Question 1

When unscrupulous salespeople use lowballing as a means of selling cars, they take advantage of buyers' illusions that their decision to buy a particular car was __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When unscrupulous salespeople use lowballing as a...

Question 2

Aronson and Mills (1959) performed an experiment in which college women were invited to join a discussion group about sex. In order to join the group, participants had to undergo either a severe initiation, a mild initiation, or no initiation. Which of the following best describes this study's findings? Women who underwent __________ initiation enjoyed the discussion the __________.

Accepted Answer

Women who underwent a severe initiation reported enjoying the discussion the most, according to the findings of Aronson and Mills (1959). This phenomenon is explained by the effort justification aspect of cognitive dissonance theory, suggesting that people tend to assign greater value to outcomes for which they have had to make significant efforts or undergo discomfort.

Question 3

Lisa is a car salesperson. She has just gotten you to agree to a deal on a new car and to write out a check for the down payment. She takes this to her manager and comes back a while later saying that, because of taxes and fees, the price of the car will actually come out to $600 over what you agreed upon. According to the research on lowballing, which of the following is most likely to occur?

Accepted Answer

The research on lowballing suggests that the illusion of irrevocability can lead people to stick with their decision even when the terms change, as they believe they cannot back out. Therefore, in this scenario, the most likely outcome is that the buyer will still go ahead with the purchase despite the increased price.

Question 4

According to research presented in the text, students shot a roll of film and printed two photographs. Some were told that they could exchange the one they chose to keep within five days, but others were told that their choice was final. What was the independent variable of this experiment?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable in this experiment was the condition in which the students were placed: either having a choice to exchange their photo within five days or not having that choice. This is because it was the manipulation of this variable that the researchers were interested in observing the effects of on the dependent variable (how much the students liked their chosen photo).

Question 5

The authors of your text report that lowballing works as a persuasion technique for three reasons. Which of the following is NOT one of those reasons?

Accepted Answer

Lowballing works primarily because of psychological commitment and rationalization about the deal's value, not because of personal liking for the salesperson.

Question 6

__________ refers to the tendency of people to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain.

Accepted Answer

Justification of effort refers to the tendency of people to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain. This increased attractiveness toward the goal or object arises from the need to justify the effort, time, and resources invested in acquiring the reward.

Question 7

In which case is lowballing LEAST likely to work?

Accepted Answer

Lowballing is least likely to work before a commitment is made, such as writing a check. In Jared's case, since he has not yet made a financial commitment, he is less likely to be influenced by the lowball technique compared to others who have already invested time, effort, or money.

Question 8

According to the authors of your text, why would people experience cognitive dissonance after investing a lot of time and effort in pursuit of a goal that falls short of their expectations?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the authors of your text,...

Question 9

Researchers (Knox & Inkster, 1968) visited a race track and interviewed people betting on the horses, both before and after they had placed their bets. They found that people who __________ were more confident in their betting decisions because __________.

Accepted Answer

People who had already placed their bets were more confident in their betting decisions because they couldn't change their minds once the bet was placed.

Question 10

Of the four people presented below, which one would feel the LEAST regret about altering her appearance, based on information in your text about cognitive dissonance?

Accepted Answer

Cheryl, who just got a tattoo, would feel the least regret about altering her appearance due to the permanence and significance of the decision. Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that when individuals make a significant, irreversible decision, they are more likely to reduce dissonance by justifying their choice, leading to less regret. Tattoos are permanent and require a higher level of commitment compared to temporary changes like wearing a new outfit, painting nails, or trying a new lipstick shade, making it more likely for Cheryl to rationalize her decision and feel content with it.

Question 11

People who had already placed their two-dollar bets were more confident than people who were waiting in line to place their bets (Knox & Inkster, 1968). These findings suggest that decisions that are __________ generate more cognitive dissonance than decisions that are not.

Accepted Answer

The findings suggest that irrevocable decisions, like placing a bet from which one cannot back out, generate more cognitive dissonance than decisions that are not final or can be changed. This is because once a decision is made and cannot be altered, individuals are more likely to justify their choice to reduce dissonance, leading to increased confidence in the decision.

Question 12

The term __________ refers to a practice whereby a salesperson initially accepts a customer's offer, but then claims an error and quotes the customer a higher price.

Accepted Answer

Lowballing is a technique where an initially lower price is offered to entice a customer, but then the price is increased citing some error or additional factors.

Question 13

After casting your ballot for an election, you are more convinced than you were before casting the ballot that you voted for the best candidate. This example illustrates the idea that when decisions are __________, individuals engage in a greater amount of dissonance reduction.

Accepted Answer

When decisions are irrevocable, meaning they cannot be changed, individuals feel a greater need to reduce any cognitive dissonance they may experience as a result of the decision. In this case, the person may have experienced some doubt or uncertainty about their candidate choice before casting their ballot. After the ballot is cast and the decision becomes irrevocable, the person is more motivated to reduce any dissonance they may feel by convincing themselves that they made the best choice.

Question 14

Petar and Nikolas love the house that they just toured. It is a short sale for $180,000, which is a great price. They are very excited and want to put in an offer. After they begin the paperwork, their realtor tells them that the price does not include the fixtures or the appliances. Those will likely cost an extra $20,000. What tactic is the realtor using?

Accepted Answer

Lowballing is a tactic where an initially lower price is offered to get a commitment from the buyer, and then additional costs are introduced, increasing the overall price.

Question 15

Carla has just written out a check for $18,999 to pay for her new car. Although the salesperson had initially accepted her check, she is now told that there was a mistake and that the final total should really be $19,250. Carla writes another check to cover the difference so that she can drive out with her new car. Carla has just fallen prey to a questionable sales practice called __________.

Accepted Answer

Lowballing is a sales tactic where an initially lower price is offered to get a commitment from the buyer, and then the price is increased for various reasons, compelling the buyer to pay more than they initially agreed to. In this scenario, Carla was initially given a lower price for the car, and after committing to the purchase by writing a check, she was told she needed to pay more, which is a classic example of lowballing.

Question 16

According to research presented in the text, students shot a roll of film and printed two photographs. Some were told that they could exchange the one they chose to keep within five days, but others were told that their choice was final. What was the dependent variable of this experiment?

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable was how much the students liked the photos, as this was the outcome being measured based on whether they had the option to exchange their chosen photo or not.

Question 17

The Pattersons bought their TV from a store with a thirty-day return policy, and the Stevensons bought the same TV from a different store with a policy that "All Sales Are Final!" Based on what the text reports about cognitive dissonance, which family is more likely to be satisfied with their TV?

Accepted Answer

The Stevensons are more likely to be satisfied with their TV because, according to the theory of cognitive dissonance, when people are unable to return an item (in this case, due to the "All Sales Are Final" policy), they are more likely to rationalize their purchase and focus on the positive aspects of the item to reduce any dissonance they might feel about their decision.

Question 18

People generally __________ think that they would like to be able to easily change a decision they've made; however, the research on cognitive dissonance suggests that people actually are __________ with their choice when a decision is more permanent.

Accepted Answer

Research on cognitive dissonance shows that when people make a decision that is more permanent, they tend to justify their choice and thus end up happier with it, contrary to the common belief that flexibility in changing decisions would make them happier.

Question 19

You have worked extremely hard to attain a goal, but soon realize that the goal is not as exciting as you expected. You will probably __________.

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is explained by cognitive dissonance theory, which suggests that when people find themselves having put a lot of effort into achieving something that turns out to be less rewarding than expected, they tend to justify their effort by exaggerating the positive aspects of the goal. This helps reduce the dissonance between their expectations and reality.

Question 20

According to research presented in the text, students shot a roll of film and printed two photographs. Some were told that they could exchange the one they chose to keep within five days, but others were told that their choice was final. Which group of students liked their photograph best?

Accepted Answer

The text states that "those who were told their choice was final liked their photograph significantly more than those who were told that they could exchange it within five days." Therefore, option B is the correct choice because the decision being irrevocable actually made the students like their chosen photo more.

Quiz 6: Cognitive Dissonance and the Need to Protect Our Self-Esteem