The Sleeper Effect
The sleeper effect refers to the influence of information that, at the outset, is considered impossible. Or very unlikely. This effect theoretically occurs when someone ignores a message that does not seem credible to them. Gradually, he begins to believe this information. One can generate this change from external evidence to favor. Or through an internal cycle of reflection that prompts us to reassess information.
This strategy may seem somewhat contradictory. Indeed, individuals tend to question the messages that we initially doubt. This does not mean, however, that the content stored in our memory, which we initially did not give credit to, ends up becoming important. And it will start to be when we come across a given or a suspicion that forces us to change our strategy. And so to start using confirmation.
The beginnings of the sleeper effect
Numerous advertising campaigns were carried out in the 1940s to encourage a positive mindset in all matters relating to World War II. One of the things the United States War Department wanted to know was whether its propaganda films were really effective.
A series of experiments were therefore developed to analyze the impact on soldiers’ behavior. The results were quite special. It was found that these short films did not so easily influence the attitudes of the soldiers. The films reinforced certain existing attitudes when they were of an informative nature. They generally did not encourage optimism, however. Producers and psychologists were failing to achieve the purpose for which they were making the short films.
The researchers found that the shorts had a curious effect on the soldiers after a few months. While their attitude to the war did not change immediately, some changes could be seen after nine weeks. For example, the soldiers who saw the movie The Battle of Britain immediately showed a little sympathy for the British. This sympathy had further increased nine weeks later. Carl Hovland, professor at Yale University, called this phenomenon “the sleeper effect”.
This phenomenon has been widely questioned in the field of scientific psychology. Indeed, one cannot say with certainty that the change of attitude, after such a long lapse of time, is only due to the vision of a short film. Some studies show that the persuasive effect of a message is greater immediately after receiving the information. So its influence would tend to diminish over time. Advertisers know this, giving us a better deal if we buy quickly.
The conditions necessary for the effect of the sleeper
Two essential conditions must be present for this curious phenomenon to appear:
- A strong initial impact: the sleeper effect only appears if the persuasive message has a very strong initial impact. This force is indeed the guarantee that it is stored in our memory and that we can e work mentally.
- A sure message: we tend to discredit the message when the source of information is unreliable. However, if we only discover the illegitimacy of the source after watching the film, then we will be more receptive to the message. And more prone to suggestibility.
Advertisers are generally very familiar with this detail. They are therefore able to write an article on the benefits of chocolate, convincing us to consume it. It is only at the bottom of the page that they indicate that the author of the article works for a chocolate company. We will therefore be exposed to the sleeper effect when we receive the persuasive message before we know the source from which the information comes.
The explanation of this phenomenon can be very simple. Our mind forgets after a while that the source is not completely reliable and only keeps the initial information. This is why we are more influenced over time than when we receive the message.
This is how the sleeper effect occurs, whereby advertising and the media can persuade us to focus our attention, to buy certain products, or to vote for a certain candidate. This phenomenon can also make us forget the negative aspects of the product, by adapting a value or confirmation strategy.
Our thoughts Discover the persuasion techniques set out by Cialdini which are widely used today in the field of advertising and sales.
