Editing Persuasion (section)

==Neurobiology==

An article showed that EEG measures of anterior prefrontal asymmetry might be a predictor of persuasion.  Research participants were presented with arguments that favored and arguments that opposed the attitudes they already held.  Those whose brain was more active in left prefrontal areas said that they paid the most attention to statements with which they agreed while those with a more active right prefrontal area said that they paid attention to statements that disagreed.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Cacioppo | first1 = J. T. | author1-link=John T. Cacioppo | last2 = Petty | first2 = R. E.| author2-link=Richard E. Petty | last3 = Quintanar | first3 = L. R. | year = 1982 | title = Individual differences in relative hemispheric alpha abundance and cognitive responses to persuasive communications | journal = Journal of Personality and Social Psychology | volume = 43 | issue = 3| pages = 623–636 | doi=10.1037/0022-3514.43.3.623| pmid = 7131245 }}</ref>  This is an example of defensive repression, the avoidance or forgetting of unpleasant information.  Research has shown that the trait of defensive repression is related to relative left prefrontal activation.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Tomarken | first1 = A. J. | last2 = Davidson | first2 = R. J. | year = 1994 | title = Frontal brain activity in repressors and nonrepressors | journal = Journal of Abnormal Psychology | volume = 103 | issue = 2| pages = 339–349 | doi=10.1037/0021-843x.103.2.339| pmid = 8040503 }}</ref>  In addition, when pleasant or unpleasant words, probably analogous to agreement or disagreement, were seen incidental to the main task, an fMRI scan showed preferential left prefrontal activation to the pleasant words.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1037/1528-3542.5.2.200 |pmid=15982085 |title=Emotion-Modulated Performance and Activity in Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex |journal=Emotion |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=200–7 |year=2005 |last1=Herrington |first1=John D |last2=Mohanty |first2=Aprajita |last3=Koven |first3=Nancy S |last4=Fisher |first4=Joscelyn E |last5=Stewart |first5=Jennifer L |last6=Banich |first6=Marie T |last7=Webb |first7=Andrew G |last8=Miller |first8=Gregory A |last9=Heller |first9=Wendy |citeseerx=10.1.1.490.254 }}</ref>

One way therefore to increase persuasion would seem to be to selectively activate the right prefrontal cortex.  This is easily done by monaural stimulation to the contralateral ear.  The effect apparently depends on selective attention rather than merely the source of stimulation.  This manipulation had the expected outcome: more persuasion for messages coming from the left.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/0278-2626(85)90067-3 |pmid=4015872 |title=Induced lateral orientation and persuasibility |journal=Brain and Cognition |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=156–64 |year=1985 |last1=Drake |first1=Roger A |last2=Bingham |first2=Brad R |s2cid=40832737 }}</ref>