Question 1

According to cognitive dissonance theory, if Selena has just volunteered to give a presentation to her classmates about the importance of practicing safe sex at all times, then-at least in the immediate future-what best describes her likely behavior?

Accepted Answer

According to cognitive dissonance theory, when individuals experience a conflict between their attitudes or beliefs and their behavior, they will experience a state of discomfort, or dissonance. To reduce this discomfort, individuals may change their attitudes or beliefs to be in line with their behavior. In Selena's case, she has just volunteered to give a presentation about the importance of practicing safe sex. This behavior conflicts with any previous behaviors or beliefs she may have had that were not in line with practicing safe sex. Therefore, to reduce the dissonance, she may change her attitudes or beliefs to be in line with her behavior (volunteering to give the presentation). This means that she will be more likely to believe that practicing safe sex is important, and she will also be more likely to practice safe sex herself. Therefore, the best choice is C.

Question 2

According to the text, the drive for consistency is ____.

Accepted Answer

The text states that "the drive for consistency seems to be rooted in our biological nature."

Question 3

A study (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1977)conducted to defend attitudes as a construct predictive of behavior found that if you want to predict who will give blood, you should place which of the following statements on your attitude measure? (Assume a five-point Likert scale anchored by strongly disagree to strongly agree.)

Accepted Answer

Option D reflects a personal commitment to giving blood and is more closely linked to behavior than the other options, which are more general in nature. Option A reflects a positive attitude towards giving blood, option B reflects a belief that giving blood is helpful, and option C reflects a general disposition towards being helpful. While all of these attitudes may be relevant to predicting blood donation behavior, option D is the most specific and directly tied to the behavior in question.

Question 4

Which term refers to the idea that while attitudes and behavior may not match in a single instance, they will tend to match up over a number of instances?

Accepted Answer

Behavioral aggregation is the term that refers to the idea that while attitudes and behavior may not match in a single instance, they will tend to match up over a number of instances. This is because behavior is often influenced by situational factors in the moment, but over time, the influence of these situational factors tends to diminish and consistency between attitudes and behavior can emerge.

Question 5

Research has shown that attitudes that are certain, stable, consistent, available, and based on direct experience are especially effective in predicting behavior. These attitudes best illustrate the term ____.

Accepted Answer

The described attitudes illustrate the concept of accessibility, which refers to how easily an attitude comes to mind or is activated in a given situation. This ease of access makes the attitude more likely to influence behavior.

Question 6

Suppose that Janine-who volunteers for a variety of environmental causes and frequently speaks on campus about the importance of recycling-decided to buy a gas-guzzling SUV last week. When is she most likely to try to rationalize her behavior?

Accepted Answer

Janine, who is aware of the importance of environmental causes, is likely to experience guilt or discomfort surrounding her purchase of a gas-guzzling SUV. As a result, she may try to rationalize her behavior to alleviate this discomfort. If she didn't know about the SUV's poor mileage when she bought it (Option C), she may not feel guilty or uncomfortable with her purchase and therefore may not feel the need to rationalize her behavior. Furthermore, if many people she knows own the same vehicle (Option B), she may see her purchase as normal and not feel guilty or uncomfortable, which would also decrease the likelihood of her trying to rationalize her behavior. However, if no one she knows owns the same vehicle (Option A), she may feel even more guilty or uncomfortable with her purchase, but this is not the most likely scenario for her to try to rationalize her behavior.

Question 7

To increase the chance that a general attitude like "Helping others is a good thing" will predict a specific behavior like someone's willingness to give blood, you should ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of To increase the chance that a general...

Question 8

Who has the most accessible attitude?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Who has the most accessible attitude?
...

Question 9

Attitude accessibility refers to ____.

Accepted Answer

Attitude accessibility refers to how easily the attitude comes to mind, meaning it is readily available in a person's thoughts and can be quickly expressed when prompted.

Question 10

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)meetings are "self-help" meetings comprised of people who are recovering from alcohol-related problems. These meetings employ a number of practices designed to keep people away from alcohol. Which of the practices listed below is most consistent with the research on cognitive dissonance theory and attitude change? That is, which of the following would a cognitive dissonance theorist be most likely to applaud?

Accepted Answer

According to cognitive dissonance theory, people experience discomfort or dissonance when their attitudes and behaviors are inconsistent. By publicly stating that they have an alcohol problem, group members are committing themselves to their new attitude (that they have a problem and need to change) and are more likely to change their behavior (avoid alcohol). This is consistent with the cognitive dissonance theory and would be applauded by a cognitive dissonance theorist.

Question 11

Iris is a vegetarian, but she ate a steak last night. When would she be most likely to try to rationalize her steak-eating?

Accepted Answer

If Iris chose to eat the steak and feels guilty or nervous specifically because of the steak-eating, she would be most likely to try to rationalize it to alleviate her cognitive dissonance. This aligns with the concept of rationalization as a defense mechanism, as individuals often try to justify their behavior in order to reduce discomfort and maintain consistency in their self-image.

Question 12

The need to feel that one is thinking and behaving in consistent ways is ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The need to feel that one is...

Question 13

____ works on the assumption that a person's attitude toward helping others might fare better if his or her behavior is not measured by a single test.

Accepted Answer

Behavioral aggregation suggests that attitudes towards helping others can be better understood by looking at a person's consistent behavior over time, rather than a single test or instance. This approach takes into account the variability of behavior based on situational factors and allows for a more accurate representation of a person's true attitude towards helping others.

Question 14

Much research has demonstrated a weak link between (a)what people say their attitudes are, and (b)how they actually behave. According to the text, one of the key reasons that this relationship is so weak, however, is the fact that researchers have often ____.

Accepted Answer

This answer is supported by the text, which states that researchers have often tried to relate very general attitudes to very specific behaviors, leading to a weak link between attitudes and behavior.

Question 15

Conservatives tend to rely on conservative media outlets while liberals tend to rely on media outlets. What is this phenomenon called?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Conservatives tend to rely on conservative media...

Question 16

In light of the research on cognitive dissonance theory, what is the best explanation for the role of large, expensive marriage ceremonies?

Accepted Answer

The involvement of friends and family in the large, expensive marriage ceremony creates a sense of effort justification for the couple, which strengthens their commitment to each other. Additionally, the public nature of the ceremony and the involvement of friends and family act as a form of social control, discouraging marriage-inconsistent behaviors such as cheating. Therefore, both effort justification and social control contribute to the role of large, expensive marriage ceremonies in strengthening commitment and discouraging marriage-inconsistent behaviors.

Question 17

In one well-known study that was conducted during an era of anti-Chinese prejudice (LaPiere, 1934), a researcher drove across the U.S. with a Chinese couple, stopping at dozens of restaurants, hotels, auto camps, and tourist homes. He was interested in attitude-behavior consistency. Specifically, he was interested in knowing the percentage of establishments that would serve the couple, as well as the percentage of establishments that would say that they would serve the couple when contacted later. What did he find?

Accepted Answer

The researcher found that nearly 100% of the establishments served the couple, but only about 10% of those establishments said that they would serve the couple when contacted later. This demonstrates a significant inconsistency between attitudes and behavior during a time of anti-Chinese prejudice.

Question 18

When the offering plate is passed at her church, Pat rarely puts any money in it. She always looks at the offering as a financial question in terms of her own books. She has never thought of it in terms of an indicator of her faith. Pat is a devout believer in the teachings of her church. Pat's attitude-behavior inconsistency results from ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When the offering plate is passed at...

Question 19

Which of the following best describes behavioral aggregation as a solution to the problem of attitude-behavior inconsistency?

Accepted Answer

Behavioral aggregation involves measuring a variety of behaviors to which the general attitude could relate, rather than relying on a single behavior to predict attitude. This approach takes into account that attitudes can be context-specific and can vary across different types of behaviors. By considering a range of behaviors, behavioral aggregation can provide a more accurate reflection of an individual's overall attitude.

Question 20

In one well-known study that was conducted during an era of anti-Chinese prejudice (LaPiere, 1934), a researcher drove across the U.S. with a Chinese couple, stopping at dozens of restaurants, hotels, auto camps, and tourist homes. He was interested in knowing the percentage of establishments that would serve the couple, as well as the percentage of establishments that would SAY that they would serve the couple when contacted later. The results from this research provided some of the first evidence of ____.

Accepted Answer

The study provided evidence that people's stated attitudes (in this case, about serving Chinese individuals) were not always consistent with their actual behaviors (i.e. whether or not they actually served the couple). This is known as the attitude-behavior gap or the discrepancy between what people say they will do and what they actually do.

Quiz 7: Attitudes, Beliefs, and Consistency