Dr. Richard M. Perloff, Professor of Communication, Psychology, and Political Science at the Levin College, recently released the 8th edition of his book, The Dynamics of Persuasion: Communication and Attitudes in the 21st Century. A nationally known scholar of the psychology of media perceptions, persuasion, and political communication, Dr. Perloff published the first edition of the book in 1993.

The eighth edition of The Dynamics of Persuasion brings together classic terms and approaches from earlier editions with new global developments to help readers adopt a more thoughtful perspective on persuasion. New scholarship on misinformation, health communication, and persuasion effects are included, with careful attention to persuasion’s role in the Covid-19 pandemic. Important issues such as racial injustice, climate change, and barriers to persuading the politically and psychologically polarized also receive a fresh examination. New applications of the classic Milgram study of authority are covered, as are social media influencers in the current marketing milieu, and utilizing social media campaigns to effectively address important societal challenges.

In addition to The Dynamics of Persuasion, Perloff has written four other books, including The Dynamics of Political Communication: Media and Politics in a Digital Age (3rd edition) and The Dynamics of News: Journalism in the 21st-Century Media Milieu. 

The Press Club of Cleveland recently recognized Dr. Perloff with first-place and third-place awards for a series of essays published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The essays address a variety of challenges faced by American society, from improving the culture of policing, gun violence to an excessive focus on individual rights.