Question 1

"The mass media exerts a powerful and pervasive impact on our attitudes and behavior-even if direct attempts at persuasion are not involved." Explain the meaning of this statement, and describe two pieces of research that support it.

Accepted Answer

The answer of "The mass media exerts a powerful and...

Question 2

Hovland, Harvey, and Sherif conducted an experiment on latitude of acceptance of ideas about the state being "wet" or "dry" on the sale of alcohol beverages. They found that:

Accepted Answer

The experiment found that the greatest change in attitude towards the idea of the state being "wet" or "dry" on the sale of alcohol beverages occurred when a moderate discrepancy took place between the actual message and the individual's original opinion. This means that people were more likely to change their opinion when they were presented with a message that was somewhat different from their original belief, rather than an extreme or completely opposing message.

Question 3

"Persuasive communications, if blatant or coercive, can be perceived as intruding upon one's freedom of choice, thereby activating a person's defenses to resist the messages." This statement reflects the central idea of which of the following theories or concepts?

Accepted Answer

The statement reflects the central idea of reactance theory, which proposes that persuasive messages that threaten one's freedom of choice or autonomy can lead to reactance (i.e., an unpleasant state of arousal) and increased resistance to the messages.

Question 4

Pretend you are a candidate for public office and you are planning to engage in a debate with your opponent. Given the choice, under what circumstances would you wish to speak first? Under what circumstances would you choose to speak last? Explain the reasoning behind your choices.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pretend you are a candidate for public...

Question 5

Give an example of an advertisement using a central route strategy and one using a peripheral route strategy. What is the major feature that distinguishes between these two approaches?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Give an example of an advertisement using...

Question 6

When a person is exposed to a watered-down attack upon his or her beliefs, this produces resistance to later persuasion because:

Accepted Answer

When a person is exposed to a watered-down attack upon his or her beliefs, this produces resistance to later persuasion because the person gains some practice in defending his or her beliefs. This can make them more confident in their beliefs and less likely to be persuaded by opposing views.

Question 7

According to Aronson, under which of the following conditions of persuasive communication would people's attitudes typically change the least?

Accepted Answer

When a nonexpert argues an extreme position, people are less likely to be persuaded because the combination of a lack of credibility and an extreme stance makes the argument less convincing.

Question 8

Martha's mother tells her that she is absolutely never to dye her hair a "funny color." Martha proceeds to dye her hair purple. Martha's behavior is best thought of as an example of:

Accepted Answer

Martha's behavior is an example of reactance, which occurs when a person feels their freedom or autonomy is being threatened or restricted. In this case, Martha's mother made a rule about not dyeing her hair a certain color, which triggered Martha's reactance and motivated her to do the opposite in order to regain her sense of freedom and control.

Question 9

Assume a speaker has low credibility with the audience. For maximum attitude change, how discrepant from the audience's initial position should the communication be?

Accepted Answer

When a speaker has low credibility, a moderately discrepant message is more likely to be persuasive because it is not too far from the audience's initial position, making it more acceptable and less likely to be dismissed outright.

Question 10

Compared to logical or rational appeals, how effective are persuasive communications that arouse a high level of fear? Under what conditions are fear-arousing messages most effective in influencing behavior? Under what conditions might they be less effective? Be sure to support your answer with examples of relevant research.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compared to logical or rational appeals, how...

Question 11

One way of decreasing the persuasibility of members of an audience is:

Accepted Answer

Forewarning individuals that someone is going to try to persuade them can increase their resistance to persuasion. This is known as the "forewarning effect" and can lead individuals to engage in counterarguments or seek out additional information before making a decision.

Question 12

According to several studies of television crime dramas:

Accepted Answer

Several studies suggest that television crime dramas tend to ignore situational pressures and instead focus on individualistic explanations for criminal behavior such as psychopathology or insatiable greed. This can create a distorted view of crime and criminal justice, as it does not accurately reflect the complexity of social factors that contribute to criminal conduct.

Question 13

What characteristics associated with the audience play a significant role in determining the impact of a persuasive communication? Why are they important? Support your reasoning by discussing the results of research involving audience characteristics.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What characteristics associated with the audience play...

Question 14

The main way in which an attitude differs from an opinion is that an attitude:

Accepted Answer

An attitude includes an emotional component, whereas an opinion is based on a belief or judgment without necessarily involving emotions. This emotional component makes attitudes more resistant to change through persuasion because people tend to be more attached to their emotions than to facts.

Question 15

In your own words, define and discuss the difference between education and propaganda. Why is it often true that, in real life, these two phenomena are difficult to distinguish? Provide an example of how information designed to educate might also serve as a subtle form of propaganda.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In your own words, define and discuss...

Question 16

Suppose you belonged to an antinuclear group that wanted to persuade an audience that the development of nuclear power plants should be curtailed. The audience is composed of relatively uninformed adults who are already somewhat in favor of nuclear power. Based on your readings on persuasion, what kind of message would you want to deliver? Would you give the speech yourself or, if not, what kind of speaker would you want to hire? Provide examples of relevant research to support your arguments.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose you belonged to an antinuclear group...

Question 17

According to research by Gerbner and his associates, heavy viewers of television are more likely than light viewers to:

Accepted Answer

Gerbner's research found that heavy viewers of television tend to hold exaggerated views about the prevalence of violence in society. They are more likely to believe that the world is a dangerous place and that violence is more common than it actually is. This is known as the cultivation theory. The theory suggests that the more people are exposed to media portrayals of violence, the more likely they are to perceive the world as a violent place.

Question 18

John Jost argues that his research covering 44 years worth of studies indicates that the reason conservatives and liberals are not persuaded by each other's arguments rests in individual differences between them. More specifically, conservatives ________ while liberals ____________.

Accepted Answer

Conservatives are more persuaded by fear messages, while liberals are more persuaded by fact-based arguments, according to John Jost's research on individual differences.

Question 19

McAlister's field experiment was successful in helping seventh-graders resist peer pressure to smoke cigarettes. His strategy involved teaching students:

Accepted Answer

McAlister's strategy involved teaching students counterarguments to resist peer pressure, effectively equipping them with verbal tools to refuse smoking.

Question 20

To change a person's attitude the most, a communicator should present a position that is highly distant or discrepant from the person's initial position.

Accepted Answer

The answer of To change a person's attitude the most,...

Quiz 3: Conformity