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Social Cognitive Neuroscience of Persuasive Messaging Across Cultures(Project PEITHO)

Preliminary Findings & Discussion

Scott GerwehrNovember 2007

Social Cognitive Neuroscience of Persuasive Messaging Across Cultures(Project PEITHO)

Preliminary Findings & Discussion

Scott GerwehrNovember 2007

OverviewOverviewThe Heilmeier CatechismMethods & Findings

Study 1 the mechanisms of persuasion and attitude change

Study 2 the effect of initial attitude strength the effect of message framing predicting behavior from neural activity

Cultural similarities and differences are part of both studies

Next Steps Research Applications

What is the (difficult) problem?What is the (difficult) problem? Inter-Cultural Persuasion Is Increasingly Important

From the interpersonal to the national level Many of the most serious national security challenges requires persuasion to

play a major role amongst diverse cultures (e.g., SASO, countering AQ recruiting)

Our inter-cultural persuasion efforts are largely ineffective (see 2004 DSB report, Princeton report 2005, SG work for CIA FY04-05, etc.)

It Is Very Difficult to Persuade & Measure Attitude Change Across Cultural Boundaries Challenges include language, credibility, vector, durability Self-report of attitudes is biased (e.g., by impression management,

dissonance reduction) Observation of attitudes is indirect, and mediated/moderated by other

variables (e.g., by social environment, observer biases) The greatest danger is elucidated by cognitive response theory

(Greenwald, 1968; Petty, 1981): Failed persuasion attempts can polarize or harden attitudes, making future

persuasion attempts that much more difficult

How is it solved today?How is it solved today? It Ain’t.US efforts (from interpersonal to national) do not have the

necessary science to support them, and suffer thereby An Example of the Perils of Ineffective Communication...

US Instruments of Strategic Communication (such as Radio Sawa, Al Hurra TV, Hi magazine, etc.)

Are ineffective (US unfavorability with target audiences has grown worse since these instruments were fielded)

Are not consonant with scientific principles of social influence, much less influence across cultural boundaries

Have few or no legitimate metrics (e.g., ‘listenership’ is not a metric of attitude change)

Cost a great deal (Radio Sawa, al Hurra and Hi together cost $62M annually… Hi has been discontinued after $12M spent)

What is the new technical approach?What is the new technical approach?Neuroimaging of Social Cognition

Allows direct measurement of the brain, bypassing many artifacts and biases

Identification of brain structures and activity associated with message processing, attitude change, or resistance

Identification of consistent cultural differences (vs individual differences) in attitude change/persuasibility

Powerful correlations between cognitive and behavioral activity (integration of S, C, and N)

Identification of neural correlates of strong/weak attitudes, and trajectory (i.e., intermediate states) when persuaded (or not)

Identifying activity patterns and strength allow for pilot testing of persuasive messages (to identify desired “signature” response)

What is the impact, if successful?What is the impact, if successful? Basic

First ever identification of the neural correlates of persuasion and attitude change

First ever identification of neural differences between persons of different cultures as relates to persuasion/attitude change

Applied Creation of an integrated model for analysis of possible persuasion

methods/messages Greatly improved cross-cultural communications’ effects Message and vector optimization before mass production/dissemination Greatly improved accuracy in predicting the results of individual and mass

persuasion (ours or others, such as AQ)

This has application in asset recruitment, interrogation, public diplomacy, strategic comms, PSYOP, deception, civil affairs, etc. not to mention advertising, marketing, public health interventions, etc.

How will the program be organized?How will the program be organized?DGI will manage, coordinate, and report to sponsor

DGI will also handle any emerging sensitive findings

Academic subcontractors (plus DGI) will run independent, parallel studies

Academic subs will run cross-cultural studies using established academic partnerships with other nations

How will intermediate results be generated?How will intermediate results be generated?Each study asks a particular question

Are there consistent differences between the neural activity patterns of collectivists (e.g., Koreans) and individualists (e.g., Caucasian Americans) when exposed to the same persuasive message?

What is the “signature” of attitude thaw? Of attitude crystallization? Does the “signature” vary with forewarning? Source credibility? Initial

attitude strength? Message framing? Affective component? Number and complexity of arguments?

What is the neural “trajectory” of attitude change? etc.

As each independent, parallel effort completes a study, we will report it as both a basic and applied finding

Measuring ProgressMeasuring ProgressNovel study findingsUseful study findingsLeverage-able study findings

Unlocking new avenues of discovery, interventions, etc.

What will it cost?What will it cost?Our best guess (currently) is that we would be running at full

steam at approximately $2M per year. Neuroimaging in three to four sites (e.g., Jordan, Dubai, China, USA) Studying indigenous and acculturating populations Add epidemiologic/social network studies

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Methods & FindingsMethods & Findings

Scientific ObjectivesScientific ObjectivesFirst, to elucidate the basic machinery subserving

persuasion and attitude change Regions, networks, timing, intensity

Second, to identify cross-cultural differences in the functioning of that machinery (resulting from message framing) Similarities and differences

Third, to correlate actual behavior change or inertia with observable neural activity

Fourth, to begin studying variables that affect persuasion outcomes (e.g., initial attitude strength)

Data CollectionData Collection

Pretest of Materials- persuasiveness, response distro

- 300+ phrases, paras, video clips, etc.- scales adjusted

Subjects Recruited- Koreans, Cauc. Americans

- visitors, students, exch. students, etc.

- Acculturation- Demographics

- Metal

- Attitudes-- 20 phrase objects

-- 13 video objects

- Experience/Knowledge- Cultural (individ/collect)

- Personality Inventory

- Mood State- Cultural Dimensions

-- e.g., individ vs collect

Stimulus 1subject sees set of persuasive phrases

in native language

Stimulus 2subject sees info about “lemphur”, then persuasive para (cognitive or affective)

- Questionnaires repeated+ eval of persuasiveness

fMRI, 75 minutes

Behavioral change measured(flossing, sunscreen use)

Data AnalysisData AnalysisRaw Data Is Pre-processed

smoothed, etc. mapped onto generic brain

Individual Subject Analysis Time (onset, duration) Design matrix (e.g., affective vs cognitive arguments) Analyses include multiple regressions, ANOVA, etc.

Group Analysis (Across Sample) Similar activity noted

Coordinates provided by SPM, mapped into brain atlases

Contrasts between American and Korean groups noted

Study 1 FindingsStudy 1 Findings 45 scans total (31 used): Americans, Koreans Analysis:

Phrases: Group level assessment used as regressor “Lemphur”: Within subject comparison of second vs first PM exposure,

subjective rating (“To what extent did your opinion of lemphurs change?”) used as regressor

Results: Cleanest analysis: block level ratings of persuasiveness as regressor (Please

rate the following paragraph…) Three major brain networks implicated in Study 1 persuasion

Positive in TOM/social cognition areas: superior temporal sulcus, temporal poles, dorsomedial PFC)

Positive in controlled (deliberative) processing: ventrolateral PFC Negative in insula Phrases only: positive in memory areas: hippocampus, left inferior frontal cortex ...

may be an artifact of retaining instructions Korean vs America patterns showed remarkable similarity!

American / Korean, ToMAmerican / Korean, ToM

American / Korean, MemoryAmerican / Korean, Memory

American / Korean, VLPFCAmerican / Korean, VLPFC

Study 2 DescriptionStudy 2 DescriptionTopics:

How does neural activity vary when the PM is either congruent or incongruent with preexisting attitudes?

What neural activity is the precursor to (i.e., predicts) smaller or greater amounts of attitude change?

How does message framing affect neural response and ultimate behavioral change (cf. existing cultural psychology studies)?

45 scans totalStimuli:

Arguments for/against sunscreen and flossing behaviors Subjects are followed up with in weekly increments to determine

behavioral changes

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Next StepsNext Steps

ResearchResearch

Continued elucidation of basic mechanisms Continued elucidation of cultural differences in both neural activity

and correlated behavior. Defining strong/weak attitudes and attitude change in neural terms Defining resistance to attitude change in neural terms Identify neural chronology of events in persuasion and attitude

change or resistance Study and prioritize the numerous variables known to affect

persuasion (e.g., source credibility/trust, conformity, distraction, automaticity)

Identify correlations between neural processes (e.g., insular cortex activity) and physical processes (e.g., physiological or nonverbal activity)

Memes

ApplicationsApplications

“Neural focus groups” Using brain imaging to pre-test PSYOP, strategic

communications, asset recruitment methods, and adversary propaganda

e.g., insular activity and the “social intuitionist model” (Haidt & Joseph, 2004)

Identifying critical cross-cultural differences in attention, comprehension, inference, acceptance, retention,

etc. in translation of attitude change to behavior (i.e., in prediction)

Memes

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Ancillary SlidesAncillary Slides

MethodsMethodsTwo tasks

Phrases Task Lemphur Task

Task 1: PhrasesTask 1: Phrases In scanner: 100 phrases (20 topics)

Presented visually and auditorily Instructions: read along and consider each phrase, will be asked

questions later

Methods: In the ScannerMethods: In the Scanner In scanner:

Phrases grouped by topic with general info first Not explicitly asked to evaluate

Blood donation is a process by which

a blood donor voluntarily has blood drawn for storage in a

blood bank or for subsequent use in a blood transfusion.

The American Red Cross calls those who donate

blood “blood heroes” due to their heroic contribution

to those in need.

Blood donation is something you can do

on equal footing with the rich and famous —

blood is something money can’t buy.

Giving blood is the right thing to do.

Arument:You should donate

blood.

Phrases Task, cont’dPhrases Task, cont’dFollowing scanner session:

Viewed each series again Rate each phrase individually (Persuasive, Emotional, Informational),

and each group of phrases as a paragraph

Task 2: LemphurTask 2: Lemphur Induce positive, cognitive-basis attitude about fictional

animal (the Lemphur)Directly following attitude formation/induction, participants

rate attitudes towards lemphurs

Lemphur Task, cont’dLemphur Task, cont’dNext, change attitudeEither affective (encounter with a lemphur), or cognitive

(more from encyclopedia)Re-rate (same words as after attitude formation)Subjective rating of change

Lemphur AnalysesLemphur AnalysesHave both “objective” measure of change (post-pre), and

subjective (how much did your opinion change?).

Phrases (poscorr, Americans, ToM)Phrases (poscorr, Americans, ToM)

Phrases (poscorr, Koreans, ToM)Phrases (poscorr, Koreans, ToM)

Phrases (poscorr, Americans, memory)Phrases (poscorr, Americans, memory)

Phrases (poscorr, Koreans, Memory)Phrases (poscorr, Koreans, Memory)

Phrases (poscorr,Americans, VLPFC)Phrases (poscorr,Americans, VLPFC)

Phrases (poscorr, Korean, VLPFC)Phrases (poscorr, Korean, VLPFC)

Phrases (negcorr, Americans, insula)Phrases (negcorr, Americans, insula)

Phrases (negcorr, Koreans, Insula)Phrases (negcorr, Koreans, Insula)