Question 1

Mindy signed up for a local lifeguard class that required two full days of training at a cost of $150. Unfortunately, she got sick and could not complete the second day of training. The fee was non-refundable and the class was only offered once every six months. Instead of giving up, Mindy signed up for another weekend long workshop offered 25 miles away at a cost of $300.Mindy's actions best illustrate that

Accepted Answer

Mindy's actions illustrate that commitments can "grow legs," meaning that once a person has invested in a decision or path, they may continue to invest further even when the initial plan does not work out, as seen with Mindy's decision to enroll in another, more expensive workshop after her initial attempt was unsuccessful.

Question 2

Which of the following situations would tend to cause the most psychological inconsistency?

Accepted Answer

Option A involves a situation where Fifi likes cats, but her boyfriend Tad dislikes them. This creates a scenario of psychological inconsistency due to conflicting attitudes within a close relationship, leading to potential cognitive dissonance.

Question 3

Whether a particular brand is considered cool, nerdy, elegant, sexy, or fun refers to

Accepted Answer

The way a brand is perceived in terms of its personality refers to brand personality. This includes its characteristics, emotions, and tone that are associated with the brand. A brand's personality can be cool, nerdy, elegant, sexy, or fun, among other things. Brand awareness refers to the ability of consumers to recognize and recall a particular brand, while brand loyalty refers to the extent to which consumers repeatedly purchase a particular brand. Brand ethos refers to the underlying values and principles of a brand.

Question 4

An individual tends to experience more cognitive dissonance when engaging in behavior that is contrary to his/her beliefs if

Accepted Answer

When an individual engages in behavior contrary to their beliefs on their own volition, they are more likely to experience cognitive dissonance because they cannot attribute their behavior to external factors like coercion or incentives. They are more likely to feel responsible for their actions, which creates a sense of inconsistency between their beliefs and behavior.

Question 5

Researchers have found that before buying a new car, consumers tend to look at ads for all makes and models of cars. However, once having purchased a car, consumers tend to read only ads for the kind of car they purchased. This tendency best illustrates the phenomenon known as

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described in the question is selective exposure, as it refers to the tendency of individuals to seek out information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs or attitudes. Once consumers have made a purchase, they are likely to seek out information that supports their decision and ignore information that contradicts it. Selective attention refers to the ability to focus on certain stimuli while ignoring others, selective perception refers to interpreting information in a way that confirms existing attitudes or beliefs, and selective retention refers to the tendency to remember information that reinforces existing attitudes or beliefs while forgetting information that does not.

Question 6

You have just eaten dinner at a very chic, expensive restaurant. Which theory predicts that the more you paid for the meal, the more you will convince yourself the meal was delicious?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory predicts that people often adjust their attitudes and beliefs to align with their behaviors. In this case, someone who paid a lot for a meal may experience cognitive dissonance if they didn't actually enjoy the meal as much as they expected to. To reduce this discomfort, they may persuade themselves that the meal was delicious, thus aligning their attitude (positive) with their behavior (paying a lot for the meal).

Question 7

Which persuasion theory includes a motivation to comply component"?

Accepted Answer

The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) includes a motivation to comply component, which suggests that people are more likely to comply with a persuasive message if they have a positive attitude toward the behavior being advocated and if they believe that important others would want them to perform the behavior. The TRA posits that attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral intentions all influence actual behavior.

Question 8

Which of the following situations would tend to be the most psychologically comfortable?

Accepted Answer

In option C, Zack's dislike for guns aligns with his dislike for Morton, who owns a number of guns. This congruence between Zack's personal dislike and his feelings towards Morton, who embodies what Zack dislikes, creates a psychologically comfortable situation due to the consistency in Zack's attitudes and perceptions.

Question 9

The idea of commitments "growing legs" means

Accepted Answer

"Growing legs" means that a commitment starts to take on a life of its own and becomes harder to escape, even if circumstances change. This aligns with option D, as it implies people remaining committed to a decision despite changes in circumstances.

Question 10

Which of the following situations would tend to result in the greatest psychological inconsistency within an individual?

Accepted Answer

A divorced woman in her late 40s wants to marry a man she has been dating. He wants to have children, though, and she doesn't want to go through a pregnancy at her age.

Question 11

Todd has trained for months to run a marathon and has followed a strict diet. When Todd's coach finds him snacking on donuts and neglecting his exercise regimen just days before the race, Todd tells his coach, "No one is perfect. We all give into temptation every once in a while." Todd is engaging in

Accepted Answer

Transcendence involves rising above a situation by placing it in a larger context, which Todd does by acknowledging human imperfection and occasional lapses.

Question 12

Counterattitudinal advocacy suggests that after having a person create and present a message that is at odds with her/his existing attitudes, she/he is more likely to

Accepted Answer

Counterattitudinal advocacy involves presenting a message that goes against one's pre-existing attitudes. Research shows that this can lead to a shift in attitudes in the direction of the position advocated, especially if there is an external incentive or justification for the individual to adopt the new position. This is known as the "saying is believing" effect, where aligning one's behavior with a message can lead to a change in attitudes.

Question 13

Brands that ordinary people can only dream of owning one day are

Accepted Answer

Aspirational brands are those that people desire to own but may not be able to afford, making them a dream for many.

Question 14

While visiting a friend's house, a delinquent teen takes several valuable baseball trading cards from a collection belonging to the friend's father. The teen tells himself, "I'm not stealing them, I'm just borrowing them for a while." The teen is engaging in

Accepted Answer

Differentiation involves altering the perception of the act to make it seem less negative, as the teen is doing by calling it "borrowing" instead of "stealing."

Question 15

A city wants dog owners to pick up, bag, and dispose of their pets' poop when taking them on walks. Which of the signs below is most likely to get dog owners to comply?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A city wants dog owners to pick...

Question 16

When companies donate to charities or sponsor causes, they are engaging in

Accepted Answer

Corporate social responsibility refers to a company's efforts to give back to society through philanthropic activities, such as donating to charities or sponsoring causes. This is a way for companies to demonstrate their commitment to social and environmental issues and build a positive reputation for themselves. Faux philanthropy, organizational ingratiation, and philanthropic deception are not accurate descriptions of this practice.

Question 17

According to the Theory of Planned Behavior, an effective approach when attempting to persuade a person to engage in healthy eating would be to

Accepted Answer

According to the Theory of Planned Behavior, perceived behavioral control is one of the key factors influencing an individual's behavior. Therefore, bolstering the person's perceived behavioral control over their eating habits can be an effective approach to persuade them to engage in healthy eating. This can be achieved by providing information about healthy food options, offering support and resources to help with meal planning and preparation, and emphasizing the benefits of healthy eating. Option A would likely elicit negative reactions and potentially decrease the likelihood of the person engaging in healthy eating, while option B would limit their control and may also decrease motivation. Option D ignores the influence of external factors on behavior and may not be effective for everyone.

Question 18

Cognitive dissonance is known as a/an

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory is a post-decision theory that explains how people try to reduce the discomfort of holding two inconsistent beliefs or attitudes. It suggests that people have an innate motivation to maintain consistency in their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, and that inconsistency creates a feeling of discomfort, or dissonance.

Question 19

A teen is considering whether he/she should start smoking. Which of the following best illustrates the subjective norm component of the Theory of Reasoned Action?

Accepted Answer

The subjective norm component of the Theory of Reasoned Action refers to the individual's perception of social pressure from those around them. Option D illustrates this as the teen perceives that their friends consider smoking to be cool. Options A-C do not pertain to social pressure or the external attitudes of others.

Question 20

An effective approach when using counter-attitudinal advocacy to change another's attitudes or behavior is

Accepted Answer

Asking the persuadee to write down or role-play a counter-attitudinal message allows them to engage with the message in a non-threatening way, and can lead to cognitive dissonance, which is the psychological discomfort felt when holding contradicting beliefs or values. This discomfort can motivate the person to change their attitudes or behaviors to reduce the dissonance. Options A and D involve external rewards or punishments, and research suggests that these types of extrinsic motivators can actually decrease intrinsic motivation and make attitudinal change less likely. Option B is not effective as limiting the range of alternatives can lead to reactance and resistance from the persuadee.

Quiz 1: Why Study Persuasion