Deck 11: Groups and Social Influence

Question 1

Kimberly has been contacted eight times in the last week by a pushy telemarketer.She made the mistake of showing some interest in the product being sold and has not had much luck in getting rid of the caller.Which of the following forms of power is being exercised by the telemarketer?

A)Expert power
B)Referent power
C)Reward power
D)Coercive power

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Angela belongs to a film club that selects and views classic movies once a month.Angela wouldn't watch a vampire movie on her own, but is happy to watch with the group the classic vampire film that almost all of the other group members voted to see.This example demonstrates which factor of conformity?

A)Group unanimity
B)Cultural pressure
C)Fear of deviance
D)Principle of least of interest

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to the principle of least interest, the person who is least ________ has the most power in a relationship.

A)committed to staying in the relationship
B)susceptible to interpersonal influence
C)susceptible to cultural pressures
D)concerned about sanctions against nonconforming behaviour

Answer 3

committed to staying in the relationship

Question 4

Arnold doesn't like alcohol, but, at a party, all of his friends are drinking beer.So that he doesn't appear odd, he also has a beer while at the party.This is an example of ________.

A)polarisation
B)conformity
C)loafing
D)homophily

Question 5

Chad meets each Wednesday night at his local bookstore with a small group of computer enthusiasts.The group calls itself X-Hackers because at one time all of these select members were hackers.Today, members of the group have similar values and have pledged to stop computer hacking.Which of the following membership group factors best describes what brings this group together?

A)Social power
B)Reward power
C)Degree of connectedness
D)Avoidance

Question 6

A marketing manager who wants to identify opinion leaders for her product category should do which of the following?

A)She should find government officials who use the product.
B)She should find socially active persons who are intensely interested in the product category and are similar to other customers.
C)She should find intellectuals who can write and speak well so that communication will be facilitated.
D)She should look for people who stand out in a crowd.

Question 7

If a consumer admires the qualities of another person and copies his or her behaviours, the person that is copied is said to have ________ power.

A)referent
B)informational
C)legitimate
D)coercive

Question 8

A(n) ________ is an actual or imaginary individual or group conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual's evaluations, aspirations or behaviour.

A)opinion group
B)demographic group
C)reference group
D)focus group

Question 9

Within groups, informal rules of behaviour are called ________.

A)beliefs
B)values
C)norms
D)interpersonal dynamics

Question 10

Phillipe is a member of a small Harley-Davidson motorcycle club.They meet once a week to ride and talk about their bikes.This club might exert a ________ influence on Phillipe as he decides which model of bike to buy for his girlfriend.

A)comparative
B)normative
C)coercive power
D)legitimate power

Question 11

If a fireman told you to leave your apartment, you would comply because the fireman has ________ power.

A)referent
B)legitimate
C)coercive
D)reward

Question 12

Reference groups influence us along informational, utilitarian and ________ dimensions.

A)reputational
B)descriptive
C)knowledge
D)value-expressive

Question 13

Consumers who are confident in themselves and do not seek peer approval for their behaviours are said to be ________.

A)normative
B)role-relaxed
C)deindividuated
D)insulated

Question 14

The reference group influence that helps the consumer to make decisions about specific brands or activities is known as the ________ influence.

A)normative
B)comparative
C)selective
D)coercive

Question 15

A group composed of people that the consumer actually knows, such as friends, acquaintances and colleagues, is called a(n) ________ reference group.

A)aspirational
B)tribal
C)membership
D)networked

Question 16

Before graduating from university, Trent mostly wore shorts and T-shirts when he went out with his friends.However, after he started a new job at a bank, he began to mostly wear khaki pants and long-sleeve, button-down shirts.Trent's change in behaviour was likely influenced by a new ________.

A)reference group
B)information cascade
C)avoidance group
D)brand community

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of utilitarian influence?

A)An individual seeks information about various brands from a professional.
B)An individual's decision to purchase a particular brand is influenced by the preferences of family members.
C)An individual feels that the purchase of a particular brand will enhance the image others have of her.
D)An individual seeks brand-related knowledge and experience from friends, neighbours, colleagues and relatives who have reliable information about the brand.

Question 18

Whenever Dylan begins wearing a new style of clothing, many of his friends, over time, begin to wear that style of clothing themselves.Dylan has ________ power.

A)publicity
B)social
C)second-order
D)behavioural

Question 19

Jessie remembers when, in high school, all of her classmates were making fun of a new girl's clothes.She thought their actions were cruel, but she didn't say anything and even laughed at some of the mean comments they made.Jessie was likely motivated by ________.

A)social loafing
B)the principle of least interest
C)group unanimity
D)fear of deviance

Question 20

Which form of reference group influence is most associated with the following situation? Carl knows that Bert has had experience with various types of motor oils because Bert is a mechanic for a large Audi dealership.Carl asks Bert to compare his brand against ACME Brand.Bert tells Carl that ACME brand can't be beat for performance and durability.

A)Coercive influence
B)Informational influence
C)Utilitarian influence
D)Value-expressive influence

Question 21

The importance of weak ties in a social system is demonstrated by their ________.

A)bridging function
B)social contagion
C)momentum effect
D)diffusion of responsibility

Question 22

What is guerrilla marketing?

A)The use of large, attention-getting displays such as balloons and searchlights at the retail site.
B)The use of hidden attacks on the competition by creating false news releases, negative WOM and industrial sabotage.
C)The use of promotions that rely on unconventional locations and strategies to build buzz.
D)The use of a monster attack on all sources of media so that a promotion is seen and heard simultaneously, no matter where a customer turns.

Question 23

A popular explanation for the addictive nature of social networks is ________.

A)negative word of mouth
B)fear of missing out
C)viral marketing
D)the need to share

Question 24

Meagan is planning her wedding and wants everything to be just right, from the invitations and table settings to the ceremony and music selections.Because she feels overwhelmed by all of the information to sort through and the choices to make, she hires a wedding planner to make many of the decisions and purchases for her.Meagan's wedding planner is best described as a(n) ________.

A)innovative communicator
B)consumer surrogate
C)opinion seeker
D)key informant

Question 25

Janine recently bought a new type of smartphone.She loves it and thinks the price was very reasonable.She begins to tell all of her friends about the phone.This type of product information transmission is called ________.

A)independent analysis
B)product shuffle
C)reactance formation
D)word-of-mouth

Question 26

A sociometric network analysis is likely to study all of the following EXCEPT which one?

A)Referral behaviour
B)The use of surrogate consumers
C)The tie strength between members of a network
D)Communication in social systems

Question 27

Ethan bought a new pair of Nike shoes, and he really loves them.He creates a video of him taking them out of the box and talking about their features, and then he uploads the video on YouTube and shares a link to it to his many followers on social media.This is an example of ________.

A)FOMO
B)guerrilla marketing
C)viral marketing
D)strength of weak ties

Question 28

A normative community is an actual or imaginary individual or group conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual's evaluations, aspirations or behaviour.

Question 29

In general, advertising is more effective when it ________ than when it ________.

A)tries to create new product preferences; reinforces our existing product preferences
B)reinforces our existing product preferences; tries to create new product preferences
C)relies upon word-of-mouth tactics; relies upon viral marketing tactics
D)relies upon viral marketing tactics; relies upon word-of-mouth tactics

Question 30

Sam and Jackson have just returned from a Sydney Swans game at the SCG.The ground really impressed them.What really caught their attention, however, was the unique way Coca-Cola sold its products.There were roving teams of 'Cola Buddies' moving throughout the crowd during the game.These teams were passing out 'free coupons' for Cokes, souvenir cups and free tickets to next week's game.Sam and Jackson will always remember how great their day at the ground was and will certainly choose Coca-Cola when given the opportunity.This is an example of which of the following communication strategies?

A)Foot-in-the-door marketing
B)Viral marketing
C)Guerrilla marketing
D)Demand-based marketing

Question 31

Recent research on opinion leadership has called into question the traditional view that there is such a thing as a ________ opinion leader.

A)heterophilous
B)generalised
C)polymorphic
D)monomorphic

Question 32

Amanda thought she had been cheated by a local car dealership.She was so upset that she created a website to share her story with the world.What is the most likely result of Amanda's action?

A)Most readers will think that Amanda is a little nutty and ignore her website.
B)Amanda's website will decrease the credibility of the dealership's ads and will influence potential buyers to stay away from the dealership.
C)Even if it is read extensively, Amanda's website will have little effect on how people see the dealership or Amanda.
D)The website will actually increase sales at the dealership by giving the company free publicity.

Question 33

The opinion leader referred to as a(n) ________ is actively involved in transmitting marketplace information of all types.

A)surrogate consumer
B)innovator
C)monomorphic leader
D)market maven

Question 34

________ refers to the strategy of getting visitors to a website to forward information on the site to their friends in order to make still more consumers aware of a product.

A)Foot-in-door marketing
B)Guerrilla marketing
C)Viral marketing
D)Demand-based marketing

Question 35

Which of the following is an example of viral marketing?

A)Samsung releases a TV ad for a new cell phone.
B)An ad agency displays posters throughout the NYC subway system.
C)On Twitter, a celebrity shares a link to a book she really enjoyed.
D)A restaurant leaves their menu on benches through a public park.

Question 36

Several research methods are used to study reference groups and opinion leadership.________ methods trace communication patterns among members of a group.These techniques allow researchers to systematically map out the interactions that take place among group members.

A)Momentum
B)Behavioural
C)Sociometric
D)Geodemographic

Question 37

Mindi heard that rubbing olive oil on her feet would help her to avoid the painful cracks that sometimes appear on her heels.Mindi is no foot expert, but she is willing to try this remedy on the off-chance that it might work.Which of the following would best explain Mindi's response to word-of-mouth information?

A)She is coerced into action.
B)She is totally dependent on word-of-mouth information.
C)She is being influenced by social persuasion theory.
D)She is unfamiliar with the product and is therefore likely to be persuaded by word-of-mouth information.

Question 38

Which of the following statements most accurately defines homophily?

A)Homophily is the degree to which a pair of individuals is similar in terms of education, social status and beliefs.
B)Homophily is the degree to which a pair of individuals is similar in terms of monetary wealth and lifestyle.
C)Homophily is the degree to which a pair of individuals is similar in terms of ethnicity.
D)Homophily is the degree to which a pair of individuals is similar in terms of sexual orientation.

Question 39

A(n) ________ is a marketing intermediary retained by a consumer to guide what that consumer buys.

A)market maven
B)opinion leader
C)power user
D)surrogate consumer

Question 40

Max and a few other entrepreneurs start their own social network.Initially, the site seems popular, but after a few months, traffic slows down, and Max and his colleagues realises that traffic has slowed, and people are not proactively engaging very much with the site.Max and his colleagues need to figure out a way to improve ________ for their site to be successful.

A)standards of behaviour
B)network effects
C)word of mouth
D)member contributions

Question 41

Paid advertising has a more powerful effect on consumers than word-of-mouth advertising.

Question 42

An online community is the collective participation of members who together build and maintain a digital social network.

Question 43

According to the principle of least interest, a person will gain power in a group as she decreases her commitment to the group.

Question 44

People we admire influence us because they hold reward power.

Question 45

Companies tend to use guerrilla marketing to reach consumers in their 40s and 50s who often do not have the time to consume traditional media.

Question 46

For an average citizen, an Australian senator is more likely to possess coercive power than legitimate power.

Question 47

Opinion leaders are also likely to be opinion seekers.

Question 48

Opinion leaders don't absorb much of the risk in buying new products because typically they are not the first to purchase them.

Question 49

A person with reward power has the ability to alter the actions of others.

Question 50

Consumers are swayed more by negative word-of-mouth than by positive comments.

Question 51

As people transmit information to one another, they tend to change the message.

Question 52

A membership reference group is made up of idealised figures such as successful business people, athletes or performers.

Question 53

Dayane and Kenneth are both active members of LinkedIn, a professional networking website.They follow and post to discussion boards, add links to colleagues and frequently update their profiles.In networking terms, Dayane and Kenneth are both nodes.

Question 54

Most opinion leaders are celebrities rather than everyday consumers.

Question 55

Groups maintain fundamental standards of conduct through normative influence.

Question 56

A surrogate consumer, by definition, makes a purchase on behalf of another consumer.

Question 57

Cultures around the world encourage different degrees of conformity.

Question 58

An individual's motivation to distance himself from a negative reference group cannot be as powerful as his motivation to please a positive group.

Question 59

The most common method of identifying opinion leaders is to use the social registry document kept by most city newspapers.

Question 60

The original opinion leadership framework of an influence network has been largely displaced by the two-step flow model of influence.

Question 61

Briefly describe the characteristics of someone who is role-relaxed.

Question 62

A group of people who connect with one another online due to some shared interest or affiliation is known as a social network.

Question 63

Discuss the concept of conformity.Then describe the five types of social influence that affect the likelihood of conformity.

Question 64

Explain why opinion leaders are hard to identify.

Question 65

What characteristics of opinion leaders make them valuable sources for product information?

Question 66

Describe the concepts of normative influence and comparative influence among reference groups.

Question 67

Explain the concept of guerrilla marketing and give an illustration of how this promotion/communication technique might be applied.Be specific in your comments.

Question 68

With respect to opinion leadership, compare the self-designating model and the key informant method.

Question 69

Describe the meaning of social power.What are the six bases of social power within reference groups? Give an example of how each one might be used.

Question 70

Explain the relationship between nodes and flows and how these contribute to the media multiplexity of social media.

Question 71

Product-related conversations (word-of-mouth) result because people enjoy talking about things that interest them, people have a genuine desire to help others and people gain an ego boost from spreading knowledge.However, customers will talk much more about negative product and service experiences than positive ones.Why?

Question 72

Reference groups influence consumers in three ways.Name these three ways and describe the nature of the influence upon the consumer.

Question 73

Define the term reference group and explain the difference between a membership reference group and an aspirational reference group.

Question 74

What type of power does a class have as a whole to control the behaviour of a lecturer? As you consider the answer, list each of the six types of power outlined in the text and discuss each type of power as it might be related to this question.