ESSAY TOPIC: Anyone who's watched a political talk show (or has spent some time on Twitter or Facebook) has probably noticed that people spend a lot of time trying to change other people's opinions....

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ESSAY TOPIC: Anyone who's watched a political talk show (or has spent some time on Twitter or Facebook) has probably noticed that people spend a lot of time trying to change other people's opinions.  Sometimes they succeed; sometimes they fail.  Think of an example from your own life, the life of someone you know, or someone that you observed on television or a movie (in other words, this can be real or fictitious, but it needs to be an example that you can describe) where someone had his or her opinion changed by such a discussion.  Now think of an example of the opposite (opinions did not change, and may even have been strengthened by such a discussion).  Why do you think that change occurred in one case but not the other? To what extent did the peripheral and central routes to persuasion play roles in your examples? Write a short essay (400-600 words) in which you use your real-life examples, along with supportive research, to discuss the psychology of persuasion. Use and find two peer-reviewed journal articles to inform your understanding of the psychology of persuasion and to cite within the essay. Cite the sources in accordance with the APA guidelines, and include a reference list (which may include your textbook in addition to the two peer-reviewed journal articles). Keep in mind that this is a formal writing assignment, designed to help prepare you for the Final Paper, so you may want to read the Final Paper Guidelines for recommendations regarding formal writing (e.g., use of language, organization).