Question 1

Prevention focus is:

Accepted Answer

Prevention focus refers to the tendency to think and act in ways oriented toward avoidance of negative outcomes, such as mistakes, failures, or losses. It is often associated with a vigilant approach to situations, where the goal is to avoid potential problems and maintain the status quo, rather than to seek opportunities for gain or growth.

Question 2

People who believe they are capable of self-regulation of their behavior are:

Accepted Answer

People who believe they are capable of self-regulation of their behavior are high in perceived behavioral control. This means that they feel they have the ability to control their own behavior and make choices that align with their goals and values.

Question 3

Which of the following theories proposes that self-esteem plays an important role in how people cope with the fear of death?

Accepted Answer

Terror management theory proposes that people cope with the fear of death by developing cultural worldviews and self-esteem to provide a sense of meaning and value. Self-esteem is believed to buffer the anxiety caused by the awareness of one's own mortality, and people may strive to enhance their self-esteem to alleviate death-related anxiety. Regulatory focus theory suggests that individuals have a fundamental motivational orientation toward promoting gains or avoiding losses, while balance theory proposes that people strive for consistency among their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. The elaboration likelihood model describes how persuasion occurs through central processing or peripheral cues.

Question 4

If you are conducting a research study and are concerned that participants will not provide honest responses to sensitive questions, you should consider:

Accepted Answer

Using a bogus pipeline is a technique where participants are led to believe that the experimenter has access to their true responses, which may reduce social desirability bias and increase the likelihood of honest responses. This technique can be effective in reducing response biases while still allowing for sensitive questions to be asked.

Question 5

Jack does not like to think too deeply about anything. Jack is likely low in:

Accepted Answer

The need for cognition refers to an individual's inclination towards engaging in effortful cognitive activities, such as deep thinking and problem-solving. As Jack does not like to think too deeply about anything, it suggests that he is unlikely to have a high need for cognition.

Question 6

When people want to buy a brand of clothing because their favorite movie star promotes that brand, they are probably:

Accepted Answer

When people are swayed by superficial characteristics such as the celebrity endorsement, they are following the peripheral route of persuasion.

Question 7

Age, self-esteem, and education and intelligence are the key determinants of:

Accepted Answer

Age, self-esteem, and education and intelligence are all factors that can influence how easily someone is persuaded or influenced by others, making persuasibility the best choice. The primacy and recency effects both relate to memory and the order in which information is presented, while need for cognition refers to an individual's desire for and enjoyment of thinking and intellectual challenges.

Question 8

Metacognition is:

Accepted Answer

Metacognition refers to thinking about one's own thinking, including awareness of one's own thought processes and techniques used to regulate and optimize thinking. It does not involve attitudes or persuasion routes.

Question 9

Which of the following theories proposes that one's willingness is the best predictor of behavior when the behavior is opportunistic?

Accepted Answer

The prototype/willingness model proposes that behavior is more likely to occur when individuals have a strong willingness or intention to engage in the behavior, regardless of their attitude or beliefs about the behavior. This theory specifically applies to opportunistic behaviors, like risky or impulsive actions, and has been supported by research on behaviors like substance abuse and sexual risk-taking. The other options (terror management theory, elaboration likelihood model, regulatory focus theory) do not specifically address the role of willingness in predicting behavior.

Question 10

Louis remembers reading that moderate alcohol consumption is good for your health but he cannot remember the source of that information. Louis may experience the:

Accepted Answer

The sleeper effect is when a message is initially discounted because of the source, but over time the message becomes persuasive due to forgetting the source's unreliability. In this case, Louis remembers the message but forgets the source, so it does not match the primacy or recency effects. The need for cognition is a different concept related to a person's tendency to engage in and enjoy thinking and analyzing information, which is not applicable here. Therefore, the best choice is A, the sleeper effect.

Question 11

When self-awareness is high, attitudes:

Accepted Answer

When self-awareness is high, individuals are more likely to reflect on their attitudes and values, which in turn leads to a greater alignment between attitudes and behavior. This means that attitudes are more likely to predict behavior when self-awareness is high.

Question 12

Fear can be persuasive but it:

Accepted Answer

Fear alone may not be effective in persuading someone if there is no information on how to reduce the perceived threat. Providing information on how to reduce the threat can make the fear more persuasive.

Question 13

Attitudes that people may have but are not consciously aware of are:

Accepted Answer

Attitudes that people may have but are not consciously aware of are called implicit attitudes. Implicit attitudes are unconscious biases or preferences that individuals hold towards certain people, things, or ideas. These attitudes are often formed through past experiences and cultural conditioning and can influence behavior without the individual's awareness.

Question 14

Which of the following theories proposes that there are two different routes to persuasion?

Accepted Answer

The elaboration likelihood model proposes that there are two different routes to persuasion: the central route, which involves careful consideration of the arguments and evidence presented, and the peripheral route, which involves less scrutiny of the information and more attention to superficial cues such as the likability or attractiveness of the communicator.

Question 15

Psychological reactance theory proposes that:

Accepted Answer

Psychological reactance theory proposes that people value their freedom to think and act in certain ways, and that they may respond negatively when they feel that their freedom is being threatened or taken away. This means that people may resist persuasion attempts that seem to restrict their options or limit their choices, simply because they want to maintain their sense of autonomy.

Question 16

According to terror management theory, health-promotion behavior is most likely when:

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to terror management theory, health-promotion behavior...

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT one of the three key variables in the theory of planned behavior?

Accepted Answer

The three key variables in the theory of planned behavior are subjective norms, behavioral attitudes, and perceived behavioral control. Self-esteem is not one of the key variables in this theory.

Question 18

Which of the following theories proposes that consistency among one's thoughts influences how people form new attitudes?

Accepted Answer

The balance theory proposes that consistency among one's thoughts (attitudes, beliefs, and behavior) influences how people form new attitudes. It argues that individuals strive for consistency in their attitudes and behaviors, and will adjust them to maintain balance.

Question 19

Repeated exposure to a novel stimulus can lead to the:

Accepted Answer

The mere exposure effect refers to the phenomenon in which repeated exposure to a novel stimulus increases our liking for it. This effect is based on the familiarity principle that states that we tend to prefer things that we are more familiar with. The other options—sleeper effect, recency effect, and primacy effect—refer to different effects related to memory and persuasion, and are not related to the phenomenon of increased liking based on mere exposure.

Question 20

Lucia studies hard for her classes because she wants to graduate at the top of her class. Lucia is high in:

Accepted Answer

Lucia is high in promotion focus because she is motivated by achieving positive outcomes and aspirations, such as graduating at the top of her class.

Quiz 8: Persuasion, Attitudes, and Behavior