Question 1

Dan is listening to the dean of the college speak about banning fraternities on campus. Dan is most likely to evaluate the quality of the dean's arguments if

Accepted Answer

Dan's membership in a fraternity is likely to make him more interested and invested in the topic of banning fraternities on campus, leading him to pay closer attention to the dean's arguments and to evaluate their quality more critically. The other options (A, C, and D) are unlikely to have a significant impact on Dan's evaluation of the dean's arguments.

Question 2

Which of the following pairs of characteristics matter more for the central route to persuasion than the peripheral route?

Accepted Answer

The central route to persuasion is focused on the content of the message and its logical arguments. Therefore, characteristics such as whether the message is well-conceived and addresses possible counterarguments from the other side of the issue are more important for the central route to persuasion. The other options, such as whether the message is memorable or stimulates cheers from an audience, rely more on peripheral cues and are more relevant for the peripheral route to persuasion.

Question 3

Which of the following concerning the impact of body movements on persuasion is true ?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following concerning the impact...

Question 4

When message recipients use central route processing, which of the following will be true ?

Accepted Answer

When message recipients use central route processing, they focus on the content of the message and engage in detailed, elaborative processing. Therefore, memorable messages will be more persuasive than forgettable ones, as they are more likely to be processed deeply and remembered. Difficult messages may not necessarily be more persuasive, as they may be too challenging to fully comprehend and process. Weak messages are unlikely to engender favorable responses, as they may be dismissed due to lack of credibility or relevance. Elaboration of message content may not necessarily be objective and unbiased, as recipients may have pre-existing attitudes and beliefs that influence their interpretation of the information.

Question 5

Eric does not really know how to answer the essay question about cognitive dissonance on his social psychology exam. He decides to write as many facts as he knows about the topic of attitudes in his bluebook, hoping that the professor will not read the exams too closely and will be impressed enough by the length of his essay to give him a good score. Eric is hoping to take advantage of

Accepted Answer

Eric is trying to use the peripheral route to persuasion by impressing the professor with the length of his essay, rather than the quality of the content. He is not attempting to change the professor's attitudes through sound reasoning or strong arguments, which would be indicative of the central route to persuasion. The sleeper effect and dissonance-related insufficient justification are not applicable in this scenario.

Question 6

Brady and Quinn are trying to develop an ad campaign in which a key element is the trustworthiness of the message's communicator. Toward this end, they may wish to utilize

Accepted Answer

The answer of Brady and Quinn are trying to develop...

Question 7

The more products a celebrity endorses the

Accepted Answer

The more products a celebrity endorses, the less trustworthy she becomes because consumers may believe that she is only endorsing products for the money and not because she actually believes in the products. This can lead to a decrease in credibility and trustworthiness.

Question 8

Gino, a salesperson, wants to use techniques that will lead his potential customers to rely on peripheral route persuasion. He should do all of the following except

Accepted Answer

Approaching prospective buyers who obviously care deeply about his product would not rely on peripheral route persuasion as they would be more likely to engage in central route persuasion, which involves thoughtful consideration of the information presented. The other options, speaking quickly, getting the customer to nod in the affirmative, and presenting to customers who are in a rush, would all appeal to peripheral route persuasion as they rely on superficial cues rather than in-depth analysis.

Question 9

Which of the following conditions is not specified in Hovland's model of persuasion as necessary for persuasion to occur?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following conditions is not...

Question 10

The primary difference between the models of persuasion proposed by Hovland and McGuire and that proposed by Greenwald is that Greenwald's model

Accepted Answer

Hovland and McGuire's model focuses on the source, message, channel, and audience factors that lead to persuasion, without emphasizing the role of cognitive elaboration. Greenwald's model, in contrast, proposes that elaboration is a critical determinant of persuasion, and predicts that attitudes formed through elaborative processing will be more resistant to change over time.

Question 11

The dual-process model proposed by Petty and Cacciopo (1986) assumes that

Accepted Answer

The dual-process model suggests that people may process communications in different ways, depending on factors such as motivation and cognitive capacity. Therefore, it rejects the idea that people always process messages in the same way, as suggested by option C. Furthermore, the model does not propose that people are never persuaded by the strength and quality of arguments, as suggested by option B. Finally, while superficial cues may influence processing in some cases, the model does not suggest that people are always strongly influenced by these cues, as stated in option D.

Question 12

When an audience member does not feel personally involved or invested in the topic of a persuasive message, she is likely to

Accepted Answer

When an audience member does not feel personally involved or invested in the topic, it is less likely that she will be influenced by the strength of the message or the expertise of the message source (peripheral route) and more likely that she will disengage from the message altogether. The sleeper effect also does not apply in this scenario as it involves a delayed impact of the message over time.

Question 13

Vicki is a lawyer who is trying to decide which of two forensic experts she should hire to provide testimony in a case. There is a large discrepancy in the fees each of the experts demands for their services. If Vicki wants the jurors to perceive her expert as trustworthy-and if she expects the witness' fees to become part of the trial record when he testifies-then she should select

Accepted Answer

Selecting the less expensive expert would demonstrate to the jurors that the expert is providing testimony out of a sense of obligation or duty to the court, rather than for financial gain. This could increase the perceived trustworthiness of the expert's testimony. Additionally, if the expert's fees become part of the trial record, selecting the less expensive expert could prevent any negative perceptions that may arise from high fees.

Question 14

An audience member is more likely to use the peripheral route to persuasion if

Accepted Answer

When an argument is familiar, the audience is more likely to rely on heuristics or mental shortcuts (such as "I've heard this before, so it must be true") rather than engaging in critical thinking, which is a hallmark of the peripheral route to persuasion.

Question 15

While watching the presidential debate on television, Matilda critically evaluated the arguments made by each candidate and was persuaded to support a particular candidate because of the quality of her arguments. Matilda exhibited

Accepted Answer

Matilda critically evaluated the arguments made by each candidate and was persuaded based on the quality of their arguments. This is indicative of central route persuasion, which involves careful evaluation and scrutiny of the message being presented.

Question 16

A two-sided argument is most likely to convince an audience that is

Accepted Answer

A two-sided argument is most likely to convince an audience using the central route to persuasion. This is because the central route involves careful consideration of the arguments presented, and a two-sided argument provides a balanced presentation of both sides, allowing the audience to critically evaluate the information and make an informed decision.

Question 17

Which of the following statements about the central route to persuasion is false ?

Accepted Answer

The statement is false as research has shown that the central route is more commonly used by advertisers in individualistic cultures (e.g., the United States) rather than in collectivist cultures (e.g., Korea).

Question 18

The central route to persuasion requires

Accepted Answer

The answer of The central route to persuasion requires
...

Question 19

Oscar, an advertiser, develops a commercial for Crispy Crunch Crackling Cereal. Suppose children, processing information via the central route, watch the commercial. The commercial will be more likely to persuade the kids to want the cereal if it has all of the following except

Accepted Answer

The answer of Oscar, an advertiser, develops a commercial for...

Question 20

Because communicator trustworthiness is important, people tend to be readily impressed by speakers who

Accepted Answer

Speakers who argue against their own interests are perceived as being honest and trustworthy, as they have no apparent motive to deceive or mislead their audience.

Quiz 6: Attitudes