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Why Some Arguments Are
More Compelling than Others
The Answers from Cognitive
and Social Psychology
Robert Mackiewicz and Paweł Koniak
INTRODUCTION
Both in formal and informal settings, we use different arguments intended to persuade others to
believe in what we believe or to choose a particular course of action. Such efforts of persuasion can
be dened as the formation or change of attitudes in response to a message about the object of this
message. One of the key points in the debate about persuasion effectiveness has been to distinguish
the roles of two factors: the content of the message and external or peripheral cues that can inu-
ence ...