Question 1

Imagine that you have given a speech to your colleagues about the potential health hazards of smoking.Your message can be considered persuasive if,after hearing the speech,your colleagues

Accepted Answer

The objective of a persuasive speech is to change people's attitudes or behaviors toward a particular topic. In this case, the objective is to make the colleagues believe that smoking is harmful to their health. If the colleagues come to privately believe more strongly that smoking is bad for their health after hearing the speech, then the speech can be considered persuasive. It is not necessary that the colleagues sign a petition or become more friendly toward you, and it is definitely not desirable that they start smoking more due to reactance.

Question 2

After-only design should be used for measuring attitude change only when

Accepted Answer

After-only design is appropriate when participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, as it allows for the assumption that any differences in outcomes are due to the treatment itself.

Question 3

The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion (Petty & Cacioppo,1986)proposes that message recipients will centrally process a communication when they

Accepted Answer

The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion posits that central processing of a message occurs when a person is both motivated to attend to the message and has the ability to do so. Central processing means that the person is engaging in active and thoughtful evaluation of the message, considering the arguments and evidence presented. This type of processing is more likely to result in lasting attitude change than when a person is using peripheral cues, such as the source of the message or superficial characteristics of the message itself.

Question 4

Encouraging positive self-talk,inhibiting counterarguments,and defeating a message through inoculation are implications of

Accepted Answer

Encouraging positive self-talk, inhibiting counterarguments, and defeating a message through inoculation are all part of the cognitive response model, which focuses on how individuals respond to persuasive messages by either accepting or rejecting them. Reactance theory concerns the idea that people feel an urge to resist persuasion when they perceive a threat to their freedom or autonomy. Consistency theory focuses on how people seek consistency between their beliefs and behavior, and balance theory is concerned with the relationships between individuals and their social environment.

Question 5

The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion is considered a dual process model because it postulates that there are two

Accepted Answer

The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion proposes that there are two routes to persuasion: the central route and the peripheral route. The central route involves the person processing the message carefully and thoughtfully, whereas the peripheral route involves being swayed by superficial cues such as the speaker's appearance or reputation. Therefore, the correct answer is C.

Question 6

Imagine you are an incumbent politician who wants to employ inoculation in a campaign letter so your constituents will vote against your challenger.Which of the following techniques best employs the inoculation procedure (McGuire,1964)?

Accepted Answer

Inoculation involves presenting weaker arguments of the opponent to refute them, thereby strengthening the audience's resistance to future, stronger arguments.

Question 7

According to the text,one persuasive strategy recommended by the cognitive response model is to

Accepted Answer

The cognitive response model suggests that limiting the audience's time to formulate counterarguments can make a message more persuasive, as it reduces the likelihood of them generating negative thoughts in response to the persuasive attempt.

Question 8

According to the cognitive response model of persuasion,persuasion is affected most strongly by

Accepted Answer

According to the cognitive response model of persuasion, what a person says to themselves after receiving a message is the strongest predictor of persuasion. This is because people tend to base their attitudes and beliefs on the thoughts and reactions they have after being presented with persuasive information. The strength of the arguments, how well the person remembers the message arguments, and the ability to process the message can all affect persuasion, but to a lesser extent than the cognitive responses of the individual.

Question 9

The text defines persuasion as

Accepted Answer

Persuasion is defined as a change in a private attitude or belief resulting from the receipt of a message. This means that the person being persuaded has undergone a change in their personal thoughts or feelings as a result of some form of communication or information presented to them. This is distinct from simply conforming to a public norm or obeying authority, which are not necessarily indicative of a change in private beliefs. Subliminal suggestions are also not typically considered a legitimate form of persuasion, as they do not involve a conscious message or an opportunity for critical evaluation.

Question 10

According to your text,William McGuire's (1964)inoculation procedure refers to

Accepted Answer

William McGuire's (1964) inoculation procedure refers to presenting weak arguments for the opposing position and then refuting them, in order to immunize individuals against stronger counterarguments. This technique can help individuals resist persuasive attempts towards attitudes and beliefs they hold.

Question 11

The cognitive response model of persuasion emphasizes

Accepted Answer

The cognitive response model of persuasion highlights the importance of cognitive responses, which refer to the thoughts and beliefs that the target has in response to a persuasive message. This choice emphasizes the importance of what a target says to himself or herself after hearing a persuasive communication.

Question 12

As mentioned in your text,the interrogators of Peter Reilly did not let him eat or sleep for about 24 hours before the formal questioning.According to the cognitive response model,how did this affect his false confession?

Accepted Answer

According to the cognitive response model, when a person is sleep-deprived or physically exhausted, their ability to think analytically and critically is impaired. Therefore, they may not be able to form counterarguments or think through the consequences of their actions. In the case of Peter Reilly, his lack of sleep and food may have contributed to his false confession because he was not able to think clearly and defend himself against the accusations.

Question 13

Nonreactive measurement

Accepted Answer

Nonreactive measurement does not change participants' responses while recording them. This means that the measurement does not affect the behavior or responses of the participants being observed or measured. This type of measurement is often used to gather data in naturalistic settings or in research where it is important to minimize the impact of the measurement on the behavior being measured.

Question 14

A researcher who wanted to test the persuasiveness of a message against abortion sent a letter to half of the households in the sample.Later,she called all of the households in the sample and asked them about their attitudes toward abortion.What kind of design was employed in the study?

Accepted Answer

The study employs an after-only design because the researcher only collected data on the participants' attitudes towards abortion after sending a message to half of the households. There is no measurement of attitudes before receiving the message. This type of design is commonly used in field experiments where it may not be possible to measure attitudes before treatment.

Question 15

It is preferable to use self-report measures of attitudes rather than covert measures when

Accepted Answer

Self-report measures of attitudes are more appropriate when people have no good reason to hide their true feelings because they provide a direct measure of their attitudes. Covert measures may not capture the true attitudes of individuals as they may be trying to conceal their true feelings. Strong attitudes, laboratory settings, and the presence of a control group do not necessarily affect the choice between self-report and covert measures.

Question 16

In order to measure whether a message produced an attitude change when an after-only design was used,you should compare the attitudes of the people who received the message with

Accepted Answer

In an after-only design, it is important to have a control group that did not receive the message in order to determine if the attitude change is truly a result of the message and not due to other factors. Therefore, the attitudes of people who did not receive the message are the best comparison group.

Question 17

According to the cognitive response model,all of the following tactics would reduce counterarguing against a persuasive message EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Encouraging "self-talk" by the target can actually increase counterarguing because it involves the target actively thinking about the message, which can lead to the generation of counterarguments. The other options (B, C, D) are tactics that can reduce the opportunity or ability to counterargue.

Question 18

Suppose that you are presented with an essay favoring comprehensive exams at your school.Which of the following would most likely affect your attitudes if you are told that the policy will not go into effect for 10 years?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose that you are presented with an...

Question 19

The text discusses how anti-tobacco groups aired TV ads that parodied ads by tobacco companies,such as the ad where tough Marlboro Man-like characters were reduced to wheezing and coughing.These parody ads were effective because they induced viewers to

Accepted Answer

The parody ads prompted viewers to critically evaluate and counterargue the messages in tobacco company ads, reducing their persuasive impact.

Question 20

The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion is an example of a

Accepted Answer

The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion is a dual-process model, as it suggests two different routes by which people are persuaded: the central route, in which people carefully process and evaluate the information presented to them, and the peripheral route, in which people are swayed more by superficial cues like the communicator's appearance or the emotional appeal of the message.

Quiz 5: Attitudes and Persuasion