was to write an essay about the problems in America and have them broadcast on the radio. Many POWs stayed in China once granted freedom because they had committed to their ant-American attitudes. Thisprevious example also illustrates the foot-in-the-door phenomenon. Small requests were made (the mildly anti-American statements) which opened the way for larger, more substantial suggestions. Attitude inoculation is believedto be the best way for people to avoid persuasion. It is defined asExposing people to weak attacks upon their attitudes so that when strongerattacks come they will have refutations available.(5) Attitude inoculation was found to increase commitment to an attitude in addition to developing counterarguemnts. One application of the positive effects of attitude inoculation was conducted by Alfred McAlister on a class of seventhgraders that had them commit to anti-smoking attitudes. Role-Playing was used to strengthen commitment to non-smoking by public declaration and therepeated dialogue stimulated counterarguements. To truly understand the effectsof persuasion on people you need to be familiar with the structure behind a persuasive message. It is important to identify which route is beingused (central or peripheral) and understand the effect of the communicator,the content of the message, the method of communication, and the reaction by the audience. Counterarguements in making a public commitment strengthen out resistance to persuasion. ...
