Question 1

Someone donning a lab coat is likely going to benefit from which weapon of influence?&#10;A) Liking&#10;B) Social Proof&#10;C) Commitment/Consistency&#10;D) Authority

Accepted Answer

The lab coat is a symbol of expertise and authority, making the weapon of influence "Authority" the most relevant. People are more likely to follow or be influenced by someone who appears to have authority or expertise in a particular area.

Question 2

The rejection-then-retreat technique gets its power from which weapon of influence?&#10;A) Reciprocity&#10;B) Commitment and Consistency&#10;C) Liking&#10;D) Authority&#10;E) Scarcity

Accepted Answer

The rejection-then-retreat technique, also known as the door-in-the-face technique, leverages the principle of reciprocity. This strategy involves making a large request that is expected to be rejected, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request. The person who rejected the initial request feels a sense of obligation to comply with the second, smaller request, due to the social norm of reciprocity.

Question 3

The bait-and-switch technique largely makes use of which weapon of influence?&#10;A) Reciprocity&#10;B) Commitment and Consistency&#10;C) Social Proof&#10;D) Authority

Accepted Answer

The bait-and-switch technique primarily exploits the principle of Commitment and Consistency. This tactic involves initially offering an attractive deal to lure customers in (the bait) and then switching the offer to a less favorable one, relying on the customers' desire to remain consistent with their initial decision to make a purchase.

Question 4

A commercial shows an attractive, well-known sports star coaching a group of kids. Everyone is wearing the same brand of sneakers. This commercial uses which weapon of influence?&#10;A) Social Proof&#10;B) Liking&#10;C) Authority&#10;D) All of the above&#10;E) Both a and b

Accepted Answer

The commercial uses all of the mentioned weapons of influence: Social Proof (everyone wearing the same sneakers), Liking (using an attractive, well-known sports star), and Authority (the sports star in a coaching role).

Question 5

What is it about these principles that makes them so attractive in guiding our actions, despite their susceptibility to exploitation by compliance professionals?&#10;A) Most of the time they guide our behavior correctly&#10;B) They represent highly effective ways of responding when the environment doesn't allow us much time to think.&#10;C) Both a and b.&#10;D) None of the above.

Accepted Answer

Principles such as reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, liking, and scarcity often guide our behavior effectively and efficiently, especially in situations that require quick decisions. These principles are deeply ingrained in human psychology and usually lead to beneficial outcomes, which is why they are attractive for guiding actions despite the potential for exploitation by those who understand how to manipulate these tendencies for compliance.

Question 6

At least once a month, I get calls from individuals doing marketing surveys. They frequently claim that the survey will take "just a minute or two." However, I inevitably find that, once committed in this fashion I am still answering questions 10-20 minutes later. According to the advice given in Influence, the next time I get such a call, which of the following should I feel justified in doing? I should:

A) tell the caller when the agreed-upon time has run out and end the call.
B) ask to speak to the caller's supervisor and complain if pressed by the caller to continue beyond the agreed-upon time.
C) call the Better Business Bureau to advise them of the caller's company name and tactics.
D) all of the above.

Accepted Answer

You should feel justified in taking any of these actions as they all address the issue of being misled about the survey's duration and help hold the caller accountable.

Question 7

My stockbroker sometimes calls to inform me of the availability of new stock offerings. Often she tells me of an offering that is available for a limited period of time. According to Influence:&#10;A) she is trying to sway my decisions in a way that leads to her profit.&#10;B) she is trying to sway my decisions by using the principle of scarcity; therefore, I should get another broker.&#10;C) even if she profits from the use of the scarcity principle, she is not necessarily acting improperly.&#10;D) as long as she hasn't misrepresented the role of the scarcity principle in the situation, she is doing me a favor by telling me of the time restriction.&#10;E) c and d.

Accepted Answer

The correct answers are C and D because the use of the scarcity principle (limited time offers) is a common sales tactic and does not inherently imply improper action (C). As long as the broker is transparent and not misleading about the scarcity and its implications, she could be providing valuable information to the client (D).

Question 8

In general, to defend ourselves against the fraudulent use of the weapons of influence, we should&#10;A) avoid situations in which we're exposed to the weapons of influence.&#10;B) learn about the weapons of influence so we never have to use them.&#10;C) accept the power of the weapons of influence and try to notice when we're falling prey to them.&#10;D) exploit the weapons of influence ourselves, so at least we benefit from their power.

Accepted Answer

Understanding and recognizing the tactics of influence allows us to critically assess situations where they are being used against us, thereby enabling us to make more informed decisions.

Question 9

We tend to resort to automatic responding when we feel all of the following except&#10;A) distracted&#10;B) fatigued&#10;C) uncertain&#10;D) relaxed&#10;E) indifferent

Accepted Answer

When we are relaxed, we are more likely to be mindful and deliberate in our responses rather than resorting to automatic responding.

Question 10

Fighting back against those who use weapons of influence is recommended in Influence whenever we&#10;A) are too busy to make a carefully considered choice.&#10;B) detect someone using a weapon of influence that does not naturally exists in a situation.&#10;C) detect someone using a weapon of influence that naturally exists in a situation.&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

The recommendation is to fight back when a weapon of influence is used inappropriately or artificially, not when it naturally exists in a situation.

Question 11

As society advances and evolves, we become&#10;A) more susceptible to weapons of influence, as they largely rely on automatic responding&#10;B) less susceptible to weapons of influence, as they largely rely on primitive shortcuts&#10;C) less able to carefully consider our choices&#10;D) A and C&#10;E) B and C

Accepted Answer

The answer of As society advances and evolves, we become&#10;A)...

Question 12

An advertisement that features a beautiful supermodel is probably using which weapon of influence?&#10;A) Reciprocity&#10;B) Social Proof&#10;C) Liking&#10;D) Scarcity

Accepted Answer

The answer of An advertisement that features a beautiful supermodel...

Question 13

What is the recommended course of action in Influence for someone detecting the use of a weapon of influence that occurs naturally in a situation?&#10;A) Retaliate against those who are using the weapon of influence&#10;B) Boycott those who are using the weapon of influence&#10;C) Do not react negatively in this case&#10;D) A and B

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the recommended course of action...

Question 14

In Influence, a number of principles influencing the compliance process e.g., Authority, Commitment/Consistency, Scarcity) were discussed as frequently exploited by compliance professionals to get us to do what they want us to do. What is it about these principles that make us so vulnerable to their exploitation?

A) The fact that nobody but the compliance professionals know how they really work.
B) The automatic, mindless way that they frequently work.
C) The fact that there are no adequate defenses against them.
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

The answer of In Influence, a number of principles influencing...

Question 15

Which weapon of influence has been shown to work even though the target denies that the weapon had any effect on his or her behavior?&#10;A) Social Proof&#10;B) Liking&#10;C) Authority&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which weapon of influence has been shown...

Deck 8: Instant Influence