Deck 7: Attitudes and Attitude Change: Influencing Thoughts and Feelings

Question 1

Recent findings that ________ tend to have similar attitudes is the strongest evidence suggesting that attitudes are in part genetic.

A) fraternal twins
B) identical twins reared apart
C) adoptive siblings
D) cousins

Answer 1

identical twins reared apart

Question 2

At the new-car dealership, Josh asks the salesperson a number of questions: "How good is the gas mileage on this model? What does Consumer Reports say about this make and model? Does this car hold its resale value?" The ________ component of Josh's attitude toward the car is most likely to inform his questions.

A) affective
B) cognitive
C) dissonant
D) behavioral

Answer 2

cognitive

Question 3

The ________ component of attitudes is to emotional reactions as the ________ component is to knowledge and beliefs.

A) evaluative; behavioral
B) affective; behavioral
C) evaluative; cognitive
D) affective; cognitive

Answer 3

affective; cognitive

Question 4

According to the brief social history of the cigarette presented in the introduction to Chapter 7 (Attitudes and Attitude Change), the way the industry has increased its business is primarily by

A) improving its product.
B) producing more of its product.
C) getting new populations of people to buy its product.
D) decreasing the price of its product.

Question 5

The three parts that form our evaluations of attitude objects are

A) affective, cognitive, and evaluative.
B) cognitive, behavioral, and evaluative.
C) affective, behavioral, and cognitive.
D) affective, behavioral, and evaluative.

Question 6

The function of cognitively based attitudes is

A) evaluation.
B) object appraisal.
C) the use of logic.
D) decision-making.

Question 7

According to the authors, what originally spurred the development of advertising for cigarettes and other products?

A) the development of the ability to mass-produce products
B) the development of new forms of media
C) the growing desire of the public for information about the product
D) the development of the entertainment industry

Question 8

________ attitudes are based primarily on people's beliefs about properties of attitude objects.

A) Affectively based
B) Intention-based
C) Evaluatively based
D) Cognitively based

Question 9

Consider the lyrics to Smokey Robinson's "You've Really Got a Hold on Me": "I don't like you, but I love you / Seems that I'm always thinking of you / You treat me badly / I love you madly / You've really got a hold on me." The sentiments reflected in these lyrics best capture the ________ component of the singer's attitude.

A) cognitive
B) ambivalent
C) behavioral
D) affective

Question 10

Doty is out weeding her petunias when she sees a garden snake. She feels fear and jumps up and runs back to the house, all the while thinking, "I know that garden snakes are not dangerous." This example illustrates an inconsistency between the ________ component of attitudes and the ________ components.

A) affective; behavioral and cognitive
B) behavioral; affective and cognitive
C) cognitive; affective and behavioral
D) There is no inconsistency between the components.

Question 11

Erin just bought Brand X jeans. Purchasing that brand specifically illustrates the ________ component of attitudes.

A) cognitive
B) affective
C) positive
D) behavioral

Question 12

According to the authors of your text, why are attitudes important?

A) They determine what we do.
B) They are a crucial part of the self.
C) They are key to eliminating prejudice.
D) They are malleable in different situations.

Question 13

Around the turn of the century, cigarette advertisers began to appeal to women as a new market for their product. They did this by making the connection between smoking and

A) weight loss.
B) sophistication and glamour.
C) women's liberation.
D) all of the above

Question 14

Brenna's attitude about shoes would be composed of all of the following components except

A) emotional reactions.
B) behavioral tendencies.
C) self-perceptions.
D) thoughts and beliefs.

Question 15

The purpose of cognitively based attitudes is to

A) classify the pluses and minuses of an object to make a quick decision.
B) evaluate one's feelings about the attitude object.
C) decide on the best behavioral response to an attitude object.
D) create new feelings about attitude objects.

Question 16

Based on studies of twins, some attitudes are linked to

A) parental discipline.
B) peer group and sibling influence.
C) genetic influences.
D) the amount of television people watch.

Question 17

Work by Tesser (1993) and others suggests that the genetic "component" of attitudes is due to the fact that genes influence

A) everyday behaviors.
B) personality and temperament.
C) the situations we select.
D) our evaluations of all attitude objects.

Question 18

The family whose house is across the street from you subscribes to every paper they can have delivered. They are constantly reading and talking about the news. They, like most people, tend to evaluate what they see in the world

A) rarely.
B) only when motivated.
C) only when they are not distracted or cognitively busy.
D) constantly.

Question 19

Tesser (1993) and other researchers suggest that some attitudes are linked to genetic influences. According to these researchers, how is it possible that we might inherit from our parents a love of something like classical music?

A) The influence of genes is modified by early childhood experiences.
B) Genes influence temperament and personality, which are in turn related to attitudes.
C) Genes that influence attitudes are dominant genes, not recessive genes.
D) There are specific genes related to musical preferences, but not to other attitudes.

Question 20

Kenneth believes that Funny-O' s cereal is good because it has no sugar, it contains all of the recommended vitamins and minerals, and it has no artificial flavors. Kenneth's attitude toward Funny-O's is a(n)

A) object appraisal.
B) affectively based attitude.
C) undifferentiated attitude.
D) behaviorally based attitude.

Question 21

Affectively based attitudes tend to stem from any of the following sources except

A) rational appraisal of costs and benefits.
B) personal values.
C) sensory experiences.
D) conditioning.

Question 22

A positive attitude can be formed via classical conditioning when an attitude object is repeatedly paired with

A) a pleasant stimulus/experience.
B) rewards for a simple behavior.
C) punishments for misbehavior.
D) arousal and cognition.

Question 23

An attitude is usually considered to be affectively based if it is

A) entirely a result of rational examination.
B) governed by logic.
C) a strong predictor of behavior.
D) linked to values.

Question 24

Why are affectively based attitudes so resistant to logical persuasive attempts to change them? Affectively based attitudes are

A) often linked to values, which are difficult to change.
B) governed by knowledge of the issues.
C) the result of the same illogical source.
D) acquired by automatic processes.

Question 25

Samantha really enjoys Gummy Bears. Her attitude did not stem from any rational examination of the nutritional value of this food, and isn't governed by logic (she can't be persuaded to stop eating them). Samantha's attitude about Gummy Bears is most likely ________ based.

A) affectively
B) cognitively
C) behaviorally
D) intuitively

Question 26

Although affectively based attitudes can be derived from a number of different sources, they are alike in that they tend to be

A) based on rational examination of relevant information.
B) logically organized.
C) linked to personal values.
D) unrelated to past experience.

Question 27

In all likelihood, attitudes toward _______ are affectively based, and stem from _______.

A) cleaning products; people's values
B) instant coffee; instrumental conditioning
C) abortion; a logical examination of the facts
D) the death penalty; people's values

Question 28

Aicha's whole family loves the Red Sox. Recently, Aicha has begun rooting for the Yankees. When she's at home, she receives a lot of jokes and disapproval from her family. This reaction to her behavior is a(n)

A) reinforcement
B) punishment
C) implicit attitude
D) fear-arousing communication

Question 29

The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" was playing on the radio when Margaret's fiancé broke off their engagement. Margaret was heartbroken, of course, and can no longer stand the Rolling Stones or their songs, and turns them off every time they come on the radio. Margaret's attitude toward the Rolling Stones and their songs is affectively based in that it was

A) linked to her deeply held values.
B) classically conditioned by a traumatic experience.
C) generated by a rational examination of the issues.
D) highly accessible when her fiancé broke the engagement.

Question 30

When Myra looks at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for the first time and sees the gorgeous art, she is awestruck, and even moved to tears by the beauty of it. Her affective-based attitude is a result of

A) her system of beliefs.
B) her values as a pagan.
C) classical conditioning.
D) a sensory reaction.

Question 31

The function of affectively based attitudes is to

A) paint an accurate picture of the world.
B) express and validate one's basic value system.
C) behave in accordance with one's attitudes.
D) weigh the pluses and minuses of an attitude object.

Question 32

Miguel recaptures the freedom of his youth when he test-drives the new Volkswagen "Bug." He feels twenty-five years younger, and remembers cruising the beaches of California in his old 1970 Bug when he was in college. He decides to purchase that new VW model. Miguel's positive attitude toward the car is primarily driven by

A) a cognitive component.
B) an affective component.
C) operant conditioning.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 33

Claude had an unpleasant experience during his last visit to Dallas, Texas. He was approached by two men with strong Texas accents who wielded a sharp knife, roughed him up, cracked a rib, and stole all his money. Ever since Claude was mugged, he has taken an instant dislike to anyone who speaks with a Texas twang. Claude's negative attitude toward Texas accents is most probably a result of

A) instrumental conditioning.
B) attitude accessibility.
C) classical conditioning.
D) cognitive dissonance reduction.

Question 34

It is estimated that one-third of the electorate knows almost nothing about specific politicians. Nonetheless, these people hold very strong opinions about them. This pattern of findings suggests that people's attitudes toward politicians may be largely

A) ambivalent.
B) affectively based.
C) behaviorally based.
D) cognitively based.

Question 35

If Little Joey gets punished every time he plays with matches, Joey may develop a negative attitude toward matches. What would best explain Joey's negative attitude toward them?

A) classical conditioning
B) operant conditioning
C) personal values
D) attitude conditioning

Question 36

André is not at all familiar with a presidential candidate's stand on the issues or with his proposed policies, but André likes "his" candidate and plans to vote for him anyway. This example illustrates that people's attitudes toward politicians are often

A) cognitively based.
B) affectively based.
C) behaviorally based.
D) classically conditioned.

Question 37

All of the following are characteristics of affectively based attitudes except that they are

A) not a result of rational examination.
B) often linked to values.
C) a central part of one's self.
D) governed by logic.

Question 38

An attitude based on operant conditioning is formed when a behavior toward an attitude object is

A) positively reinforced.
B) performed unconsciously.
C) done privately, then publicly.
D) paired with a negative stimulus.

Question 39

Paul has a very positive reaction to the smell of wood smoke. In all likelihood, this is because the smell of a fire reminds him of wonderful winter days he spent as a child in front of the fireplace at his grandparents' cabin in the north woods. This example illustrates ________ as a basis for affectively based attitudes.

A) operant conditioning
B) systematic processing
C) classical conditioning
D) nostalgia

Question 40

Cognitively based attitude is to ________ as ________ attitude is to emotion.

A) evaluation; behaviorally based
B) evaluation; value-based
C) appraisal; affectively based
D) values; affectively based

Question 41

Which of the following is the best example of a behaviorally based attitude?

A) Sheila tastes chocolate for the first time and loves it!
B) Millicent finds herself sketching in her spare time and realizes she must love to draw.
C) Bill exercises every day because he knows that it is good for his health.
D) Dahlia votes for her state representative because she likes him.

Question 42

Research by Rudman and her colleagues (2007) suggests that implicit attitudes are rooted in ________ experiences, whereas explicit attitudes are based in ________ experiences.

A) current; childhood
B) traumatic; normal
C) childhood; present
D) emotional; cognitive

Question 43

Complete the following analogy: explicit attitude is to implicit attitude as

A) behaviorally based attitude is to cognitively based attitude.
B) controlled behavior is to unconscious behavior.
C) affect is to evaluation.
D) self-perception theory is to the IAT.

Question 44

People are most likely to form behaviorally based attitudes when the initial attitude is ________ and there are no ________ justifications for the behavior .

A) weak or ambiguous; external
B) weak or ambiguous; internal
C) strong and clear; external
D) strong and clear; internal

Question 45

Explicit attitudes are ________, while implicit attitudes are ________.

A) public statements; private beliefs
B) in conscious awareness; involuntary and sometimes unconscious
C) affectively based; usually cognitively based
D) involuntary; voluntary

Question 46

Jenny was obese as a child, but is currently a normal weight for her height. Based on research by Rudman and her colleagues (2007) presented in your text, Jenny is most likely to have a ________ attitude about overweight people.

A) favorable implicit
B) unfavorable implicit
C) favorable explicit
D) neutral

Question 47

Which of the following statements is true?

A) "I like my toaster because you can toast four pieces of bread at one time" reflects a behaviorally based attitude.
B) "I hate all politicians because they represent pure evil" represents a cognitively based attitude.
C) "I guess I like junk food, because I'm always eating it" represents a behaviorally based attitude.
D) "I'd like to get rid of this car because it's always in the shop" represents an affectively based attitude.

Question 48

Winnie suddenly left the bar when Adam asked for her number. She realizes afterward that she must really have disliked Adam because of the way she behaved. By inferring her attitude from her observation of her behavior, she has a(n) ________ attitude.

A) affectively based
B) behaviorally based
C) cognitively based
D) explicit

Question 49

In a recent study of implicit attitudes by Rudman and her colleagues (2007), people who were close to their mothers and whose mothers were ________ tended to have more positive implicit attitudes about overweight people.

A) not prejudiced
B) especially critical of their appearance
C) overweight
D) self-confident

Question 50

People tend to be less aware of their ________ attitudes, which are more likely to influence behaviors they are not monitoring.

A) explicit
B) cognitively based
C) implicit
D) self-perceived

Question 51

Oliver is participating in a research study of implicit attitudes. He was an overweight child but is a healthy-weight adult. If his results are similar to the participants in the study by Rudman and her colleagues (2007), he will have a ________ implicit attitude about overweight people.

A) more positive
B) more negative
C) neutral
D) more conscious

Question 52

Explicit attitudes influence our behavior when ________, while implicit attitudes influence our behavior when ________.

A) we are not monitoring our behavior; we are monitoring our behavior
B) we are monitoring our behavior; we are not monitoring our behavior
C) we make public statements, we consider our private beliefs
D) our behavior is nonverbal; our behavior is verbal

Question 53

Who is most likely to form a behaviorally based attitude?

A) Lucinda, who tastes sushi for the first time because she is curious and hates it
B) Carmen, who goes clogging with her friends because they insist on her accompanying them
C) Jeremiah, who finds himself spending hours on the Internet for no good reason
D) Paco, who goes to the gym five days a week because the doctor ordered him to lose weight and exercise

Question 54

Which of the following best illustrates an implicit attitude?

A) when Tracy checks off her opinion on a survey questionnaire
B) when Randi experiences a flash of discomfort around her lesbian friends
C) when Sarah sees Schindler's List and concludes that it is anti-Semitic
D) when Jodi, who is white, marries Percy, who is black

Question 55

Which of the following is most closely related to the notion of behaviorally based attitudes?

A) self-persuasion theory
B) self-perception theory
C) the Yale Attitude Change approach
D) the elaboration likelihood model

Question 56

In a recent study of implicit attitudes by Rudman and her colleagues (2007), people who were overweight ________ but were not overweight ________ tended to have more positive implicit attitudes and negative explicit attitudes about overweight people.

A) currently; as children
B) as children; as adolescents
C) as children; currently
D) currently; by very much

Question 57

Lenoir is taking a test to see if she's prejudiced toward elderly people. Because it's difficult to assess her implicit attitudes, she's most likely

A) completing the Implicit Associations Test (IAT).
B) completing a survey or questionnaire.
C) having a structured interview.
D) reporting about her controllable behaviors.

Question 58

Daryl Bem's self-perception theory suggests that we form attitudes about an object based more on our ________ toward that object than our ________ toward that object.

A) behavior; thoughts and feelings
B) thoughts and feelings; behavior
C) beliefs; past experience
D) social group's behavior; own behavior

Question 59

Jane is asked what kind of computer she prefers. She says, "Well, I always seem to be working on a Macintosh, so I guess I like them best." In this case, Jane's attitude appears to be

A) affectively based.
B) cognitively based.
C) value-based.
D) behaviorally based.

Question 60

Complete the analogy about attitudes: implicit: ________:: explicit: ________.

A) childhood; present
B) current; future
C) controlled; cognitive
D) automatic; nonconscious

Question 61

The Yale Attitude Change approach focused on a number of factors that influence the success of a persuasive message. Which of the following best exemplifies audience variables as one of those factors?

A) attentive versus inattentive listeners
B) high-quality versus low-quality arguments
C) expert versus novel speakers
D) one-sided versus two-sided messages

Question 62

Counterattitudinal advocacy results in attitude change when

A) there is minimal external justification for the statement.
B) there is minimal internal justification for the statement.
C) the attitude is accessible.
D) the attitude is initially very strong.

Question 63

Persuasion from the perspective of "who says what to whom" is best associated with the

A) elaboration likelihood model.
B) heuristic-systematic model of persuasion.
C) use of the central route to persuasion.
D) Yale Attitude Change approach.

Question 64

Emerson's boss wants to use cognitive dissonance to sell a new type of emergency cell phone. Emerson is not convinced that the campaign is going to be successful. What should Emerson tell his boss?

A) Cognitive dissonance advertising is too expensive.
B) Cognitive dissonance is not effective in changing people's attitudes and subsequent behavior.
C) Cognitive dissonance techniques are difficult to implement on a mass scale.
D) Cognitive dissonance has fallen out of favor with the advent of the computer as a model for human behavior.

Question 65

Although cognitive dissonance is a very powerful way to change someone's attitude, it is not implemented on mass scales. Why not?

A) Most people are resistant to persuasion attempts.
B) Very few people ever experience cognitive dissonance.
C) People would become psychologically reactive to the persuasion attempt and do the opposite.
D) It would be difficult to create a situation of low external justification on a mass scale.

Question 66

Just after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush's performance ratings soared from a low of 50 percent to a high of 82 percent, only to fall back to 53 percent a month later. This phenomenon suggests that

A) political attitudes are especially volatile.
B) although relatively stable, attitudes can and do change.
C) political ads are not as effective as politicians would hope.
D) the electorate had no internal justification for voting for Clinton.

Question 67

Next week, you're going to give a lecture to the psychology club about the Yale Attitude Change approach to persuasion. What will be your three main topics?

A) the source; the nature of the communication; the nature of the audience
B) the source; the need for cognition; the implicit attitudes of the audience
C) the source; the nature of the communication; the route of processing (central/peripheral)
D) the personality of the audience; the nature of the message; the social status of the speaker

Question 68

Attitudes are of course an individual internal phenomenon, yet they are of tremendous interest to social psychologists. Why?

A) Many attitudes are shared by groups of people.
B) Attitude change is often due to social influence.
C) Attitude change is often self-serving.
D) Attitudes are the most powerful predictor of social behaviors.

Question 69

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that when you cannot find sufficient external justification for your actions, you will attempt to find _________, which can lead to attitude change.

A) implicit attitudes about your behavior
B) self-perceptions
C) internal justification
D) cognitively based attitudes

Question 70

The Yale Attitude Change approach to persuasion yielded a great deal of information about the attitude change process, but there was one major problem with the approach; it

A) was not clear when one factor should be emphasized over others.
B) only accounted for implicit attitudes.
C) only applied to women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five.
D) is unclear as to who exactly is a source and who is an audience member.

Question 71

The Yale Attitude Change approach focused on a number of factors that influence the success of a persuasive message. Which of the following best exemplifies communication variables as one of those factors?

A) hostile versus receptive audiences
B) attentive versus inattentive listeners
C) long versus short appeals
D) expert versus novice speakers

Question 72

According to the tenets of cognitive dissonance theory, people are most likely to change their attitudes when they have ________ justification for an attitude-discrepant behavior.

A) ample external
B) ample internal
C) insufficient external
D) insufficient internal

Question 73

The elaboration likelihood model explains under what conditions someone will

A) be influenced by what the speech says, and when influence occurs by superficial cues.
B) change their implicit attitude, and when he or she will resist change to the explicit attitude.
C) be persuaded by a subliminal message, and when he or she will resist attitude change.
D) elaborate on a dissonance-evoking situation, and when he or she will resolve dissonance.

Question 74

In order to change attitudes about something on a mass scale, whether it is a product, a social problem, or a political candidate, it would be best to use

A) dissonance reduction techniques.
B) persuasive communication.
C) insufficient external justification.
D) counterattitudinal advocacy.

Question 75

The Yale Attitude Change approach focused on a number of factors that influence the success of a persuasive message. Which of the following best exemplifies source variables as one of those factors?

A) high- versus low-quality argument
B) one-sided versus two-sided messages
C) long versus short appeals
D) expert versus novice speakers

Question 76

Corey and Jennifer engage in a debate in speech class. Corey goes first and Jennifer goes second. Most students thought that Corey did a better job in the debate. Assuming that the quality of the arguments and presentation by the two speakers was equally good, this would be an example of a(n) ________ effect.

A) primacy
B) recency
C) accessibility
D) central route

Question 77

Reza and Eyad are both salesmen. Eyad is more persuasive than Reza. According to research the Yale Attitude Change approach he's probably ________ than Reza.

A) more attractive
B) less experienced
C) less credible
D) younger

Question 78

Communication such as a speech or television advertisement that advocates a particular side of an issue is considered

A) propaganda.
B) persuasive communication.
C) external justification.
D) marketing research.

Question 79

Your friend wears bell-bottoms constantly, a behavior that offends your sense of style. If you wanted to apply cognitive dissonance theory to get your friend to change her attitude toward bell-bottoms, you should encourage her to give a public speech ________ under conditions of ________ external justification.

A) against bell-bottoms; low
B) in favor of bell-bottoms; low
C) against bell-bottoms; high
D) in favor of bell-bottoms; high

Question 80

Work stemming from the Yale Attitude Change approach indicates that all of the following statements are true except

A) people low in intelligence tend to be more easily influenced than people high in intelligence.
B) one-sided messages are generally more effective than two-sided messages.
C) people are particularly susceptible to attitude change during the ages of eighteen to twenty-five.
D) people are more persuaded by messages that do not seem to be designed to influence them.