Question 1

According to the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion, people who __________ are most likely to take the __________ route to persuasion.

Accepted Answer

According to the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion, people who are motivated to pay attention are more likely to take the central route to persuasion. The central route involves a more thoughtful and thorough processing of information, while the peripheral route involves more superficial cues and heuristics.

Question 2

The Yale Attitude Change approach focused on a number of factors that influence the success of a persuasive message. Which of the following best exemplifies audience variables as one of those factors?

Accepted Answer

Audience variables refer to characteristics of the listeners such as their level of attention and interest in the message. Option A accurately represents this factor by distinguishing between attentive and inattentive listeners. The other options refer to message or speaker variables.

Question 3

A commercial comes on for an arthritis cream. Lachlan has been having some pain in his knees lately, so he's both motivated and able to attend to the commercial. Therefore, he is more likely to use the __________ route to persuasion.

Accepted Answer

Lachlan's personal experience with knee pain makes him motivated to pay closer attention to the commercial and engage in a more thoughtful evaluation of the product, which is characteristic of the central route to persuasion.

Question 4

Although cognitive dissonance is a very powerful way to change someone's attitude, it is not implemented on a mass scale. Why not?

Accepted Answer

Implementing cognitive dissonance on a mass scale would require creating a situation of low external justification for a large group of people simultaneously. This would be difficult to achieve and would require significant resources and planning. Additionally, not everyone would experience cognitive dissonance in response to the same situation, making it challenging to predict the outcomes of such an implementation.

Question 5

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that when you cannot find sufficient external justification for your actions, you will attempt to find __________, which can lead to attitude change.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory posits that when people experience a conflict between their attitudes and their behaviors, they experience psychological discomfort or dissonance, which they try to reduce by changing their attitudes or behaviors. If there is insufficient external justification for their behavior, they may rely on internal justification, such as their own beliefs or values, to reduce the dissonance. This process can lead to attitude change.

Question 6

Persuasive communication is a message __________.

Accepted Answer

Persuasive communication is intended to persuade someone to believe or do something, which often involves advocating for a particular side of an issue.

Question 7

The elaboration likelihood model explains under what conditions someone will __________.

Accepted Answer

The elaboration likelihood model explains under what conditions someone will be influenced by what the speech says, and when influence occurs by superficial cues. It posits that there are two routes to persuasion: the central route and the peripheral route. The central route involves careful and thoughtful consideration of the message, while the peripheral route relies on superficial cues such as the credibility of the speaker or the attractiveness of the message. The model explains which route is more likely to be taken based on factors such as motivation to process the message, ability to process the message, and the relevance of the message to the individual.

Question 8

Next week, you're going to give a lecture to the psychology club about the Yale Attitude Change approach to persuasion. What will be your three main topics?

Accepted Answer

The Yale Attitude Change approach focuses on the source of the communication, the nature of the communication itself, and the nature of the audience as key factors in how persuasive messages are received and processed.

Question 9

The peripheral route to persuasion indicates that people are paying attention to __________.

Accepted Answer

The peripheral route to persuasion suggests that people are paying attention to surface characteristics of the message, such as the attractiveness of the speaker or the use of emotional appeals, rather than the actual content or logic of the message.

Question 10

The Yale Attitude Change approach focused on a number of factors that influence the success of a persuasive message. Which of the following best exemplifies source variables as one of those factors?

Accepted Answer

Expert versus novice speakers is an example of source variables, which are characteristics of the person delivering the persuasive message. The other options listed are examples of message variables.

Question 11

Emerson's boss wants to use cognitive dissonance to sell a new type of emergency cell phone. Emerson is not convinced that the campaign is going to be successful. What should Emerson tell his boss?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Emerson's boss wants to use cognitive dissonance...

Question 12

Corey and Jennifer engage in a debate in speech class. Corey goes first and Jennifer goes second. Most students thought that Corey did a better job in the debate. Assuming that the quality of the arguments and presentation by the two speakers was equally good, this would be an example of a(n) __________ effect.

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect refers to the first information presented having a greater impact on the audience. In this case, since Corey went first and most students thought he did a better job, it suggests that the primacy effect was at play.

Question 13

Counterattitudinal advocacy results in attitude change when __________.

Accepted Answer

Counterattitudinal advocacy is most effective when there is minimal external justification for the behavior or statement that contradicts the person's attitude. This means that there is no obvious reason or reward for the person to express an attitude that goes against their beliefs, which leads to a change in attitude. Internal justification (B) refers to personal reasons or values that might motivate someone to change their attitude even if there is no external pressure to do so. The accessibility of the attitude (C) might make it easier or harder to change, but it is not a defining factor of counterattitudinal advocacy. The initial strength of the attitude (D) might affect the difficulty of changing it, but it is not a crucial determinant of the effectiveness of the persuasion technique.

Question 14

Donald didn't attend carefully to the substance of the persuasive communication, but instead paid attention to some irrelevant cues. He's using the __________ route to persuasion.

Accepted Answer

Donald is paying attention to peripheral cues, which are aspects of the message that are not directly related to the content of the message. This indicates that he is using the peripheral route to persuasion, which is characterized by a focus on superficial aspects rather than careful consideration of the arguments presented.

Question 15

Armando is listening carefully to a persuasive communication and thinking about the arguments. He is using the __________ route to persuasion.

Accepted Answer

The central route to persuasion involves careful thinking and evaluation of the arguments presented in a persuasive communication. Armando is actively listening and thinking about the arguments, indicating that he is using the central route. The peripheral route involves being swayed by superficial aspects of the communication, such as the attractiveness of the speaker or the use of catchy slogans. The heuristic route involves using mental shortcuts or rules of thumb to make judgments, rather than engaging in careful evaluation of the arguments. The direct route to persuasion is not a commonly recognized concept in the field of psychology.

Question 16

Your friend wears bell-bottoms constantly, a behavior that offends your sense of style. If you wanted to apply cognitive dissonance theory to get your friend to change her attitude toward bell-bottoms, you should encourage her to give a public speech __________ under conditions of __________ external justification.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that people experience discomfort (dissonance) when their beliefs or behaviors are inconsistent with each other. To reduce this discomfort, they may change their attitudes or beliefs. Encouraging your friend to give a public speech against bell-bottoms under conditions of low external justification (e.g., without offering a significant reward or punishment) would likely create dissonance between her behavior (speaking against bell-bottoms) and her attitude (wearing bell-bottoms), potentially leading her to change her attitude to align with her behavior.

Question 17

According to the Yale Attitude Change approach, a __________ salesperson would lead to higher sales.

Accepted Answer

According to the Yale Attitude Change approach, a salesperson who is deemed more attractive would lead to higher sales. This is because attractiveness can influence the way people perceive and respond to the salesperson, making them more likely to be persuaded to make a purchase. Factors such as honesty and credibility are important, but they may not necessarily have as significant an impact on sales as attractiveness.

Question 18

The Yale Attitude Change approach to persuasion yielded a great deal of information about the attitude change process, but there was one major problem with the approach: it __________.

Accepted Answer

The Yale Attitude Change approach, while comprehensive, often lacked clarity on how to prioritize or emphasize different factors in the persuasion process, making it challenging to apply its insights in a straightforward manner.

Question 19

In order to change attitudes about something on a mass scale, whether it is a product, a social problem, or a political candidate, it would be best to use __________.

Accepted Answer

Persuasive communication is the most effective way to change attitudes on a mass scale. This involves presenting a compelling argument with strong evidence and emotional appeals to convince people to see things differently. This method has been used in advertising, political campaigns, and social awareness campaigns with success. Dissonance reduction techniques, insufficient external justification, and counterattitudinal advocacy may be effective on an individual level, but they are less effective in changing attitudes on a mass scale.

Question 20

The Yale Attitude Change approach focused on a number of factors that influence the success of a persuasive message. Which of the following best exemplifies communication variables as one of those factors?

Accepted Answer

Communication variables refer to aspects of the message itself, such as its length, clarity, and structure. Long versus short appeals exemplify this, as they pertain to the format and delivery of the message.

Quiz 7: Attitudes and Attitude Change: Influencing Thoughts and Feelings

According to the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion, people who are most likely to take the route to persuasion.