Deck 6: Persuasion and Attitude Change

Question 1

Studies by Hovland and his colleagues based upon the use of wartime propaganda during the Second World War:

A) were early psychological investigations dealing with persuasion.
B) had been anticipated by the Munich school of psychologists.
C) were later shown to be concocted conspiracy theories.
D) criticised the idea of cognitive dissonance among soldiers.

Answer 1

were early psychological investigations dealing with persuasion.

Question 2

Dr Kurt Krop, leading biochemist, is to address other scientists to support his drive to secure government funding for developing genetically engineered tomatoes. A very good tactic to get their backing is to:

A) provide a detailed account of exactly how the funds will be used.
B) give them a drink of some secretly genetically engineered tomato juice.
C) hail GE foodstuffs as the solution for the future of the world population.
D) deal with anti-GE arguments as well as pro-GE arguments.

Answer 2

deal with anti-GE arguments as well as pro-GE arguments.

Question 3

According to Yale's attitude change program, the three general variables involved in persuasion are:

A) the source, the message, and where it's presented.
B) the message, where it's presented, and previous ideologies of the audience.
C) the source, the audience, and where the message is presented.
D) the source, the message, and the audience.

Answer 3

the source, the message, and the audience.

Question 4

In persuasive communications research, which one of the following is NOT a variable considered to be a 'source' factor?

A) Race
B) Status
C) Expertise
D) Persuasibility

Question 5

Two areas of persuasive communications research after the Second World War focused on:

A) message vitality and ethnicity of the target.
B) source of a message and message content.
C) classical conditioning and audience reaction.
D) leadership and group structure.

Question 6

The degree to which a message is persuasive can depend on attributes of the communicator. Research has confirmed which one of the following as a communicator characteristic?

A) Very fat people are more persuasive than very thin people
B) Fast talkers are more persuasive than slow talkers
C) The order of arguments is important
D) Less educated speakers should present only one side of an argument

Question 7

Decades of research and a vast amount of literature on persuasive communications are based on the benchmark studies headed by:

A) Hovland who studied the use of wartime propaganda.
B) Asch who undertook pioneering studies of group conformity.
C) Sherif who investigated the experimental induction of group norms.
D) Lewin who explored group dynamics.

Question 8

The concept where most people think that they are less influenced than others by advertisements is called:

A) the third-person effect.
B) the know-it-all effect.
C) the bystander effect.
D) the superhero effect.

Question 9

In the literature dealing with persuasive communications, ________ relates to the source of a message, whereas ________ relates to aspects of the message.

A) appeal; gender of audience
B) status; order of arguments
C) race; intelligence
D) type of appeal; trustworthiness

Question 10

The origins of the study of communication and persuasion can be traced back to:

A) Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance.
B) studies on war propaganda by the Yale social psychology group.
C) Baumeister and Covington's research on audience self-esteem.
D) Lewin's studies of leadership in boys.

Question 11

Persuasive communications identifies ________ as an 'audience' factor variable in research.

A) Self-esteem
B) Credibility
C) Type of appeal
D) Race

Question 12

Joan is against using drugs, but recently learned that her brother smoked marijuana to relieve the pain he had from his cancer. What is Joan likely to experience?

A) cognitive dissonance.
B) argumentation.
C) cognitive change.
D) an attitude change.

Question 13

'A group of recent college graduates are more likely to be persuaded when the order of arguments is logical.' This statement refers to:

A) a message characteristic and an audience characteristic.
B) an audience characteristic and a source characteristic.
C) an audience characteristic only.
D) a communicator characteristic only.

Question 14

The content of a message has an impact on whether people are persuaded or not. Which of the following is NOT directly related to the message component?

A) People are more easily persuaded if they think that the message is not intended to manipulate them
B) A message delivered by an expert is more persuasive than one delivered by a non-expert
C) Fear-arousing messages are more likely to persuade
D) A powerful linguistic style (e.g., no hesitations) enhances persuasion

Question 15

When a person performs an act that runs counter to an existing attitude, they may experience:

A) cognitive dissonance.
B) argumentation.
C) cognitive change.
D) an attitude change.

Question 16

A successful persuasive message should include at least one of the following characteristics. Which one?

A) The audience needs to give some attention to the message
B) The message must be very sensible
C) The message has to be written neatly
D) No extraneous factor should interrupt the information flow

Question 17

A challenging orientation in attitude change theory has argued that one way to change people's minds is to change their behaviour. The underlying concept is:

A) weighted averaging.
B) heuristic processing.
C) cognitive dissonance.
D) the door-in-the-face tactic.

Question 18

The third-person effect refers to the:

A) three elements in a source-message-target communication chain.
B) third of three tactics used by the third man in the film 'The Third Man'.
C) belief that persuasive messages influence us less than other people.
D) most recently researched message factor in communication studies.

Question 19

Myrtle Money, the Minister of Student Affairs, is on campus. She is about to give a public speech to students about the need for higher student fees. She did not get where she is today without being quite cunning, and she knows that an effective tactic for an intelligent audience is to:

A) deal with student views as well as government views on the issue.
B) present only the views of the government on the issue.
C) use a series of slogans and few simple ideas as the basis for her talk.
D) be ready to stomp on any wise guys in the audience.

Question 20

According to Goethals & Nelson (1973), when do we accept the opinions of dissimilar sources more readily than similar sources?

A) Never-the opinions of sources similar to us are always accepted more readily than the opinions of sources dissimilar to us
B) When the issue concerns a matter of taste or judgement (e.g., what is the best movie in cinemas at the moment?)
C) When the issue concerns a matter of fact (e.g., who won the last Football World Cup?)
D) Always-the opinions of sources dissimilar to us are always accepted more readily than the opinions of sources who are similar to us

Question 21

The four-door vehicle Macho has been around for a few years. It recently started to be heavily advertised again on TV as 'the best of the lot!' Consumer research has shown that this:

A) increases the earnings of the advertising agency.
B) reinforces any existing preference for Machos over Ruggeds and Tuffees.
C) encourages people to switch to Ruggeds and Tuffees.
D) will turn people off Machos totally.

Question 22

There is now evidence that continuous TV advertising of shocking images of accidents has not been effective in reducing road accidents. This is likely to be because:

A) high-fear messages are disruptive and interfere with audience attention.
B) high-fear messages focus the audience on its purpose for critical thinking.
C) low-fear messages are disruptive and interfere with audience attention.
D) low-fear messages focus the audience on its purpose for critical thinking.

Question 23

The best way to eliminate dangerous health practices according to protection motivation theory is to make sure:

A) they do not mention any details of how to cope with the danger.
B) the fear messages are extremely frightening.
C) attractive or well-known people are the ones presenting the fear messages.
D) they include an effective presentation of how to cope with the danger.

Question 24

When trying to persuade an audience, and the content of the message is simple it will be more effective if:

A) the audience has been prompted about what is to follow.
B) the audience is distracted.
C) the speaker has the full attention of the listeners.
D) it is presented by a lay-person rather than an expert.

Question 25

The treasurer of a non-profit organisation will present the annual report to the board of directors. The organisation only received about half of their expected donations as a result of an ongoing recession. However, instead of using the term 'decline', the term 'negative growth' is used. This is an example of:

A) uneconomical behaviour.
B) message framing.
C) impression formation.
D) informed deception.

Question 26

When Karen hears graphic news about disasters she becomes somewhat stressed, focussed and attentive. However, when she gets extremely stressed, she is so uptight that she becomes distracted from the details of the story. This sequence characterises the:

A) inverted U-curve.
B) J-curve.
C) reactance response.
D) boomerang effect.

Question 27

You are an activist. You want your employer to create job vacancies for refugees. You decide to improve your chances by advertising a new policy of 'equal opportunity' rather than 'reverse discrimination'. You have used:

A) message framing.
B) the foot-in-the-door technique.
C) unethical behaviour.
D) informed deception.

Question 28

When might a threat message in advertising work? When:

A) advertising agencies put their most creative people on the job.
B) message difficulty interacts with the choice of media.
C) a threat also includes a method of coping with the danger.
D) the advertisement is really, really scary.

Question 29

Consider a simple promotional message such as 'Take in a great view-Bungee Jump!' According to Chaiken and Eagly (1983), the most effective medium to spread it is:

A) radio.
B) TV.
C) print.
D) flyers.

Question 30

Derek works on advertising for a car manufacturer. He recently promoted the company's new vehicle. In light of the highly competitive market, Derek's advertising strategy would work best by:

A) keeping facts to a minimum.
B) putting down other hair products.
C) incorporating both factual and feeling elements.
D) not advertising very often.

Question 31

The local police really wants to convince young drivers to slow down. They host a mock accident along with gory images of mangled people, squashed cars, fire engines and ambulances in the college parking lot. The evidence for the effectiveness of such messages is:

A) very clear-they are very effective.
B) that they are completely desensitising.
C) not clear-the results are mixed.
D) dependent on how frightened people get.

Question 32

You see a qualified medical doctor and an unqualified physical health promoter present on the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. Both are very convincing, although their arguments differ slightly. Knowing what you do about the importance of source credibility, you obviously tend to believe the arguments of the medical doctor rather than the health promoter. However, after about a year you find yourself talking to a friend about why they should be living a healthier lifestyle, and without realising it you are forcefully putting forward the arguments of both the medical doctor and the health promoter you saw present a year earlier. This is an example of:

A) terror management theory.
B) protection motivation theory.
C) the inverted U-curve.
D) the sleeper effect.

Question 33

Research by McGuire (1968) argued that when the relationship of persuasibility and self-esteem are depicted graphically, it appears as:

A) a straight line showing a positive correlation.
B) a J-curve.
C) an inverted U shape.
D) there is no relationship.

Question 34

Jack and Brian discuss vigorously whether to use an circular or a handsaw to cut the boards they will use for their flowerbox project. Getting nowhere, they ask Susanne, Jack's sister. Susanne grumbles that it doesn't matter as long as the flowerbox looks good. She is likely to have said this because she thinks that:

A) women don't deal with building things.
B) women don't like men arguing with each other.
C) if she gave an opinion she would be taking sides.
D) the topic under discussion is sex-stereotypic.

Question 35

Prof Feelgood is a well-known sleep physiologist and Fritz is a fitness instructor. They go separately to student campuses but with a similar message: 'Study more, sleep less, and be healthy!' Research has shown that students will accept 2 hours of sleep reduction, from the usual 8 hours that is commonly believed to be optimal to maintain one's health, when:

A) Fritz promotes a reduction by 7 hours.
B) Prof Feelgood promotes a reduction by 7 hours.
C) Fritz promotes a reduction by 3 hours.
D) Prof Feelgood promotes a reduction by 3 hours.

Question 36

A distributor of security alarms keeps telling you daily on the radio that 'you don't just need one-you need two! One for the house and one for the car.' Hearing this every day is likely to make you:

A) think that he is exaggerating the rate of house break-ins.
B) feel insecure.
C) begin to believe that this is true.
D) want to sell your house.

Question 37

In cases where the argument in a message is very different to what an individual believes, persuasion will be more likely if:

A) the issue is ego-involving.
B) the source is credible.
C) the argument is weak.
D) the fear level is low.

Question 38

When advertising a simple message, the most effective medium is television and the next most effective is radio. Both of these are superior to newspapers and magazines. This is because:

A) message difficulty interacts with the choice of media.
B) nobody actually reads newspapers and magazines.
C) most advertising is done on television.
D) television and radio are audience media.

Question 39

'I have a message for the community', you think, but recalling the findings of Rhodes and Wood (1992) you need to:

A) remember that people with average self-esteem are more easily persuaded than those with quite high or quite low self-esteem.
B) remember that people with low self-esteem are more attentive, and you need to freak people with higher self-esteem out.
C) remember that people with higher self-esteem are more susceptible and use a cute female model to get men's attention.
D) remember that the average person has a 20-second attention span and decide to write a lengthy speech.

Question 40

Attitude change increases as a function of fear up to a medium level of arousal; after that it declines again due to a lack of attention and/or the disruptive effect of intense emotion. This typifies the:

A) sine curve.
B) J-curve.
C) U-curve.
D) inverted U-curve.

Question 41

With respect to social influence, if I change the rules in my favour after the person I am doing business with has already agreed on a solution for a business outcome, I have used the:

A) foot-in-the-door tactic.
B) low ball tactic.
C) door-in-the-face tactic.
D) mindfulness.

Question 42

The heuristic-systematic model maintains that:

A) acquiescent response set is the usual response.
B) systematic processing is based on heuristics.
C) careful reasoning is more important than cognitive heuristics.
D) two kinds of processing are distinguished.

Question 43

Arguments that are different from our current beliefs, but capture our attention, are typically judged as a weak argument. This is known as:

A) the sleeper effect.
B) disconfirmation bias.
C) the third-person effect.
D) cognitive dissonance.

Question 44

Karen has to evaluate two articles dealing with human resources. One article uses lots of technical jargon, but the other one is written in plain English. Time is short. Karen decides that the technical article must be more important. Karen has just used:

A) a false memory.
B) heuristic processing.
C) cognitive algebra.
D) the false consensus effect.

Question 45

Heuristic processing is associated with:

A) impression formation.
B) balance theory.
C) the central route of processing.
D) mental shortcuts.

Question 46

Visser and Krosnick (1998) found that the relationship between age and susceptibility to attitude change supports the 'life stages' hypothesis. This means that:

A) the very young and the elderly are least susceptible to change.
B) earlier in life and later in life people are more susceptible to change, but are less so throughout middle adulthood.
C) individuals are not at all susceptible to attitude change throughout their lives.
D) during childhood and adolescence, individuals are unaffected by persuasion, with a gradual increasing tendency.

Question 47

Agreeing to a small request by not giving it much thought is referred to in social psychology as:

A) mindlessness.
B) systematic processing.
C) acquiescent response set.
D) automatic processing.

Question 48

The elaboration-likelihood model of persuasion proposes that:

A) there are two routes to persuasion: central and peripheral.
B) elaborate messages are more credible.
C) people elaborate a simple message.
D) elaboration always takes place.

Question 49

When time is limited, which is typical in TV advertising, feeling really good leads us to flick on to autopilot, i.e., to use:

A) a peripheral route.
B) heuristic processing.
C) both a peripheral route and heuristic processing.
D) either a peripheral route or heuristic processing.

Question 50

In marketing (Belch & Belch, 2012), background music for an advertisement is meant to:

A) induce a good mood so will have fuzzy feelings about the product.
B) create a positive link between a good mood and the product.
C) inspire positive feelings that reduce perceived weaknesses of the product.
D) induce a good mood so we will attend and process information from the ad.

Question 51

A representative from a radio station calls you up, saying that they are doing some 'market research' about the sorts of listeners that tune into their station. The representative just wants to ask you what your favourite song is right now. When you give him your answer he thanks you for your time and hangs up. A week later the same representative calls up and asks if they can now conduct a 20-minute interview with you about the music you listen to and what you would like to hear on their station. The radio station is using:

A) intimidation.
B) the foot-in-the-door tactic.
C) ingratiation.
D) the reciprocity principle.

Question 52

Findings by Tyler and Schuller (1991) that, on the whole, age is irrelevant to attitude change supports the:

A) lifelong openness hypothesis.
B) life stages hypothesis.
C) persistence hypothesis.
D) increasing persistence hypothesis.

Question 53

Matthew wants to ask Florence out on a date. He decides to use the ingratiation tactic, which could include:

A) asking her for a cigarette.
B) asking her to marry him.
C) driving his yellow BMW convertible with the roof down.
D) complimenting her on her new hairstyle.

Question 54

Helga picks up the phone to hear a friendly voice ask her if she has a couple of minutes to answer a few very easy questions about the economy. Twenty minutes later, Helga is still on the phone answering questions about toothpaste, lingerie and all kinds of stuff. She has succumbed to a common tactic to elicit compliance-the:

A) door-in-the-face tactic.
B) foot-in-the-door tactic.
C) low ball tactic.
D) high ball tactic.

Question 55

In Petty and Cacioppo's (1986) elaboration-likelihood model:

A) a peripheral route is used when elaboration is high and information processing is high.
B) a central route is used when elaboration is low and information processing is low.
C) a peripheral route is used when attention to the argument of a message is low.
D) a central route is used when the message is delivered in visual form.

Question 56

According to the 'sufficiency threshold', we switch from heuristic to systematic processing of information in a specific message when we:

A) have forgotten what heuristics are.
B) are listening to background music.
C) realise that we are being lazy.
D) lack confidence in using a heuristic.

Question 57

Cindy has been pestering her parents for a week to be allowed to travel alone to Thailand, which her parents think is very dangerous. Although she has been persistent, she is not too dismayed about her parents' refusal. What she really wants is to go to the movies with her new boyfriend this weekend. Cindy has used a tactic known as the:

A) foot-in-the-mouth tactic.
B) foot-in-the-door tactic.
C) door-in-the-face tactic.
D) door-in-the-mouth tactic.

Question 58

Which of the following strategies is a emotional tactic by which people attempt to persuade others and enhance compliance?

A) BIRGing
B) Ingratiation
C) Impression management
D) Multiple requests

Question 59

One thing the heuristic-systematic and the elaboration-likelihood persuasion models have in common is that they both:

A) postulate more than two processes involved in persuasion.
B) draw on processes derived from developmental theories.
C) use a stage model of attitude change.
D) deal with persuasion cues.

Question 60

You announce in your University tutorial class that you cannot find one of the articles on the course's 'recommended reading list' that is particularly relevant for your upcoming essay. One of your classmates says that they have an extra copy and gives it to you to keep. After the tutorial, this same classmate comes up to you and asks if they can borrow your lecture notes from the last three lectures. In accordance with the ________ you feel obliged to give them your lecture notes.

A) reciprocity principle
B) sufficiency threshold
C) 'nice-guy' principle
D) sleeper effect

Question 61

Cognitive dissonance theory:

A) emphasised the central role of behaviour in the formation and maintenance of attitudes.
B) started in the 1970s, and stimulated a highly researched field of study in the 1980s.
C) proposed that a pleasant state follows when a person's cognitions are in contradiction.
D) suggests that by searching for new information and making decisions can lead to an attitude change.

Question 62

Janis and King (1954) investigated the effect of role playing on attitude change. They found that participants:

A) who had their position reinforced by an expert were more likely to convince others of their position.
B) who gave a speech contrary to their position changed their attitude more than when they just listened to other speakers.
C) with low self-esteem, and who were female rather than male, showed more attitude change.
D) who listened to a speech by a friend were more likely to adopt a new position.

Question 63

After a lot of thought, Dirk decided to join 'Heaven's Devils'. Before becoming a real member of the exclusive club he had to undergo a most embarrassing initiation (which cannot be described here). According to the concept of effort justification:

A) he would want to 'get even' with the other group members.
B) the group would be more attractive than if he had not suffered at all.
C) Dirk would later try to change the rules of entry for future would-be members.
D) the rest of the group would make it up to Dirk later on.

Question 64

Mimi goes shopping in Paris for a classy swimsuit, with a budget of 300 Euros. She spots a lovely one on the Champs-Elysées and makes an impromptu decision. She takes it to the counter, pays a whopping 450 Euros and takes it home. Later, she looks at herself in the mirror. 'This swimsuit is so well-cut I can wear it for years. What's more it makes me look great!' Mimi has just:

A) applied effort justification to her good looks.
B) been enhancing the looking-glass self.
C) succumbed to the delusion that money can buy everything.
D) explained her own decision according to dissonance theory.

Question 65

Alfonso the Daring has just spent a lot of money on lotto tickets. A classic example of reducing post-decisional conflict would be if Alfonso:

A) resolved never to play Lotto again and hid the tickets in a drawer.
B) wished he had never spent all that money and placed them in his wallet.
C) was advised by Pablo the Pessimist that Alfonso's tickets were unlucky.
D) then thought the tickets were lucky ones and he now had a better chance of winning.

Question 66

Upon experiencing cognitive dissonance a person will:

A) learn to desensitise.
B) start looking for ideas that do not fit with their cognitions.
C) search for harmony in his/her attitudes and behaviours.
D) complain to the local noise control authority.

Question 67

An attitude that is ________ is more resistant to persuasion.

A) popular
B) accessible and strong
C) newly-formed
D) personal

Question 68

Action research can be effective in alleviating community problems. This approach implies that:

A) a few community members serve as role models to induce action.
B) a reward system is set up to acknowledge those who take action.
C) university researchers are recruited to investigate what action needs to be taken.
D) community members help to establish strategies for change.

Question 69

Jamal, a 15-year old successful high school student, believes that intelligent people like himself do not need to cheat in order to earn good grades. He then witnesses his best friend who he considers intelligent peeking in his textbook to find an answer for a difficult test question. Jamal then feels immediately uneasy. This is an example of:

A) vicarious dissonance.
B) self-affirmation theory.
C) the representativeness heuristic.
D) effort justification.

Question 70

A special case of cognitive dissonance whereby people are led to behave in a way that is inconsistent with their attitude is referred to as:

A) personal dissonance.
B) induced compliance.
C) effort justification.
D) ingratiation.

Question 71

You strongly believe that tennis is the greatest sport of all time. You meet Bob, who overtly tries to convince you that football is globally the greatest sport. In response, you criticise Bob and not only enhance your belief that tennis is the greatest sport of all time but that football is the worst sport! You have just undergone a process of:

A) inoculation.
B) reactance.
C) forewarning.
D) free will.

Question 72

We can resist pressure from others trying to change our minds by means of the inoculation effect; that is, by first:

A) using the analogy of how an ounce of prevention is worth a gallon of cure.
B) using the analogy of making deposits and withdrawals keep us balanced.
C) using the analogy of how we need the proper tools to fix any problem.
D) using the analogy of how antibodies help defend the body against disease.

Question 73

The Quit anti-smoking campaign showed that smokers:

A) are usually well informed about illnesses related to their habit.
B) don't believe that smoking can cause lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease.
C) get furious when they are not allowed to smoke in public places.
D) are not interested in giving up their habit and argue with anyone who suggests quitting.

Question 74

Which one of the following is NOT an obvious way in which resistance to a persuasive message can occur?

A) Inoculation
B) Forewarning
C) Reactance
D) Vicarious dissonance

Question 75

Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) conducted a classic experiment on induced compliance. In it:

A) participants' compliance to group norms correlated with the amount of money they received.
B) participants who were paid more money reported that they enjoyed a task more than those who were paid less.
C) participants who were paid less money to perform the task reported that they had enjoyed the task more.
D) the more that participants were paid, the more they were willing to be involved later on.