book.chapter Pre-suasion: attention priming

Pre-suasion is the strategic act of directing someone's attention in a way that predisposes them to be more receptive to your subsequent propositions or suggestions. This technique leverages two fundamental human inclinations: In an intriguing experiment conducted by social scientists, individuals were invited to sample a new soft drink and share their opinions on it. To receive the sample, participants were simply required to provide an email address for the delivery of instructions. Surprisingly, only a third of those approached agreed to share their contact details, a figure that seemed unusually low for the offer of a complimentary product sample. However, when the researchers modified their approach by first inquiring if the participants considered themselves as adventurous and open to new experiences, nearly everyone affirmed. Subsequently, an impressive 75.7 percent of respondents were willing to provide their email addresses. This preliminary question, which nudged people to perceive themselves as adventurous, significantly increased their willingness to comply with the request for contact information. This exemplifies the potent influence of pre-suasion. In essence, pre-suasion suggests that the primary determinant in many decision-making processes is not necessarily the most judicious choice, but rather what has been recently emphasized or brought to attention. When we concentrate on a particular element, it becomes challenging to focus on anything else, given the human capacity to hold only one thing in conscious awareness at any given moment. "The best we can manage in dealing with multiple streams of information is to alternate our focus among them, selectively opening and closing the door of mindfulness to each in turn. This ability facilitates multitasking, enabling us to engage in several activities within the same timeframe—such as conversing on the phone while perusing an email. Although it may appear as though we are focusing on multiple things at once, this is merely an illusion. In reality, we are swiftly shifting our focus back and forth," explains Robert Cialdini. It is a natural human tendency to deem whatever we are currently contemplating as significant, simply because it occupies our immediate thought. When we elect to concentrate on a particular subject, we inherently limit our capacity to attend to other matters. Therefore, if you, as a communicator, can successfully direct your audience's attention to a critical aspect of your message beforehand, you imbue it with a sense of importance. A notable demonstration of this phenomenon occurred during the 2003 invasion of Iraq by US-led forces. The Bush administration initially justified the war on the premise that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. As the conflict progressed and this claim was debunked, the rationale shifted towards addressing humanitarian abuses, disarming terrorist groups, and promoting democracy in the Middle East. Despite this pivot, media coverage scarcely questioned the absence of weapons of mass destruction, focusing instead on the "embedded reporter program" implemented by the United States military. This program placed journalists directly within combat units, resulting in captivating first-person narratives of the war that dominated media coverage. These human interest stories overshadowed the lack of weapons of mass destruction, with the broader implications of the war's justification only coming under scrutiny post-conflict. "Why do we often presume that our current focus is of paramount importance? One reason is that our focal point typically holds significant relevance in the moment. This efficient system of allocating our limited attentional resources to matters of immediate concern has a flaw: it can lead us to erroneously believe that something merits our attention simply because we have been inadvertently led to focus on it. Frequently, individuals conclude that if they have devoted attention to a particular idea, event, or group, it must be sufficiently important to warrant further consideration," Robert Cialdini elucidates. "If persuasion is permissible, it is, unlike the spontaneous nature of artistic inspiration, a skill that can be acquired. Regardless of one's innate ability to influence, insight into effective methods, or proficiency in language, it is feasible to master scientifically validated techniques that enhance our capacity to persuade," Cialdini adds. In addition to the assumption that our focal points are inherently significant, it is also a common human behavior to attribute causality to whatever captures our attention. This tendency is illustrated by an experiment in which social scientists recorded a couple's conversation in a café about choosing a movie to watch, from three different perspectives. The results revealed that viewers' perceptions of who dominated the conversation varied based on the angle from which they viewed the interaction. This simple experiment underscores our propensity to ascribe causality to our points of focus, a phenomenon that can have profound implications, such as in legal cases where the angle of a videotaped confession can influence perceptions of guilt. Attention is also drawn powerfully to certain cues within conversations, including sex appeal, threats of violence, and changes in our environment. These elements not only capture our attention but also have a lasting impact. Additionally, there are three "magnetizers" of attention: information about oneself, unfinished tasks, and mysteries. These factors not only attract our attention but also ensure it remains engaged. For instance, the enduring fascination with da Vinci's Mona Lisa can be attributed to the unresolved mysteries surrounding the painting. "The communicator who can successfully direct an audience's focus towards the favorable aspects of an argument significantly increases the likelihood that the argument will remain uncontested by opposing viewpoints, which are consequently excluded from consideration," Cialdini concludes.