<P> In social psychology, the Yale attitude change approach (also known as the Yale attitude change model) is the study of the conditions under which people are most likely to change their attitudes in response to persuasive messages . This approach to persuasive communications was first studied by Carl Hovland and his colleagues at Yale University . The basic model of this approach can be described as "who said what to whom": the source of the communication, the nature of the communication and the nature of the audience . According to this approach, many factors affect each component of a persuasive communication . The credibility and attractiveness of the communicator (source), the quality and sincerity of the message (nature of the communication), and the attention, intelligence and age of the audience (nature of the audience) can influence an audience's attitude change with a persuasive communication . Independent variables include the source, message, medium and audience, with the dependent variable the effect (or impact) of the persuasion . </P> <P> The Yale attitude change approach has generated research and insight into the nature of persuasion . This approach has helped social psychologists understand the process of persuasion and companies make their marketing and advertising strategies more effective . Like most other theories about persuasion and attitude change, this approach is not perfect . Not a systematic theory about persuasive communications, this approach is a general framework within which research was conducted . The Yale researchers did not specify levels of importance among the factors of a persuasive message; they emphasized analyzing the aspects of attitude change over comparing them . </P>

The yale attitude change approach focused on a number of factors that influence