Question 1

Dave is consistently ten to fifteen minutes late to work every morning. His wife explains to him that this is stealing from his employer. Dave has always considered himself to be an honest person, he therefore justifies the time theft by explaining to his wife that he is not paid enough for the hard work he does so he considers the time part of his salary. Dave changed his attitude in order to justify his actions thereby:

Accepted Answer

Dave is experiencing cognitive dissonance because his actions (being late) conflict with his self-image as an honest person. By justifying his lateness as compensation for being underpaid, he reduces the dissonance between his actions and beliefs.

Question 2

Professor Price is concerned about the study habits of her students. She knows that many of them study while watching television. She decides to give them a study skills lecture but is unsure whether or not she should illustrate both sides of the issue or merely focus on her points. After reviewing the past research she decides that is generally a more effective way to persuade the students.

Accepted Answer

A two-sided message is generally more effective in persuasion as it acknowledges opposing viewpoints, making the speaker appear more credible and balanced.

Question 3

Self-perception theory appears to offer a better explanation of attitude change than dissonance theory when the counterattitudinal behaviour does not threaten a person's self-worth and when our attitudes are to begin with.

Accepted Answer

Self-perception theory suggests that people infer their attitudes from their behavior when their attitudes are weak or unclear, as there is no strong pre-existing attitude to cause dissonance.

Question 4

Some studies found that when people freely engage in counterattitudinal behaviour, they experience increased physiological arousal. Which of the following statements regarding this finding is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that engaging in behavior that contradicts one's attitudes leads to discomfort, which can manifest as physiological arousal.

Question 5

The peripheral route to persuasion is said to occur when people are persuaded because:

Accepted Answer

The peripheral route to persuasion involves being influenced by superficial cues or non-message factors, such as the attractiveness or credibility of the communicator, rather than the content of the message itself.

Question 6

Self-perception theory asserts that:

Accepted Answer

Self-perception theory suggests that individuals determine their attitudes and emotions by observing their own behavior and the context in which it occurs, similar to how they would assess others' behaviors.

Question 7

When people are persuaded by an argument because they have thought carefully about it and find it compelling, the occurs.

Accepted Answer

The central route to persuasion involves careful and thoughtful consideration of the arguments presented, leading to a change in attitude if the argument is found compelling.

Question 8

According to Sorrentino and colleagues at the University of Western Ontario, if you are trying to persuade someone regarding an issue that is personally relevant to that person and that person has a certainty-oriented approach to new information, you would probably be more successful by:

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Sorrentino and colleagues at the...

Question 9

Alison is at a workshop where a presenter is attempting to persuade people to make a rather risky but potentially profitable financial investment. After carefully considering the presenter's arguments, Alison finds this person's ideas sound and compelling and decides to invest. This example best demonstrates:

Accepted Answer

The central route to persuasion involves being persuaded by the content of the message, which is what Alison experienced by finding the presenter's arguments sound and compelling.

Question 10

Shawna is on a diet and doing very well, losing about ten pounds in the weeks before Thanksgiving. She believes that six small meals is a healthy way to eat. When she sits down at her grandmother's Thanksgiving dinner, she cannot help herself and has second helpings of just about everything, including the pumpkin pie. She realizes that no one forced her to eat as much as she did. She therefore is likely to experience:

Accepted Answer

Shawna is likely to experience dissonance because her actions (overeating at Thanksgiving) conflict with her beliefs (maintaining a diet and eating small meals), leading to psychological discomfort.

Question 11

The theory that assumes that when people infer their attitudes and beliefs by observing their own behaviours is:

Accepted Answer

Self-perception theory suggests that people develop their attitudes and beliefs by observing their own behavior and concluding what attitudes must have caused them.

Question 12

What are the two major components of communicator credibility?

Accepted Answer

The two major components of communicator credibility are trustworthiness and expertise, as they determine how believable and knowledgeable the communicator is perceived to be.

Question 13

Professor Price is concerned about the drinking habits of his students. He knows that many of them drink to get drunk at least twice a week. He decides to give them a substance abuse lecture but is unsure whether or not he should mention safe ways to drink or merely focus on instilling fear in them about drinking at all. After reviewing the past research he decides that a more effective way to persuade the students is .

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that combining fear with actionable information is more effective in changing behavior than fear alone.

Question 14

Which of the following characteristics would be the least likely to enhance the persuasiveness of a communicator?

Accepted Answer

A communicator who conveys a very strong viewpoint might be perceived as biased or overly aggressive, which can reduce persuasiveness compared to other characteristics like attractiveness, similarity, or likability.

Question 15

The central route to persuasion has been found to be the most effective for people who:

Accepted Answer

The central route to persuasion is most effective for individuals who have a high need for cognition because they are more likely to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive activities, making them more receptive to detailed and logical arguments.

Question 16

When trying to persuade someone, which of the following strategies would be the most effective?

Accepted Answer

Presenting both sides and then refuting the opposition's arguments shows that you understand the full scope of the issue and strengthens your position by directly addressing and countering opposing views.

Question 17

Cognitive dissonance theory assumes that counterattitudinal behaviours change attitudes because they generate an uncomfortable state of tension, while another theory argues that the same changes are the product of logically inferring attitudes based on the observation of behaviour. This is _.

Accepted Answer

Self-perception theory suggests that people infer their attitudes from observing their own behavior, especially when their attitudes are ambiguous.

Question 18

Participants in a study freely engage in a behaviour that is contrary to their attitudes. This behaviour causes an increase in physiological arousal, but the experimenter tells the participants that this arousal is the product of a placebo pill they have taken. Under these conditions, we would not expect the participants to change their attitudes to be more in line with their behaviour, a finding that is most consistent with theory.

Accepted Answer

The cognitive dissonance theory suggests that people change their attitudes to reduce discomfort from conflicting attitudes and behaviors. However, if the arousal is attributed to an external source (placebo), the need to change attitudes is reduced.

Question 19

Don went to three different dances this past week. Prior to this, he had a slightly negative attitude towards dancing, but after observing his behaviour, he starts to conclude that he must in fact enjoy it, otherwise he wouldn't have attended so many dances. This change in Don's attitude is most consistent with the predictions of:

Accepted Answer

Self-perception theory suggests that people infer their attitudes from their behavior, especially when their attitudes are unclear. Don infers he enjoys dancing because he observed himself attending multiple dances.

Question 20

If you are using fear to persuade someone, research suggests that it is best when the message evokes a moderate level of fear. If you are presented with the task of trying to persuade someone to a discrepant viewpoint, you are generally better off if you present your message with a degree of discrepancy.

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that a moderate level of fear is most effective in persuasion, as it is enough to capture attention and motivate change without causing excessive anxiety or disbelief.

Quiz 13: Behaviour in a Social Context