Question 1

Which theory proposes that we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviours?

Accepted Answer

The self-perception theory suggests that we acquire our attitudes by observing our own behaviors, and then we infer what our attitude must be based on that observation.

Question 2

Tamika met Samantha, who was new to the school. Tamika began to develop a friendship with Samantha and soon they became good friends. Then Tamika learned that Samantha had been a troublemaker at her old school. Tamika liked Samantha but now saw her as a troublemaker. Tamika finally resolved these conflicting emotions by deciding that Samantha should be admired for turning over a new leaf at her new school. This is can be explained by

Accepted Answer

Tamika's conflicting emotions of liking Samantha but also seeing her as a troublemaker is an example of cognitive dissonance theory. Her resolution of deciding to admire Samantha for turning over a new leaf helps reduce this cognitive dissonance.

Question 3

In Festinger's studies of cognitive dissonance, some participants claimed to enjoy the boring task they were asked to do and some participants indicated that they found the task boring. What independent variable differed between the groups, to cause this difference in attitude?

Accepted Answer

In Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory experiments, the key independent variable that differed between groups was the amount of compensation participants received. Those who were well-paid (the 'bored' participants) had a sufficient external justification for their actions, so they did not need to change their attitudes towards the task. In contrast, those who were paid little or not at all experienced dissonance between their attitudes and their actions, leading some to resolve this dissonance by convincing themselves that the task was more enjoyable than they initially thought.

Question 4

Which of the following would result in cognitive dissonance?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two conflicting beliefs or behaviors. Option C is an example of cognitive dissonance as the person believes that hard work leads to wealth but is poor despite working hard.

Question 5

There are two alternative pathways to persuading others. One leads us to evaluate the facts of the persuasive arguments carefully and thoughtfully. This is known as the

Accepted Answer

The central route is the pathway that leads us to evaluate the persuasive arguments carefully and thoughtfully. The peripheral route, on the other hand, involves being persuaded by more superficial cues, such as the speaker's appearance or charisma. The other two options, afferent and efferent routes, refer to pathways in the nervous system and are not relevant to the question.

Question 6

Frederick is choosing between two different pairs of jeans at the mall. After he buys one pair, he is happy with his choice and thinks that he didn't really like the other pair anyways. Frederick has engaged in

Accepted Answer

Post-decision dissonance is the feeling of discomfort or doubt one can feel after making a decision between two similar options. In this scenario, Frederick is experiencing post-decision dissonance after choosing one pair of jeans over another. He justifies his decision by convincing himself that he didn't really like the other pair anyways.

Question 7

A local car insurance company advertises its products with television commercials. During those spots, there are flashy lights, attractive dancers wearing skin-tight outfits, and local celebrities saying nice things about the company. The advertisement does not, however, mention any of the features or costs associated with the product. This company is attempting to earn customers through which path of processing?

Accepted Answer

The company is using peripheral route processing by attempting to win customers through flashy images and celebrity endorsements rather than by presenting information about the product features or costs.

Question 8

Which of the following would result in cognitive dissonance?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two conflicting beliefs or values at the same time, which creates a feeling of discomfort or psychological stress. In this case, the belief that smoking is bad for one's health conflicts with the love of smoking, which creates cognitive dissonance.

Question 9

Factors like the recognition heuristic and the attractiveness of a speaker can affect how persuasive an argument can be. Which type of processing is most affected by these sorts of factors?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Factors like the recognition heuristic and the...

Question 10

What process describes the use of social influence to cause other people to change their attitudes and behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Persuasion is the process of using social influence to change someone's attitudes and behavior. This can be done through various strategies and techniques, such as presenting convincing arguments, using emotional appeals, and appealing to social norms and values. Affectance, conversion, and enticement are not commonly used psychological terms to describe this process.

Question 11

Research on cognitive dissonance theory suggests that people are unlikely to experience dissonance and change their cognitions or behaviour when they have _______________________.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that people are unlikely to experience dissonance and change their cognitions or behaviour when they have a good external justification for their behaviour. This means that if they have a reason or excuse for their behaviour that they perceive as valid, they are less likely to experience cognitive dissonance and therefore less likely to change. Choices A, B and C are not supported by research on cognitive dissonance theory.

Question 12

________ theory proposes that we don't actually change our attitudes but that we report that we have done so to make our behaviours appear consistent with our attitudes.

Accepted Answer

Impression management theory suggests that individuals may not actually change their attitudes but may report that they have in order to make their behaviors appear consistent with their attitudes. This is done to manage the impressions others have of them.

Question 13

Many people hang up on telemarketers, but others will listen politely to their pitches even if they are not interested in the product. Telemarketers know that anyone who agrees to listen to a pitch is more likely to buy the product, thanks to the

Accepted Answer

The foot-in-the-door technique is the most fitting in this scenario. By agreeing to listen to the pitch, the person has already taken a small initial step (i.e. placing their foot in the door) which makes them more likely to agree to a bigger request (i.e. buying the product).

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of cognitive dissonance?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance refers to the mental stress or discomfort that arises when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or ideas, or engages in behavior that contradicts their beliefs or values. In this case, the person believes that reality TV is terrible but still enjoys watching American Idol, which is a form of reality TV. This contradiction causes cognitive dissonance because the person's attitudes and behavior are inconsistent with each other. The other options do not involve contradictory beliefs or behaviors.

Question 15

There are two alternative pathways to persuading others. One leads us to respond to persuasive arguments on the basis of snap judgments and biases. This is known as the

Accepted Answer

The peripheral route to persuasion refers to responding to persuasive arguments based on snap judgments and biases, such as being influenced by the speaker's appearance or tone of voice. The central route, on the other hand, involves carefully considering the logic and evidence presented in an argument. The other options, afferent and efferent routes, pertain to neural pathways involved in sensory and motor functions, but are not relevant to persuasion.

Question 16

The World-Will-End-on-June-7 group got together on June 7 to pray as the world ended. The next day the world did not end. The leader of the group said, "Our prayers saved the world." What process was responsible for the attitude change?

Accepted Answer

The leader's assertion that their prayers saved the world goes against the fact that the world did not end. This creates a state of cognitive dissonance, which is the discomfort one feels when holding two contradictory beliefs or attitudes. The leader then changes their attitude to reduce the dissonance, by asserting that their prayers had a positive impact, even though the expected outcome did not occur.

Question 17

According to the ______________ model of persuasion, there are two alternative pathways that can be used to persuade others.

Accepted Answer

The dual process model of persuasion proposes that there are two alternative routes to persuasion: a central route, which involves thoughtful consideration of the arguments presented, and a peripheral route, which relies on superficial cues such as the credibility of the speaker or the emotional appeal of the message.

Question 18

Both Nicole and Sandy need to buy a new cellphone. They get pamphlets on the top-selling phones. Nicole decides to buy the new iPhone simply because it is an Apple product and she has a crush on the salesman at her local store, whereas Sandy decides to purchase an Android phone after making a spreadsheet of the pros and cons of each phone and carefully weighing her options. In this example, Nicole is influenced by the ____________ route to persuasion and Sandy is influenced by the _____________ route to persuasion.

Accepted Answer

Nicole is being influenced by the peripheral route to persuasion because she is not using cognitive processing to make her decision. In contrast, Sandy is using cognitive processing to carefully evaluate her options and make an informed decision, which is characteristic of the central route to persuasion.

Question 19

Yvanna considers herself to be a good student, because she notes that she studies regularly, shows up for classes on time, and takes part in classroom discussions. Which theory is consistent with Yvanna's attitude about herself?

Accepted Answer

Yvanna's attitude reflects the self-perception theory, which states that people come to know their own attitudes and emotions by observing their behavior and the context in which it occurs. Yvanna's belief that she is a good student is based on her own observations of her behavior, such as studying regularly and participating in class discussions.

Question 20

When Sam went looking for a new car, he met a beautiful saleswoman who described the beauty of the car and the flashiness, and how good Sam would look driving it instead of the poor gas mileage, the exorbitant price, and poor road performance. Sam made a snap decision to buy the car from the persuasive saleswoman. Sam was using which alternative pathway in making a decision?

Accepted Answer

Sam was swayed by the saleswoman's presentation of the car's beauty and flashiness, without considering important factors such as gas mileage, price, and road performance. This indicates that he was using the peripheral route, where he was influenced by superficial aspects of the presentation rather than engaging in a thorough evaluation of the information presented.

Quiz 13: Social Psychology

Which theory proposes that we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviours?

In Festinger's studies of cognitive dissonance, some participants claimed to enjoy the boring task they were asked to do and some participants indicated that they found the task boring. What independent variable differed between the groups, to cause this difference in attitude?

Which of the following would result in cognitive dissonance?

There are two alternative pathways to persuading others. One leads us to evaluate the facts of the persuasive arguments carefully and thoughtfully. This is known as the

Frederick is choosing between two different pairs of jeans at the mall. After he buys one pair, he is happy with his choice and thinks that he didn't really like the other pair anyways. Frederick has engaged in

Which of the following would result in cognitive dissonance?

Factors like the recognition heuristic and the attractiveness of a speaker can affect how persuasive an argument can be. Which type of processing is most affected by these sorts of factors?

What process describes the use of social influence to cause other people to change their attitudes and behaviour?

Research on cognitive dissonance theory suggests that people are unlikely to experience dissonance and change their cognitions or behaviour when they have _______________________.

________ theory proposes that we don't actually change our attitudes but that we report that we have done so to make our behaviours appear consistent with our attitudes.

Many people hang up on telemarketers, but others will listen politely to their pitches even if they are not interested in the product. Telemarketers know that anyone who agrees to listen to a pitch is more likely to buy the product, thanks to the

Which of the following is an example of cognitive dissonance?

There are two alternative pathways to persuading others. One leads us to respond to persuasive arguments on the basis of snap judgments and biases. This is known as the

The World-Will-End-on-June-7 group got together on June 7 to pray as the world ended. The next day the world did not end. The leader of the group said, "Our prayers saved the world." What process was responsible for the attitude change?

According to the ______________ model of persuasion, there are two alternative pathways that can be used to persuade others.

Yvanna considers herself to be a good student, because she notes that she studies regularly, shows up for classes on time, and takes part in classroom discussions. Which theory is consistent with Yvanna's attitude about herself?