Question 1

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?

Accepted Answer

Audience variables refer to characteristics of the people who are receiving the persuasive message. In this case, attentive versus inattentive listeners is an example of an audience variable that can influence the success of the message. The other choices refer to other factors in the Yale Attitude Change approach, such as message variables (high-quality versus low-quality arguments), source variables (expert versus novel speakers), and message structure variables (one-sided versus two-sided messages).

Question 2

Counterattitudinal advocacy results in attitude change when

Accepted Answer

Counterattitudinal advocacy refers to advocating for a position that is opposed to one's beliefs or attitudes. Attitude change is more likely to occur when there is minimal external justification for this advocacy, such as being paid a small incentive to argue for the opposing view. This lack of external justification leads to cognitive dissonance, and individuals may change their attitudes in order to reduce the discomfort caused by holding inconsistent beliefs. Internal justification, such as a personal belief or value, may make it more difficult to change attitudes. The accessibility and strength of the initial attitude may also impact the likelihood of attitude change, but they are not the primary factors in this scenario.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

The Yale Attitude Change approach focuses on the source of the message, the nature of the message, and the audience receiving the message, which is consistent with the "who says what to whom" perspective. The elaboration likelihood model and heuristic-systematic model are more focused on the cognitive processes involved in persuasion, while the central route to persuasion is one of two routes discussed in the elaboration likelihood model.

Question 4

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?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Emerson's boss wants to use cognitive dissonance...

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory requires creating a situation where there is a low external justification for behavior in order to induce cognitive dissonance. This is difficult to do on a mass scale. While A and C may also be true to some extent, they do not directly explain why cognitive dissonance is not implemented on mass scales. B is incorrect as cognitive dissonance occurs frequently in everyday life.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

The sudden increase in President Bush's approval ratings after the 9/11 attacks demonstrates that attitudes can change rapidly in response to external events. However, the subsequent decline suggests that these changes may not be permanent and can fluctuate in response to ongoing events and actions by the leader. This indicates that attitudes are relatively stable but can still change.

Question 7

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?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Next week, you're going to give a...

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

Attitudes are of interest to social psychologists because they can be influenced by social factors, such as the opinions of others and social norms. Understanding how attitudes are formed and changed can help us understand and predict human behavior in social situations. Option A is partially correct, as shared attitudes among groups of people is also of interest to social psychologists. Option C may be true in some cases but is not a primary reason for the interest in attitudes. Option D is an overgeneralization, as attitudes are just one of many factors that can predict social behaviors.

Question 9

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.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory posits that when a person's behavior is not in line with their internal beliefs or values, they experience psychological discomfort, or cognitive dissonance. To alleviate this discomfort, they may seek to find internal justification for their behavior, rather than external justifications, which may lead to attitude change. Internal justification is therefore the best choice for this question.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

The Yale Attitude Change approach, while comprehensive, often lacked clarity on how to prioritize or emphasize different factors in the persuasion process, making it challenging to apply its insights in a straightforward manner.

Question 11

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?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Yale Attitude Change approach focused on...

Question 12

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.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that when individuals have insufficient external justification for behavior that contradicts their attitudes, they are more likely to change their attitudes to align with their behavior, reducing the dissonance.

Question 13

The elaboration likelihood model explains under what conditions someone will

Accepted Answer

The elaboration likelihood model explains when someone will be influenced by the content of a speech (central route processing) versus when they will be influenced by superficial cues such as the attractiveness of the speaker or the emotional appeal of the message (peripheral route processing).

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

Persuasive communication is the most effective way to change attitudes on a mass scale as it involves presenting information in a convincing and persuasive manner. This can be done through advertising, public speeches, and social media campaigns. Dissonance reduction techniques, insufficient external justification, and counterattitudinal advocacy may be effective in changing attitudes in individual cases, but they are less likely to be effective on a mass scale.

Question 15

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?

Accepted Answer

Source variables refer to characteristics of the person delivering the persuasive message, such as their credibility, trustworthiness, and expertise. Therefore, expert versus novice speakers would exemplify source variables as a factor in the Yale Attitude Change approach.

Question 16

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.

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect occurs when information presented first has more of an impact on an individual's perception and memory than information presented later. In this case, Corey went first and therefore had an advantage in the debate.

Question 17

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.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Reza and Eyad are both salesmen. Eyad...

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

This type of communication is intended to persuade or influence the audience to support a particular position, making it persuasive in nature. While propaganda can also be used to advocate a particular side of an issue, the term has negative connotations and is often associated with misleading or manipulative tactics. External justification and marketing research are not relevant to this question.

Question 19

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.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that people experience discomfort (dissonance) when their beliefs or behaviors are inconsistent with each other. To reduce this discomfort, they may change their attitudes or beliefs. Encouraging your friend to give a public speech against bell-bottoms under conditions of low external justification (e.g., without offering a significant reward or punishment) would likely create dissonance between her behavior (speaking against bell-bottoms) and her attitude (wearing bell-bottoms), potentially leading her to change her attitude to align with her behavior.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

The Yale Attitude Change approach actually suggests that two-sided messages are generally more effective than one-sided messages, because they acknowledge and refute counterarguments that the audience may have. The other statements are true according to the approach.

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