Question 1

Raymond's attitude is more likely to be highly accessible if he has ________ the attitude object.

Accepted Answer

If Raymond has more firsthand experience with the attitude object, he is more likely to have a highly accessible attitude towards it. This means that the attitude is more easily activated and likely to influence Raymond's behavior and thoughts.

Question 2

Why are millions of dollars a year spent on advertising?

Accepted Answer

The assumption is that attitude change through advertising leads to behavioral change, which in turn leads to increased sales and profits for businesses.

Question 3

Based on research by Fazio regarding the ability of highly accessible attitudes to predict behaviors, which of the following people would be most likely to stop and donate to a homeless person who approaches and asks for money?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Based on research by Fazio regarding the...

Question 4

________ is to predicting spontaneous behavior as ________ is to predicting deliberative behavior.

Accepted Answer

Attitude accessibility is the strength of the association between an attitude object and a person's evaluation of that object. Predicting spontaneous behavior is influenced more by attitude accessibility than other factors such as intentional planning. On the other hand, predicting deliberative behavior is influenced more by intention which refers to a person's conscious plan to perform a behavior.

Question 5

Your best friend Nina may or may not visit New York this weekend. According to the theory of planned behavior, what information would be most useful in helping you predict whether Nina will actually travel to New York?

Accepted Answer

The theory of planned behavior states that behavioral intentions are the best predictors of actual behavior. Therefore, knowing Nina's intention to visit New York would be the most useful information in predicting whether she will actually travel there. Attitudes may influence intentions, but intentions are more directly linked to behavior. Knowing Nina's attitude toward New York or her intention to get away this weekend may provide some insight, but they are not as predictive as her intention to visit New York specifically.

Question 6

Recall that in the 1930s, when anti-Asian prejudice was commonplace in the United States, LaPiere (1934) had no trouble finding pleasant accommodations for himself and his Chinese traveling companions. Surprised, LaPiere later sent letters to the establishments they visited, asking whether Chinese visitors would be welcome. More than 90 percent of those who responded replied that they definitely would not accommodate Chinese. Although LaPiere's study suggests that there is a weak link between attitudes and behavior, his results should be interpreted with caution. Why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Recall that in the 1930s, when anti-Asian...

Question 7

If you stand in the checkout line of any discount store, you'll see a very odd assortment of items on display: disposable razors, batteries, ballpoint pens, playing cards, trail mix, combination locks, and so on. Retailers call these items "impulse buys," meaning that although people may not come to the store looking for cards, pens, or trail mix, when they see them near the checkout, they'll buy them. An attitude researcher might say that people buy these items because

Accepted Answer

Attitudes toward these items may be highly accessible, meaning they are easily remembered and easily manifested into behavior without much thought or deliberation. The placement of these items in the checkout line takes advantage of the accessibility of these attitudes, leading to impulse purchases.

Question 8

According to the theory of planned behavior, the best predictor of riding a roller coaster would be

Accepted Answer

The theory of planned behavior suggests that behavior is determined by intentions, which are influenced by one's attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Therefore, in the context of riding a roller coaster, one's intention to ride the roller coaster would be the best predictor of whether or not they will ride it.

Question 9

According to the theory of planned behavior, the best predictor of people's deliberative behavior is

Accepted Answer

The theory of planned behavior states that people's intentions are the best predictor of their deliberate behavior. This is because intentions reflect a person's motivation and willingness to engage in a particular behavior. Other factors such as the social situation and perceived social norms can also influence behavior, but they are not considered as strong predictors as intentions.

Question 10

Social psychologists have found that attitudes do predict behavior, but only under certain specifiable conditions. One key factor is knowing whether the behavior in question is

Accepted Answer

Attitudes are more likely to predict behavior when the behavior is deliberate rather than spontaneous. Deliberate behaviors allow for reflection on attitudes, making the connection between attitude and behavior stronger.

Question 11

On the campus of the University of Minnesota, there are signs near large expanses of grass that read, "Lie on me, play on me, but please don't walk on me." These signs are more likely to protect the grass than signs that read "Stay off the grass!" because the Minnesota signs

Accepted Answer

The "Lie on me, play on me, but please don't walk on me" signs are framed more positively and allow for some flexibility in behavior, which is less likely to generate psychological reactance than a more restrictive message like "Stay off the grass!".

Question 12

The theory of planned behavior states that the best predictors of deliberate behaviors are

Accepted Answer

The theory of planned behavior proposes that an individual's behavioral intentions, subjective norms (the perceived social pressure to engage or not engage in a behavior), and perceived behavior control (the perceived ease or difficulty of performing a behavior) are the best predictors of deliberate behaviors. Therefore, choice C is the correct answer as it includes all three of these factors.

Question 13

Recall that in the l930s, when anti-Asian prejudice was commonplace in the United States, LaPiere (1934) had no trouble finding pleasant accommodations for himself and his Chinese traveling companions. Surprised, LaPiere later sent letters to the establishments they visited, asking whether Chinese visitors would be welcome. More than 90 percent of those who responded replied that they definitely would not accommodate Chinese. This study is noteworthy because it suggested that

Accepted Answer

The study is noteworthy because it showed that the link between attitudes (prejudice towards Chinese people) and behaviors (providing accommodations for them) was tenuous, as many establishments reported that they would not accommodate Chinese visitors despite having expressed no such sentiment to LaPiere and his companions during their visit.

Question 14

Based on the principles of psychological reactance, what should a mother say to her daughter who wants to have her nose pierced?

Accepted Answer

According to the principles of psychological reactance, people are more likely to resist when they perceive that their freedom is threatened. Choices A, B, and C all communicate a threat of punishment for getting her nose pierced, which may increase the daughter's desire to get it done. Option D, however, presents a possible consequence without directly threatening her freedom to decide. It encourages the daughter to think about her decision in the long-term and consider whether she will still like the piercing when she is older. This approach is more likely to be effective in preventing the daughter from getting her nose pierced, while respecting her autonomy.

Question 15

Why are highly accessible attitudes more likely to predict spontaneous behaviors than are less accessible attitudes?

Accepted Answer

Highly accessible attitudes are likely to be at the forefront of a person's mind, making them more top-of-mind when it comes to making decisions and taking actions. Therefore, people are more likely to act in accordance with their accessible attitudes.

Question 16

What type of attitudes best predict spontaneous behavior?

Accepted Answer

Highly accessible attitudes are more likely to predict spontaneous behavior because they are more easily activated and come to mind more automatically, making them more salient in the moment of decision-making. Emotion and cognition-based attitudes may also play a role in spontaneous behavior, but highly accessible attitudes are the strongest predictor. Weak attitudes, on the other hand, are less likely to have an impact on behavior.

Question 17

According to reactance theory, which of the following persuasion attempts will meet with the least resistance when a parent tries to convince his child to keep her room clean?

Accepted Answer

Reactance theory suggests that people are more likely to resist persuasion attempts that threaten their freedom or control. Options B, C, and D all use threats or commands, which can trigger reactance and increase resistance. Option A, on the other hand, presents a simple request with no implicit threat, which is less likely to trigger reactance and more likely to be met with compliance.

Question 18

Researchers (Davidson & Jaccard, 1979) studied the relationship between women's attitudes and their use of the birth control pill. They found that the best predictor of whether women were using the birth control pill two years after reporting their attitudes was the women's

Accepted Answer

Davidson & Jaccard (1979) found that the best predictor of women's use of the birth control pill two years after reporting their attitudes was their attitude toward using birth control pills during the two-year period. This highlights the importance of specific attitudes towards a behavior in predicting future behavior.

Question 19

Recall that researchers (Pennebaker & Sanders, 1976) placed one of two signs in the bathrooms on a college campus. One was a strong warning ("Do not write on these walls under any circumstances") and the other was a milder admonition ("Please don't write on these walls"). Two weeks later, what were they likely to find in the bathrooms containing the strong warnings?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Recall that researchers (Pennebaker & Sanders, 1976)...

Question 20

Researchers (Davidson & Jaccard, 1979) studied the relationship between women's attitudes and their use of the birth control pill. The results of this study indicated that general attitudes were _______ of behavior.

Accepted Answer

The study found that general attitudes had a poor predictive value for women's use of the birth control pill.

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