Leveraging Processing to Understand Linguistic Cues, Power and Persuasion

In a persuasion context, how something is said can influence perceptions of power and subsequent information processing just as much as what is said. Here we focus predominantly on the ways in which various linguistic cues and styles (e.g. rhetorical questions, linguistic extremity) can impact persuasion attempts. Using common dual- and multi-process models as a guide, we examine how linguistic cues and the associated power dynamic serve multiple roles in a persuasion context. Taken together, the role and resultant information processing determine the durability of attitudes formed in the persuasion context. Taking each linguistic variable in turn, there are clear indicators that linguistic cues also convey information about power dynamics. This information about the relative power between source and audience also influences information processing and attitude strength. By leveraging information-processing models it is possible to discuss implications for attitude strength, confidence and durability. As a result of these processes, linguistic cues provide a mechanism by which power dynamics are both revealed and reified. Finally, while most research has focused on the impact of persuasion on attitudes towards a wide variety of topics, we propose that using particular linguistic cues can influence not only attitudes toward messages, but also attitudes toward people.