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

Recall that in the l930s, when anti-Asian prejudice was commonplace in the United States, LaPiere (1934) had no trouble finding pleasant accommodations for himself and his Chinese traveling companions. Surprised, LaPiere later sent letters to the establishments they visited, asking whether Chinese visitors would be welcome. More than 90 percent of those who responded replied that they definitely would not accommodate Chinese. This study is noteworthy because it suggested that

If you stand in the checkout line of any discount store, you'll see a very odd assortment of items on display: disposable razors, batteries, ballpoint pens, playing cards, trail mix, combination locks, and so on. Retailers call these items "impulse buys," meaning that although people may not come to the store looking for cards, pens, or trail mix, when they see them near the checkout, they'll buy them. An attitude researcher might say that people buy these items because

Miguel recaptures the freedom of his youth when he test-drives the new Volkswagen "Bug." He feels twenty-five years younger, and remembers cruising the beaches of California in his old 1970 Bug when he was in college. He decides to purchase that new VW model. Miguel's positive attitude toward the car is primarily driven by

"Don't bother me with the so-called facts," asserts your Uncle Joe. "If it's good enough for Barack Obama, it's good enough for me." Which of the following statements about your Uncle Joe is most likely true? He will

Imagine you are trying to convince someone to buy a computer of brand X using what you know about the association between emotions and persuasion. Describe how you could create an advertisement or a store environment that would persuade individuals to buy your computer. More importantly, explain how your procedures would be persuading individuals at a psychological level. That is, how would individuals be processing your message that would lead to persuasion?

All other things being equal, when a communication is more ________, people are more likely to pay attention to it and process it through the central route.

You work for an advertising agency that has just acquired the account for a new software product. Your goal, of course, is to design a television and print campaign to persuade your audience to hold positive attitudes toward the product-and to purchase the product. What factors would you think about in designing your persuasive ads?

You work for an advertising agency. You have been assigned to come up with an advertising campaign for a new brand of designer water, which in reality is standard city reservoir water in a fancy bottle. In this case, you are best off using the ________ route, because ________.

Recent findings that ________ tend to have similar attitudes is the strongest evidence suggesting that attitudes are in part genetic.

According to your textbook, one reason why many ads try to play on our emotions is that

Raymond's attitude is more likely to be highly accessible if he has ________ the attitude object.

In an effort to use fear to persuade people to live a healthier lifestyle, the government of Canada went so far as to mandate that

Why are millions of dollars a year spent on advertising?

Reggie is busy trying to prepare a complicated recipe for dinner when his sons come in asking him who can use the computer first. One son, Jason, gives a long explanation about why he needs it, and goes on for some time. The other son, Cameron, just gives a short explanation. If Reggie is processing these arguments via the heuristic route, who is he most likely to give computer privileges to first?

People are most likely to form behaviorally based attitudes when the initial attitude is ________ and there are no ________ justifications for the behavior .

It can be tricky to use fear-arousing communication properly; a moderate amount can lead people to ________ and too much can lead people to ________.

There have been several famous (or infamous) attempts to manipulate people's attitudes subliminally (for example, Vicary's "Eat Popcorn" demonstration, Wilson Bryan Key's examination of "hidden persuasion" in alcohol ads, and the Bush campaign's "RATS" ad. One should be cautious when hearing that attempts such as these work, because

The use of role-playing as a technique for preventing attitude change is based on the idea that

Imagine that you are trying to persuade an audience to buy your brand of toothbrush. You know that the audience's attitudes about toothbrushes are cognitively based. You should construct an argument that emphasizes the

In a persuasion study conducted by McGuire (1964), participants exposed to weak arguments that contradicted common knowledge or beliefs were _______ likely to be persuaded by ________ two days later.