Question 1

________ exemplifies a message characteristic, whereas ________ exemplifies a source characteristic.

Accepted Answer

The content of a speech is an example of a message characteristic because it pertains to what is actually being communicated. The credibility of a communicator is a source characteristic because it relates to the perceived trustworthiness or expertise of the person delivering the message.

Question 2

In Petty, Cacioppo, and Goldman's (1981) study, students were asked to read either eight weak arguments or eight strong arguments in support of implementing a comprehensive exam at their university. Some students were told that the exam would be initiated the following year, and others were told it would be initiated in ten years, well after the students' graduation. Finally, the researchers varied the expertise of the source of the arguments-that is, participants were told the arguments were generated either by a local high school class or by a prestigious "Commission on Higher Education." The researchers measured students' attitudes toward the exam. What was the main result of this study?

Accepted Answer

When students believed the exam would be implemented in ten years, they were less personally involved, so they relied more on peripheral cues like the expertise of the source rather than the quality of the arguments.

Question 3

Imagine that your local campus police officers need help solving a crime. They have two witnesses whose accounts of the event are inconsistent, which suggests that one of them is lying. Whom should the local police call to best assist them in detecting the liar?

Accepted Answer

Secret Service agents are trained in detecting deception and have a higher accuracy rate in identifying lies compared to the general population or professionals like attorneys or psychologists.

Question 4

Andy, an advertising executive, wants to use subliminal advertising to encourage people to buy his product. What effect will the use of subliminal advertising likely have on product sales?

Accepted Answer

The use of subliminal advertising has been widely debated and studies have shown that it has little to no effect on consumer behavior. Therefore, it is not likely to have a significant impact on product sales.

Question 5

Which of the following advertising strategies BEST illustrates an attempt to persuade people through the central route?

Accepted Answer

The presentation of research demonstrating the effectiveness of a product is an attempt to persuade people through the central route, which focuses on logical arguments and evidence to influence attitudes and behavior.

Question 6

Nancy is trying to decide which car to buy. According to Richard Petty and John Cacioppo's elaboration likelihood model of persuasion, Nancy will be more likely to process information about the cars she researches through the central route if

Accepted Answer

According to the elaboration likelihood model, individuals are more likely to process information through the central route when they are personally motivated to do so, such as when the decision carries significant consequences or when the individual has a strong preexisting attitude or belief. In this case, Nancy's decision to purchase a car is likely to carry significant consequences, and she may be motivated to devote time and energy to researching her options in order to make an informed decision. Therefore, she is more likely to process information about the cars through the central route if she is personally motivated to do so, which is indicated by choice D.

Question 7

Imagine that you have to convince an audience to adopt your opinion on health-care reform, but the specific arguments you present are weak. According to research on attitude change, what should you do to increase your chances of being persuasive?

Accepted Answer

Stating your arguments with confidence can increase persuasiveness, as confidence can make the speaker appear more credible and trustworthy, even if the arguments themselves are weak.

Question 8

Joanna does not think carefully and deliberately about what a politician says during a debate. Instead, she attends to the politician's winning smile and boyish good looks. Joanna is attending to the ________ route to persuasion.

Accepted Answer

Joanna is being persuaded by superficial or peripheral factors such as the politician's appearance, rather than by the actual content of their argument or reasoning. This is an example of peripheral route persuasion.

Question 9

Samantha wants to persuade her roommate Larissa to allow her to get a dog, even though Samantha does not have very strong arguments for wanting the dog. According to research on mood and persuasion, when should Samantha approach Larissa if she wants her roommate to be most likely to be persuaded?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that people are more easily persuaded when they are in a good mood. Eating and listening to beautiful music can both improve mood, making Larissa more receptive to persuasion.

Question 10

As you drive in to school, you hear a random radio-show caller arguing that sun exposure really has not been shown to cause skin cancer and that some research suggests that skin cancer is completely genetic and not related to sun exposure at all. At the time, you think that this is a silly argument and that the caller does not know what she is talking about. However, two months later, you are outside without wearing sunscreen, and you find yourself remembering that you had read something about how the sun actually does not cause skin cancer. This process is evidence that ________ has influenced your attitude.

Accepted Answer

The sleeper effect is the phenomenon where we tend to forget the source of a message but still remember the message itself. In this case, even though you initially thought the argument about sun exposure not causing skin cancer was silly, over time, you forgot the source of that information and only remember the message itself. This is why you recall the argument two months later when you are outside without sunscreen.

Question 11

Imagine you spend an afternoon watching television and notice that all of the commercials have one common theme: an attractive athlete or actor endorsing a product. Why do advertisers hire attractive people to endorse their products?

Accepted Answer

Attractive people can increase the persuasiveness of a message through the peripheral route because we are more likely to like and trust them. This is because attractiveness is associated with positive traits like social skills, intelligence, and friendliness, which can transfer to the product being endorsed. This can result in increased brand recognition, more positive attitudes toward the product, and ultimately, increased sales.

Question 12

Sebastian is high in the need for cognition. This means he likes to

Accepted Answer

The need for cognition refers to the extent to which individuals enjoy engaging in effortful cognitive activities such as thinking deeply about issues. Therefore, Sebastian's high need for cognition suggests that he enjoys thinking deeply about issues.

Question 13

Imagine you are a participant in Howard Leventhal and his colleagues' (1967) study. Recall that participants either (a) watched a scary film about lung cancer; (b) read a pamphlet of suggestions for how to quit smoking; or (c) watched the scary film and read the pamphlet. According to the results, you would be most likely to quit smoking if you were in condition ________.

Accepted Answer

Participants in condition (c) who both watched the scary film and read the pamphlet were the most likely to quit smoking. The combination of fear-inducing stimuli and practical tips may have been more effective in motivating behavior change than either approach alone.

Question 14

Recall that Hamill, Wilson, and Nisbett (1980) conducted a study on factors that influence attitudes. The researchers first assessed each participant's attitude toward welfare. In one condition, participants read a vivid story about a woman who exploited the welfare system and "lived like a queen" at taxpayers' expense. In another condition, participants were given statistical information about welfare that suggested that the "welfare queen" example was atypical. In a third condition, participants were given both types of information (i.e., the story and the statistical information). Finally, each participant's attitude toward welfare was measured a second time. Results showed that

Accepted Answer

The study found that participants were more likely to change their attitudes in response to the vivid story about the welfare queen than to the statistical information. This suggests that vivid anecdotes or stories can have a stronger impact on attitudes than dry statistical information.

Question 15

Recall that Carl Hovland and his colleagues broke down persuasive messages into three components. Which of the following questions emphasizes the component called source characteristics?

Accepted Answer

The question that emphasizes source characteristics is asking about whether people are more likely to buy a product that is recommended by a credible source, in this case the American Medical Association. This relates to the source characteristics component of persuasive messages, which focuses on the credibility and expertise of the source delivering the message.

Question 16

Stacie listens to a radio commercial for toothpaste. She finds the soothing voice of the announcer appealing, so she buys the toothpaste he advocates. This illustrates the research finding that when people primarily attend to aspects of a message that are tangential to the substance of the message, they are taking the ________ route to persuasion.

Accepted Answer

Stacie is primarily paying attention to the voice and tone of the announcer, which are peripheral cues that are tangential to the substance of the message. Therefore, she is taking the peripheral route to persuasion.

Question 17

According to the textbook, which route to persuasion is most likely to lead to long-lasting attitude change?

Accepted Answer

The central route to persuasion involves careful and thoughtful processing of the message content, leading to attitudes that are more resistant to change over time. This route relies on the audience's motivation and ability to process information, and is more likely to result in long-lasting attitude change compared to the peripheral route, which relies on superficial cues like attractiveness of the presenter or emotional appeals.

Question 18

Who is most likely to be influenced by peripheral cues when processing a televised message from an antilittering campaign?

Accepted Answer

Peripheral cues are unrelated to the actual message being presented and can include things like the appearance or attractiveness of the speaker, or the context in which the message is being delivered. In this case, Doug is distracted by a conversation he is having with his roommate, which is likely to make him more susceptible to being influenced by peripheral cues rather than processing the message itself.

Question 19

Which of the following statements about the effects of subliminal stimuli is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

The statement that subliminal exposure to thirst-related words can lead thirsty people to drink more is the most accurate statement among the given options as it is supported by research studies. Several studies have demonstrated that subliminal exposure to thirst-related words like "water" or "thirst" can increase the amount of fluid consumption in individuals who are already thirsty. This effect is believed to be mediated by the unconscious activation of specific brain regions involved in thirst regulation. However, the other options do not have substantial empirical support to make them credible claims.

Question 20

Which of the following message recipients does NOT display a characteristic that is known to impact his or her susceptibility to persuasion?

Accepted Answer

Demographic factors like ethnicity (e.g., being Latino) are not typically considered direct characteristics impacting susceptibility to persuasion, unlike factors such as need for cognition, age, or attitude certainty.

Quiz 8: Persuasion

exemplifies a message characteristic, whereas exemplifies a source characteristic.