Question 1

Research has shown that taller, physically-fit salespeople tend to be more successful than shorter, less fit salespeople. These characteristics of the salesperson that might impact their persuasiveness with customers are called _____.

Accepted Answer

The characteristics of the salesperson that might impact their persuasiveness with customers are called source effects. These include physical attractiveness, credibility, likeability, and expertise.

Question 2

Tom believes strongly that raising tax rates for the rich is the way to bring the economy out of a recession because it will generate greater tax revenue for the government. Even when his friend showed him factual information illustrating that the government receives greater tax revenues when tax rates are lower for all Americans, Tom refused to accept that information and change his attitude. According to social judgment theory, Tom's rejection of this message was due to a(n) _____ effect.

Accepted Answer

According to social judgment theory, when people have a strong pre-existing attitude, they will judge a message that contradicts their attitude to be further from their attitude than it actually is. This is known as the contrast effect. Tom's rejection of the factual information despite it contradicting his belief suggests a contrast effect.

Question 3

According to social judgment theory, when an incoming message falls within the latitude of acceptance, _____ occurs.

Accepted Answer

Assimilation occurs when an incoming message falls within the latitude of acceptance. This means that the individual perceives the message as consistent with their existing beliefs and attitudes, and integrates it into their pre-existing schema.

Question 4

Which of the following concepts belong to social judgment theory?

Accepted Answer

Latitudes of acceptance and latitudes of rejection are key concepts in social judgment theory, which refers to the idea that people have a range or “latitudes” of viewpoints on different issues. The latitudes of acceptance refer to the range of viewpoints that a person finds acceptable, while the latitudes of rejection refer to the range of viewpoints that a person finds unacceptable. People tend to place their own attitudes and beliefs within these latitudes, judging others’ attitudes as closer to or farther from their own.

Question 5

From a traditional advertising perspective, the basic communication model is referred to as a _____ approach

Accepted Answer

The traditional advertising model is characterized by a one-way communication flow where the advertiser sends a message to the target audience, who are passive recipients of the message. This approach is often referred to as a "one-to-many" approach as one advertiser reaches many consumers with their message.

Question 6

Fear appeals tend to be effective when they _____.

Accepted Answer

Fear appeals are most effective when all of these elements are included: introducing the severity of the threat, presenting the probability of the threat occurring, explaining the effectiveness of a coping strategy, and showing how easy it is to implement the desired response.

Question 7

Harriet is trying to conduct research on the Internet, but she keeps getting interrupted by pop-up ads. Her infant daughter is crying and it's too hot in her apartment, too. In the basic communications model, all of these stimuli in Harriet's environment that disrupt the communication process are known as _____.

Accepted Answer

In the basic communications model, all external factors that affect the quality or accuracy of the communication are considered noise. Pop-up ads, a crying baby, and a hot apartment are all examples of noise that can disrupt communication. Options A, C, D, and E are not accurate in this context.

Question 8

The placement of information in a specific message at the beginning, middle, or end of the message impacts the recall of the information, which is a basic tenet of the _____.

Accepted Answer

The serial position effect refers to the tendency for people to remember the first and last items in a series better than those in the middle, which applies to the placement of information in a message.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding sex appeals in advertising?

Accepted Answer

Research shows that moderate levels of nudity in ads are the most preferred by both male and female audiences. Extremely sexualized ads or those with female nudity may lead to negative reactions and decreased effectiveness of the ad. Additionally, the effectiveness of sex appeals varies by product type and target audience.

Question 10

All of the following have been found to be true regarding humor appeals EXCEPT _____.

Accepted Answer

This statement is not true. Research suggests that humor is more effective when it relates to the product being advertised.

Question 11

According to social judgment theory, if a consumer is exposed to an advertising message that is very different from his initial attitude toward the product, the information in the message will fall within the consumer's _____.

Accepted Answer

Social judgment theory suggests that messages too different from one's initial attitude fall into the latitude of rejection, where they are likely to be dismissed or counter-argued.

Question 12

Research suggests that _____ are likely to occur when the audience is highly engaged (highly involved) and when verbal (versus pictorial) content is present. Thus, important information should be placed early in the message.

Accepted Answer

Primacy effects occur when the audience is highly engaged and when verbal content is present, meaning that information presented early in the message is more likely to be remembered and influential.

Question 13

Which type of effect is said to occur when material presented early in a message is most influential?

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect refers to the tendency for people to remember and be influenced by information that is presented first in a message. This effect occurs because people are more likely to focus and pay attention to the initial information presented, leading them to encode it more deeply and remember it better.

Question 14

According to social judgment theory, when a message is viewed as being congruent with the initial attitudinal position and the message is received favorably, _____ has occurred.

Accepted Answer

According to social judgment theory, when a message is viewed as being congruent with the initial attitudinal position and the message is received favorably, assimilation has occurred. Assimilation refers to the process by which individuals interpret new information in a way that is consistent with their existing attitudes and beliefs. This reinforces their existing attitudes and makes it difficult for them to change their opinions.

Question 15

Which theory of persuasion proposes that consumers compare incoming information to their existing attitudes about a particular object or issue?

Accepted Answer

Social judgment theory proposes that consumers compare incoming information to their existing attitudes about a particular object or issue, and then categorize the message as either acceptable, reject it, or remain neutral. This theory suggests that persuasion is most effective when the message falls within the "latitude of acceptance" for the individual's preexisting attitudes.

Question 16

_____ refer to the characteristics of the person or character delivering a message that influence persuasion.

Accepted Answer

Source effects refer to the characteristics of the source or person delivering a message that influence persuasion, such as credibility, expertise, likability, and attractiveness.

Question 17

Which of the following is a question marketers address with regard to message construction?

Accepted Answer

Marketers address all of these questions when constructing a message. Each question is critical to ensuring the message effectively communicates with the target audience and achieves the desired marketing objectives.

Question 18

All of the following are true with respect to social judgment theory EXCEPT _____.

Accepted Answer

The statement "When the original attitude is positive, the latitude of rejection is large" is false. In fact, when the original attitude is positive, the latitude of acceptance is larger while the latitude of rejection is smaller.

Question 19

All of the following are elements of the basic communication model EXCEPT _____.

Accepted Answer

Cues are not one of the elements of the basic communication model. The basic communication model includes a sender, a message, a medium/channel, noise, a receiver, and feedback.

Question 20

How the appeal of a message and its construction affect persuasiveness is referred to as _____.

Accepted Answer

Message effects refer to how the content and structure of a message influence its persuasiveness.

Quiz 7: Attitudes and Attitude Change