Question 1

Which term best describes an attempt to change a person's mind?

Accepted Answer

Persuasion is the act of trying to change someone's beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors through communication or other methods. Induction refers to a specific method of reasoning, while assimilation refers to the process of incorporating new information into existing knowledge. Manipulation involves using deceitful or unethical methods to influence someone, which is not a positive approach to changing a person's mind.

Question 2

A large furniture store puts an advertisement in the Sunday paper stating that a sale will occur on a holiday weekend and only for that weekend. Which social influence strategy is being used?

Accepted Answer

The fast-approaching deadline strategy is being used in this advertisement. The sale is only for the holiday weekend, creating a sense of urgency for potential customers to take advantage of the sale before it ends.

Question 3

Which social influence technique is based on capturing and disrupting attention?

Accepted Answer

The pique technique involves capturing someone's attention by making a distinctive request or approach. This disrupts their typical thought pattern and makes them more likely to consider the request.

Question 4

The sleeper effect refers to the finding that, over time, ____.

Accepted Answer

The sleeper effect is a psychological phenomenon where people tend to forget the source of information over time, but remember the information itself. This can lead to increased persuasion as the source's credibility fades in memory, leaving only the message, which might be seen as more credible over time.

Question 5

Research suggests that there are two main factors that make a source credible: ____.

Accepted Answer

The two main factors that make a source credible are expertise and trustworthiness. Expertise refers to the knowledge, skill, and experience of the source in the given topic, while trustworthiness refers to the perceived honesty, integrity, and reliability of the source. Likeability and similarity may also play a role in how receptive people are to a message, but they do not necessarily make a source credible.

Question 6

The ____ technique is a social influence technique in which the influencer interferes with a person's critical thinking by introducing an unexpected element, and then recasts his or her message in a positive light.

Accepted Answer

The disrupt-then-reframe technique is a social influence technique in which the influencer disrupts the listener's thinking by introducing an unexpected element, and then reframes the message in a positive light. This technique is often used in persuasion attempts and can be effective in getting someone to agree to something they may not have otherwise agreed to.

Question 7

Social psychologists who study persuasion use the term "source" to refer to the ____.

Accepted Answer

The term "source" in persuasion refers to the person or entity delivering the persuasive message, such as a speaker or advertiser.

Question 8

Vince is trying to pick up a woman at a bar. Instead of approaching her with a boring "standard line" (e.g., "Can I buy you a drink?"), he tries something new. He asks, "Can I buy you a diamond?" Even though he has no intention of buying the woman a diamond (at least not right away), he hopes that this will capture her attention. Social psychologists would say that Vince is using the ____ social influence technique.

Accepted Answer

Vince is using the pique social influence technique by making an unconventional request that captures the woman's attention and potentially increases the likelihood that she will engage with him.

Question 9

The social influence technique known as the pique technique operates ____.

Accepted Answer

The pique technique operates by capturing and disrupting attention.

Question 10

How can individuals best defend themselves against social influence techniques based on scarcity?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How can individuals best defend themselves against...

Question 11

The limited-number technique is based upon the principle of ____.

Accepted Answer

The limited-number technique is based on the principle of scarcity, which suggests that people are more likely to want something if it is rare or in limited supply. By emphasizing that a product or opportunity is available only in a limited quantity, marketers can create a sense of urgency that motivates consumers to act quickly.

Question 12

Kirby thinks that her professor is tremendously smart and knows a lot. Which element of source credibility is this?

Accepted Answer

Kirby's perception of her professor's intelligence and knowledge relates to their level of expertise, which is an important element of source credibility.

Question 13

The fast-approaching-deadline technique is a persuasive technique based upon the principle of ____.

Accepted Answer

The fast-approaching-deadline technique is based on the principle of scarcity, which is the idea that people place higher value on things that are less available or in limited supply. By creating a sense of urgency and emphasizing that time is running out, this technique seeks to persuade people to take action and avoid missing out on an opportunity.

Question 14

Instead of using the standard queries-"Spare any change?" or "Spare a dollar?"-a homeless person asks passerby, "Spare four hundred dollars and thirty-seven cents?" She is apparently making use of the ____ technique of social influence.

Accepted Answer

The homeless person is using the pique technique, which involves making a unique request or phrasing the request in an unusual way to capture someone's attention and increase the likelihood of compliance. By asking for a specific amount of money rather than a generic request, the homeless person is using the pique technique.

Question 15

How can a person defend against social influence techniques based on capturing and disrupting attention?

Accepted Answer

By attempting to pause the interaction and eliminate distractions, a person can defend themselves against social influence techniques based on capturing and disrupting attention. This allows the person to regroup, refocus their attention, and make a more deliberate decision.

Question 16

The finding that, over time, people tend to separate messages from their sources-and forget where or from whom they heard certain things-is known as the ____.

Accepted Answer

The described phenomenon is known as the sleeper effect.

Question 17

Which social influence technique is based on capturing and disrupting attention?

Accepted Answer

The disrupt-then-reframe technique is based on capturing and disrupting attention by presenting a surprising or confusing message, interrupting the usual thinking pattern, and then reframing the message to make it more appealing or convincing. The other techniques listed (labeling, bait-and-switch, and door-in-the-face) do not rely on capturing and disrupting attention in the same way.

Question 18

People are more likely to buy cupcakes when they are described as "halfcakes, priced at a bargain price," as opposed to when they are simply described as "cupcakes." This is an example of people being influenced via the ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of People are more likely to buy cupcakes...

Question 19

Social psychologists who talk about a persuasive communicator as having "expertise" are referring to ____.

Accepted Answer

When social psychologists refer to a persuasive communicator as having "expertise," they are referring to how much knowledge or competence the communicator possesses in a particular area or subject. This is often a factor that enhances their credibility and persuasiveness in the eyes of the audience.

Question 20

The earliest scientific studies in social psychology on persuasion were conducted by ____.

Accepted Answer

Carl Hovland is credited with conducting some of the earliest scientific studies on persuasion in social psychology. He developed the Yale Attitude Change Approach, which focused on the source, message, and audience factors that make persuasive messages effective.

Quiz 8: Social Influence and Persuasion

Which term best describes an attempt to change a person's mind?

A large furniture store puts an advertisement in the Sunday paper stating that a sale will occur on a holiday weekend and only for that weekend. Which social influence strategy is being used?

Which social influence technique is based on capturing and disrupting attention?

The sleeper effect refers to the finding that, over time, ____.

Research suggests that there are two main factors that make a source credible: ____.

The ____ technique is a social influence technique in which the influencer interferes with a person's critical thinking by introducing an unexpected element, and then recasts his or her message in a positive light.

Social psychologists who study persuasion use the term "source" to refer to the ____.

The social influence technique known as the pique technique operates ____.

How can individuals best defend themselves against social influence techniques based on scarcity?

The limited-number technique is based upon the principle of ____.

Kirby thinks that her professor is tremendously smart and knows a lot. Which element of source credibility is this?

The fast-approaching-deadline technique is a persuasive technique based upon the principle of ____.

Instead of using the standard queries-"Spare any change?" or "Spare a dollar?"-a homeless person asks passerby, "Spare four hundred dollars and thirty-seven cents?" She is apparently making use of the ____ technique of social influence.

How can a person defend against social influence techniques based on capturing and disrupting attention?

The finding that, over time, people tend to separate messages from their sources-and forget where or from whom they heard certain things-is known as the ____.

Which social influence technique is based on capturing and disrupting attention?

People are more likely to buy cupcakes when they are described as "halfcakes, priced at a bargain price," as opposed to when they are simply described as "cupcakes." This is an example of people being influenced via the ____.

Social psychologists who talk about a persuasive communicator as having "expertise" are referring to ____.

The earliest scientific studies in social psychology on persuasion were conducted by ____.