket and see a young man wearing a hoodie and a baseball cap standing near the shelves.

You already have the attitude that "people who dress like that are often thieves" → this attitude is activated.

You focus on how he's looking around and keeping his hands in his pockets, ignoring the fact that he's holding a phone.

You immediately perceive: "This person looks very suspicious."

You interpret the situation as: "He might be about to steal something."

You keep your distance

and report him to a staff member.

What is the Reasoned Action Model?

The Reasoned Action Model explains how people make decisions to perform behaviors.
It assumes that:

-People are rational and consider the consequences of their actions.

-The main predictor of behavior is intention.

-Intention is influenced by attitude, perceived norm, and perceived behavioral control.

What are the five components of the Reasoned Action Approach?

1. Behavioral Beliefs → Attitude toward the behavior
   → Beliefs about outcomes of the behavior (e.g Juuling gives me a quick lift ) shape whether we see the behavior as good or bad.

2. Normative Beliefs → Perceived norm
   → Beliefs about what important others think we should do (e.g My friends think I should Juul ).

3. Control Beliefs → Perceived behavioral control
   → Beliefs about how easy or hard it is to perform the behavior (e.g I can Juul without getting caught ).

4. Intention
   → The plan or motivation to perform the behavior, formed by the above three factors.

5. Behavior
   → The actual action taken, determined mainly by intention and perceived control.

The Reasoned Action Model, developed by Fishbein and Ajzen, explains how beliefs and attitudes influence behavior.

It suggests that behavior results from thoughtful and planned decisions, not just habits or emotions.

The model provides a roadmap showing how thoughts lead to intentions, which then lead to actual behavior.

Five Components of the Reasoned Action Approach:

1. Attitude toward the behavior

2. Perceived norm

3. Perceived behavioral control

4. Intention

5. Behavior

What implications are drawn for Persuasion?

1. Target relevant beliefs:

“Messages could raise questions about whether teens really do get a pleasant buzz from Juul, or if, more frequently, they get a bad taste in their mouth... Messages could rebut the popular misconception that e-cigarettes like Juul have no serious medical side effects and can't lead to addiction.”

2. Target outcome evaluations:

“Changing outcome evaluations can be difficult... Yet persuasion can make inroads. Communicators could ask teens questions like these: Does Juul really give you a quick lift when you're anxious, or does the buzz feel raunchier, the anxiety reduction just short-lived?”

3. Appeal to social norms:

“You could highlight injunctive norms by emphasizing that parents or close friends would worry if the teen Juuled a lot... You might also target descriptive norms by pointing out that everyone assumes that everyone else Juuls, but that assumption isn't backed up by evidence.”

4. Target perceived behavioral control:

“A message could acknowledge that quitting Juul is difficult... However, the message would argue, it's really possible to buck the habit... communicators can model ways that similar others have called on inner resources to dump the e-cigarette habit.”

5. Help people make good on their intentions:

“One strategy is to put young people in touch with their feelings, helping them translate intention to quit to behavior... one might encourage teens to put a salient reminder of their desire to quit on their phone.”

6. Change attitudes through association techniques:

“If campaign specialists repeatedly paired Juling with a bad taste in the mouth, burnt throat, and ugly effects of addiction, they could help students develop more negative attitudes... Juul could activate unpleasant images, deterring teens from vaping between classes.”