Question 1

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 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 communication variables as one of those factors?

Accepted Answer

Communication variables refer to the characteristics of the message itself, such as its length, complexity, or style, which is exemplified by long versus short appeals.

Question 3

Attitudes are of course an individual internal phenomenon, yet they are of tremendous interest to social psychologists.Why?

Accepted Answer

Social psychologists are interested in attitudes because they often change due to social influence. Understanding this process can help researchers understand how individuals are influenced by others and how attitudes can spread throughout society.

Question 4

Based on the theory of planned behavior, who is most likely to follow through on the intention to buy new tires?

Accepted Answer

According to the theory of planned behavior, three factors influence the likelihood of following through on a behavior: attitude toward the behavior, subjective norms (what others think about the behavior), and perceived behavioral control (the individual's belief in their ability to perform the behavior). In this scenario, Richie has both supportive subjective norms from his parents and the perceived behavioral control of being lent the money, making it more likely for him to follow through on the intention to buy new tires.

Question 5

The concept of ________ refers to the ease with which people believe that they can perform a behavior in question.

Accepted Answer

Perceived behavioral control is the concept that refers to the ease with which people believe they can perform a behavior in question. It includes factors such as self-efficacy, resources, and opportunities, and can have a strong influence on a person's actual behavior. The other options, subjective norms, illusions of invulnerability, and behavioral intentions, are related concepts but do not directly address a person's perceived ability to perform a behavior.

Question 6

Eva's friends and her husband think that it's important that she get a mammogram at her next annual checkup.Eva believes that it will be relatively easy for her to make time in her schedule for that extra procedure.Thus, Eva has every intention of getting a mammogram as part of her annual checkup.This example best reflects the power of ________ and ________, respectively, to influence behavioral intentions and subsequent behaviors.

Accepted Answer

Eva's friends and husband are exerting subjective norms on her, and she believes that she has the ability to schedule a mammogram, which reflects perceived behavioral control. This aligns with the theory of planned behavior, where behavioral intentions are influenced by subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Option A, specific attitudes, is not directly reflected in the scenario. Option B, deliberative attitudes, is not a commonly used term in behavioral science. Option C, affectively based attitudes, is not reflected in the scenario as Eva's intention to get a mammogram is based on external influence rather than her own values or emotions.

Question 7

According to the tenets of cognitive dissonance theory, people are most likely to change their attitudes when they have ________ justification for an attitude-discrepant behavior.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that when individuals have insufficient external justification for behavior that contradicts their attitudes, they are more likely to change their attitudes to align with their behavior, reducing the dissonance.

Question 8

Right after taking office, 67% of Americans reported that they approved of the job President Obama was doing.However, almost two years later, it had dropped to only 47%.Then, Navy Seals located and killed Osama Bin Laden, and the president's approval rating was back up to 60%.This phenomenon suggests that

Accepted Answer

The fact that President Obama's approval rating initially dropped and then increased after the killing of Osama Bin Laden suggests that although political attitudes can be relatively stable, they can also change based on events and circumstances. This indicates that option B is the best choice. Option A is not as accurate, as political attitudes are not always volatile. Option C is not directly relevant to the situation described, and option D is not supported by the given information.

Question 9

Counterattitudinal advocacy results in attitude change when

Accepted Answer

Counterattitudinal advocacy is more likely to result in attitude change when there is minimal external justification for the statement, meaning there is no obvious, external reason for the individual to hold that belief. By making a statement that goes against their existing attitudes, the individual experiences cognitive dissonance, which they may resolve by changing their attitudes. This effect is stronger when the individual has no external reason to make the statement in the first place. The other options, such as internal justification or the strength of the initial attitude, may affect the likelihood of attitude change but are not as directly related to the effectiveness of counterattitudinal advocacy.

Question 10

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 three main factors: the source of the message, the nature of the communication, and the nature of the audience.

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

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

Source variables refer to characteristics of the person delivering the persuasive message. Expert and novice speakers are examples of source variables.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

To create a situation of low external justification on a mass scale would be difficult as it would require a significant shift in societal or cultural norms. Additionally, it may not be ethical or practical to intentionally manipulate large groups of people into experiencing cognitive dissonance for the purpose of changing their attitudes.

Question 14

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 listener that can impact their receptiveness to a persuasive message. Attentiveness is one such variable that can influence how much of the message is processed, and thus affect its effectiveness. Therefore, option A best exemplifies audience variables as a factor in the Yale Attitude Change approach.

Question 15

Before Jane schedules an appointment to undergo plastic surgery, she asks herself, "But what will my husband Ted think about me getting a face lift?" This example reflects the power of _______ to influence intentions and behaviors.

Accepted Answer

The statement reflects the power of subjective norms to influence intentions and behaviors, as Jane is considering her husband's opinion and potential reaction to her decision to undergo plastic surgery. Subjective norms refer to the perceived social pressure or expectations from relevant others (such as family, friends, or colleagues) that may influence an individual's behavior.

Question 16

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 suggests that when there is a lack of external justification for behavior, individuals will experience discomfort or dissonance. To reduce this discomfort, they will seek out internal justification for their behavior, which can lead to attitude change. This internal justification may include changing their attitude to match their behavior or changing their behavior to match their attitude. Therefore, internal justification is the best choice among the answer options given.

Question 17

Tom is trying to quit smoking.His parents, siblings, wife, children, and his doctor have all emphasized to him how important it is for him to quit.According to the theory of planned behavior, what factor is most likely to interfere with Tom's forming a firm behavioral intention to quit?

Accepted Answer

Perceived behavior control refers to the belief that one has the ability to perform a given behavior. In Tom's case, if he does not believe that he has control over his smoking habit and ability to quit, this may interfere with his forming a firm behavioral intention to quit. While attitudes and subjective norms can also impact behavior, perceived behavior control is likely to be the most relevant factor in this scenario. Attitude accessibility refers to the ease with which an individual can retrieve an attitude from memory and is not directly related to forming a behavioral intention.

Question 18

Just after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, President George W.Bush's performance ratings soared from a low of 50 percent to a high of 82 percent, only to fall back to 53 percent a month later.This phenomenon suggests that

Accepted Answer

The rapid fluctuation in Bush's approval ratings after the September 11th attacks suggest that attitudes towards politicians and government can change rapidly in response to major events, indicating that although attitudes may be relatively stable, they are also subject to change based on external circumstances.

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 best choice for changing attitudes on a mass scale. This involves presenting a strong argument with evidence and using emotional appeals to influence beliefs and behavior. Dissonance reduction techniques, insufficient external justification, and counterattitudinal advocacy are all specific techniques within persuasive communication that may be used, but persuasive communication encompasses a broader range of tactics.

Question 20

Communication such as a speech or television advertisement that advocates a particular side of an issue is considered

Accepted Answer

Communication that advocates a particular side of an issue is known as persuasive communication, as it aims to persuade the listener to agree with the viewpoint being presented. Propaganda has a negative connotation as it often involves dishonest or manipulative tactics. External justification refers to the explanation for one's behavior that is given to others to avoid negative consequences, and marketing research is a separate process of gathering information about consumer behavior and preferences.

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

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.