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

Question 1

According to the authors of your text, why are attitudes important?

A) They determine what we do.
B) They are a crucial part of the self.
C) They are key to eliminating prejudice.
D) They are malleable in different situations.

Answer 1

They determine what we do.

Question 2

At the new-car dealership, Josh asks the salesperson a number of questions: "How good is the gas mileage on this model? What does Consumer Reports say about this make and model? Does this car hold its resale value?" The __________ component of Josh's attitude toward the car is most likely to inform his questions.

A) affective
B) cognitive
C) dissonant
D) behavioral

Answer 2

cognitive

Question 3

Researchers suggest that some attitudes are linked to genetic influences. According to these researchers, how is it possible that we might inherit from our parents a love of something like classical music?

A) The influence of genes is modified by early childhood experiences.
B) Genes influence temperament and personality, which are in turn related to attitudes.
C) Genes that influence attitudes are dominant genes, not recessive genes.
D) There are specific genes related to musical preferences, but not to other attitudes.

Answer 3

Genes influence temperament and personality, which are in turn related to attitudes.

Question 4

The function of cognitively based attitudes is __________.

A) evaluation
B) object appraisal
C) the use of logic
D) decision-making

Question 5

Crystal rushes into a store, needing to pick up some orange juice. She quickly picks the deepest orange-colored juice that states "Not from concentrate" and is the cheapest. She is basing her decision on a(n) __________.

A) emotionally based attitude
B) affectively based attitude
C) behaviorally based attitude
D) cognitively based attitude

Question 6

Doty is out weeding her petunias when she sees a garden snake. She feels fear and jumps up and runs back to the house, all the while thinking, "I know that garden snakes are not dangerous." This example illustrates an inconsistency between the __________ component of attitudes and the __________ components.

A) affective; behavioral and cognitive
B) behavioral; affective and cognitive
C) cognitive; affective and behavioral
D) There is no inconsistency between the components.

Question 7

According to your text, polls taken in the wake of the 2016 U.S. election showed that more than __________ of voters did not realize that "Obamacare" was the same thing as the Affordable Care Act. This resulted in their voting according to their affectively based attitude.

A) one-quarter
B) one-third
C) one-half
D) two-thirds

Question 8

According to the brief social history of the cigarette presented in the introduction to Chapter 7 (Attitudes and Attitude Change), the way the industry has increased its business is primarily by __________.

A) improving its product
B) producing more of its product
C) getting new populations of people to buy its product
D) decreasing the price of its product

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a component of attitude?

A) Emotional reactions
B) Behavioral tendencies
C) Self-perceptions
D) Thoughts and beliefs

Question 10

If Little Joey gets punished every time he plays with matches, Joey may develop a negative attitude toward matches. What would best explain Joey's negative attitude toward them?

A) Classical conditioning
B) Operant conditioning
C) Personal values
D) Attitude conditioning

Question 11

A positive attitude can be formed via classical conditioning when an attitude object is repeatedly paired with __________.

A) a pleasant stimulus/experience
B) rewards for a simple behavior
C) punishments for misbehavior
D) arousal and cognition

Question 12

It is estimated that one-third of the electorate knows almost nothing about specific politicians. Nonetheless, these people hold very strong opinions about them. This pattern of findings suggests that people's attitudes toward politicians may be largely __________.

A) ambivalent
B) affectively based
C) behaviorally based
D) cognitively based

Question 13

Claude had an unpleasant experience during his last visit to Dallas, Texas. He was approached by two men with strong Texas accents who wielded sharp knives, roughed him up, cracked a rib, and stole all his money. Ever since Claude was mugged, he has taken an instant dislike to anyone who speaks with a Texas twang. Claude's negative attitude toward Texas accents is most probably a result of __________.

A) instrumental conditioning
B) attitude accessibility
C) classical conditioning
D) cognitive dissonance reduction

Question 14

The purpose of cognitively based attitudes is to __________.

A) classify the pluses and minuses of an object to make a quick decision
B) evaluate one's feelings about the attitude object
C) decide on the best behavioral response to an attitude object
D) create new feelings about attitude objects

Question 15

The function of affectively based attitudes is to __________.

A) paint an accurate picture of the world
B) express and validate one's basic value system
C) behave in accordance with one's attitudes
D) weigh the pluses and minuses of an attitude object

Question 16

According to the authors of your text, what originally spurred the development of advertising for cigarettes and other products?

A) The development of the ability to mass-produce products
B) The development of new forms of media
C) The growing desire of the public for information about the product
D) The development of the entertainment industry

Question 17

When Myra looks at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for the first time and sees the gorgeous art, she is awestruck, and even moved to tears by the beauty of it. Her affectively based attitude is a result of __________.

A) her system of beliefs
B) her values as a pagan
C) classical conditioning
D) a sensory reaction

Question 18

According to the text, which of the following pairs of individuals will most likely share the same attitudes?

A) Nanette and Janette, identical twins
B) Steffan and Hugo, fraternal twins
C) Brayden and his brother Diego
D) Ronan and his father Marco

Question 19

Why are affectively based attitudes so resistant to logical persuasive attempts to change them?

A) They are often linked to values, which are difficult to change.
B) They are governed by knowledge of the issues.
C) They are the result of the same illogical source.
D) They are acquired by automatic processes.

Question 20

André is not at all familiar with a presidential candidate's stand on the issues or with his proposed policies, but André likes "his" candidate and plans to vote for him anyway. This example illustrates that people's attitudes toward politicians are often __________.

A) cognitively based
B) affectively based
C) behaviorally based
D) classically conditioned

Question 21

People tend to be less aware of their __________ attitudes, which are more likely to influence behaviors they are not monitoring.

A) explicit
B) cognitively based
C) implicit
D) self-perceived

Question 22

Which of the following best illustrates an implicit attitude?

A) When Tracy checks off her opinion on a survey questionnaire
B) When Randi experiences a flash of discomfort around her lesbian friends
C) When Sarah sees Schindler's List and concludes that it is anti-Semitic
D) When Jodi, who is white, marries Percy, who is black

Question 23

Although affectively based attitudes can be derived from a number of different sources, they are alike in that they tend to be __________.

A) based on rational examination of relevant information
B) logically organized
C) linked to personal values
D) unrelated to past experience

Question 24

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) "I like my toaster because you can toast four pieces of bread at one time" reflects a behaviorally based attitude.
B) "I hate all politicians because they represent pure evil" represents a cognitively based attitude.
C) "I guess I like junk food, because I'm always eating it" represents a behaviorally based attitude.
D) "I'd like to get rid of this car because it's always in the shop" represents an affectively based attitude.

Question 25

An attitude based on operant conditioning is formed when a behavior toward an attitude object is __________.

A) positively reinforced
B) performed unconsciously
C) done privately, then publicly
D) paired with a negative stimulus

Question 26

Recall that in the 1930s, 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. Although LaPiere's study suggests that there is a weak link between attitudes and behavior, his results should be interpreted with caution. Why?

A) Later, more systematic research revealed that there is generally a strong relation between attitudes and behavior.
B) Prejudice has generally declined in the United States since the 1930s.
C) His sample of proprietors was not randomly selected.
D) Proprietors' attitudes might have changed between LaPiere's visit and the time he sent the letters.

Question 27

Tanisha's family loves the Chicago Bulls. Tanisha recently moved to California and now cheers for the Lakers. When she goes home, her family sarcastically jokes with her and makes fun of her new love for the Lakers. This reaction to her behavior is a(n) __________.

A) reinforcement
B) punishment
C) implicit attitude
D) fear-arousing communication

Question 28

Research by Rudman and her colleagues (2007) suggests that implicit attitudes are rooted in __________ experiences, whereas explicit attitudes are based in __________ experiences.

A) current; childhood
B) traumatic; normal
C) childhood; present
D) emotional; cognitive

Question 29

Lenoir is taking a test to see if she's prejudiced toward elderly people. Because it's difficult to assess her implicit attitudes, she's most likely __________.

A) completing the Implicit Associations Test (IAT)
B) completing a survey or questionnaire
C) having a structured interview
D) reporting about her controllable behaviors

Question 30

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 __________.

A) rational persuasive appeals reduce prejudice
B) the link between attitudes and behaviors is often tenuous
C) people often "tell" more than they can know
D) contact with people against whom we are prejudiced can actually reduce prejudice

Question 31

Samantha really enjoys Gummy Bears. Her attitude did not stem from any rational examination of the nutritional value of this food, and isn't governed by logic (she can't be persuaded to stop eating them). Samantha's attitude about Gummy Bears is most likely __________ based.

A) affectively
B) cognitively
C) behaviorally
D) intuitively

Question 32

Explicit attitudes are __________, while implicit attitudes are __________.

A) public statements; private beliefs
B) in conscious awareness; involuntary and sometimes unconscious
C) affectively based; usually cognitively based
D) involuntary; voluntary

Question 33

Which of the following is most closely related to the notion of behaviorally based attitudes?

A) Self-persuasion theory
B) Self-perception theory
C) The Yale Attitude Change approach
D) The elaboration likelihood model

Question 34

In a recent study of implicit attitudes by Rudman and her colleagues (2007), people who were close to their mothers and whose mothers were __________ tended to have more positive implicit attitudes about overweight people.

A) not prejudiced
B) especially critical of their appearance
C) overweight
D) self-confident

Question 35

Who is most likely to form a behaviorally based attitude?

A) Lucinda, who tastes sushi for the first time because she is curious and hates it
B) Carmen, who goes clogging with her friends because they insist on her accompanying them
C) Jeremiah, who finds himself spending hours on the Internet for no good reason
D) Paco, who goes to the gym five days a week because the doctor ordered him to lose weight and exercise

Question 36

Advertising makes the assumption that __________ will lead to __________.

A) behavioral change; attitude change
B) improved understanding; attitude change
C) attitude change; behavioral change
D) behavioral change; improved understanding

Question 37

Oliver is participating in a research study of implicit attitudes. He was an overweight child but is a healthy-weight adult. If his results are similar to the participants in the study by Rudman and her colleagues (2007), he will have a __________ implicit attitude about overweight people.

A) more positive
B) more negative
C) neutral
D) more conscious

Question 38

Explicit attitudes influence our behavior when __________, while implicit attitudes influence our behavior when __________.

A) we are not monitoring our behavior; we are monitoring our behavior
B) we are monitoring our behavior; we are not monitoring our behavior
C) we make public statements, we consider our private beliefs
D) our behavior is nonverbal; our behavior is verbal

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an affective attitude?

A) Not a result of rational examination
B) Often linked to values
C) A central part of one's self
D) Governed by logic

Question 40

Attitude accessibility refers to __________.

A) the ability to remember the last time you thought of that object
B) the association between the object and an evaluation of it
C) the ability to evaluate an object quickly without being able to ask questions
D) the degree of experience people have with an object

Question 41

Why are highly accessible attitudes more likely to predict spontaneous behaviors than are less accessible attitudes?

A) People are more likely to be thinking of accessible attitudes when they are called on to act.
B) Emotion-based attitudes are both more accessible and more likely to influence behaviors.
C) People with accessible attitudes are more likely to be influenced by arbitrary aspects of the situation.
D) Actually, attitude accessibility does not influence the link between attitudes and behaviors.

Question 42

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, USB drives, 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 __________.

A) consumers' attitudes toward such utilitarian items are emotionally based
B) these items reflect people's social identity concerns, so they will deliberate quickly about whether to purchase them
C) attitudes toward these items may be highly accessible
D) intentions are relatively unimportant when people engage in deliberative behaviors like purchases

Question 43

Your best friend Nina may or may not visit New York this weekend. According to the theory of planned behavior, what information would be most useful in helping you predict whether Nina will actually travel to New York?

A) Nina's attitude about traveling
B) Nina's intention to visit New York
C) Nina's attitude toward New York
D) Nina's intention to get away this weekend

Question 44

Based on research presented in your text about attitudes predicting behavior, it could be said that __________ attitudes best predict actual behavior.

A) general
B) abstract
C) specific
D) intrinsic

Question 45

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

A) Bob, whose friends think it is important for his safety
B) Michelle, who is confident that she can afford them
C) Richie, whose parents put safety first and who will lend him the money
D) Nora, who holds positive attitudes toward Goodyear

Question 46

What type of attitudes best predict spontaneous behavior?

A) Highly accessible attitudes
B) Emotion-based attitudes
C) Cognition-based attitudes
D) Weak attitudes

Question 47

__________ is to predicting spontaneous behavior as __________ is to predicting deliberative behavior.

A) Attitude accessibility; intention
B) Affect; cognition
C) Dissonance reduction; self-perception
D) Utility; social identity

Question 48

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?

A) His specific attitude toward quitting smoking
B) His subjective norms
C) His perceived behavior control
D) His attitude accessibility

Question 49

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

A) Many attitudes are shared by groups of people.
B) Attitude change is often due to social influence.
C) Attitude change is often self-serving.
D) Attitudes are the most powerful predictor of social behaviors.

Question 50

The concept of subjective norms refers to people's __________.

A) perceptions of the rules or expectations that guide social behavior
B) evaluations of the reasonableness of their attitudes
C) intentions to use their attitudes to guide their behaviors
D) beliefs about what important others will think of their behavior

Question 51

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

A) thought in more depth about
B) more firsthand experience with
C) a neutral perspective about
D) only read about

Question 52

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.

A) ample external
B) ample internal
C) insufficient external
D) insufficient internal

Question 53

Researchers (Davidson & Jaccard, 1979) studied the relationship between women's attitudes and their use of the birth control pill. They found that the best predictor of whether women were using the birth control pill two years after reporting their attitudes was the women's __________.

A) attitude toward unwanted pregnancy
B) belief about their partners' attitudes toward the pill
C) attitude toward using birth control pills during the two-year period
D) attitudes toward abortion

Question 54

Researchers (Davidson & Jaccard, 1979) studied the relationship between women's attitudes and their use of the birth control pill. The results of this study indicated that general attitudes were __________ of behavior.

A) accurate predictors
B) moderately good predictors
C) poor predictors
D) reliable predictors

Question 55

The theory of planned behavior states that the best predictors of deliberate behaviors are __________.

A) behavioral intentions, subjective norms, and attitude accessibility
B) attitude salience, behavioral patterns, and perceived behavior control
C) attitudes toward the specific behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control
D) behavioral intentions, attitude accessibility, and perceived behavior control

Question 56

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.

A) specific attitudes; perceived behavioral control
B) deliberative attitudes; subjective norms
C) subjective norms; affectively based attitudes
D) subjective norms; perceived behavioral control

Question 57

Even though Mario dislikes roller coasters, he may decide to take a ride because his best friend really wants him to ride the new Tidal Wave. This example shows the importance of __________ on our behavioral decisions.

A) subjective norms
B) the reciprocity norm
C) altruism
D) persuasive communication

Question 58

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" is most associated with __________.

A) predicting spontaneous behaviors
B) the theory of planned behavior
C) subjective norms
D) perceived behavioral control

Question 59

Social psychologists have found that attitudes do predict behavior, but only under certain specifiable conditions. One key factor is knowing whether the behavior in question is __________.

A) positive or negative
B) spontaneous or deliberate
C) easy or difficult
D) a current or future behavior

Question 60

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

A) subjective norms
B) perceived behavioral control
C) illusions of invulnerability
D) behavioral intentions

Question 61

According to the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion, people who __________ are most likely to take the __________ route to persuasion.

A) are motivated to pay attention; central
B) are motivated to pay attention; peripheral
C) do not pay close attention; central
D) do not care about the issue; central

Question 62

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?

A) Attentive versus inattentive listeners
B) High-quality versus low-quality arguments
C) Expert versus novel speakers
D) One-sided versus two-sided messages

Question 63

A commercial comes on for an arthritis cream. Lachlan has been having some pain in his knees lately, so he's both motivated and able to attend to the commercial. Therefore, he is more likely to use the __________ route to persuasion.

A) peripheral
B) heuristic
C) central
D) relevant

Question 64

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

A) Most people are resistant to persuasion attempts.
B) Very few people ever experience cognitive dissonance.
C) People would become psychologically reactive to the persuasion attempt and do the opposite.
D) It would be difficult to create a situation of low external justification on a mass scale.

Question 65

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.

A) implicit attitudes about your behavior
B) self-perceptions
C) internal justification
D) cognitively based attitudes

Question 66

Persuasive communication is a message __________.

A) advocating a particular side of an issue
B) that presents both sides of an issue
C) intended to sell more product
D) that contains propaganda

Question 67

The elaboration likelihood model explains under what conditions someone will __________.

A) be influenced by what the speech says, and when influence occurs by superficial cues
B) change their implicit attitude, and when he or she will resist change to the explicit attitude
C) be persuaded by a subliminal message, and when he or she will resist attitude change
D) elaborate on a dissonance-evoking situation, and when he or she will resolve dissonance

Question 68

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?

A) The source; the nature of the communication; the nature of the audience
B) The source; the need for cognition; the implicit attitudes of the audience
C) The source; the nature of the communication; the route of processing (central/peripheral)
D) The personality of the audience; the nature of the message; the social status of the speaker

Question 69

The peripheral route to persuasion indicates that people are paying attention to __________.

A) the content of the message
B) the logical arguments of the message
C) the surface characteristic of the message
D) their attitude change

Question 70

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?

A) High-quality versus low-quality argument
B) One-sided versus two-sided messages
C) Long versus short appeals
D) Expert versus novice speakers

Question 71

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?

A) Cognitive dissonance advertising is too expensive.
B) Cognitive dissonance is not effective in changing people's attitudes and subsequent behavior.
C) Cognitive dissonance techniques are difficult to implement on a mass scale.
D) Cognitive dissonance has fallen out of favor with the advent of the computer as a model for human behavior.

Question 72

Corey and Jennifer engage in a debate in speech class. Corey goes first and Jennifer goes second. Most students thought that Corey did a better job in the debate. Assuming that the quality of the arguments and presentation by the two speakers was equally good, this would be an example of a(n) __________ effect.

A) primacy
B) recency
C) accessibility
D) central route

Question 73

Counterattitudinal advocacy results in attitude change when __________.

A) there is minimal external justification for the statement
B) there is minimal internal justification for the statement
C) the attitude is accessible
D) the attitude is initially very strong

Question 74

Donald didn't attend carefully to the substance of the persuasive communication, but instead paid attention to some irrelevant cues. He's using the __________ route to persuasion.

A) peripheral
B) systematic
C) central
D) indirect

Question 75

Armando is listening carefully to a persuasive communication and thinking about the arguments. He is using the __________ route to persuasion.

A) peripheral
B) heuristic
C) central
D) direct

Question 76

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.

A) against bell-bottoms; low
B) in favor of bell-bottoms; low
C) against bell-bottoms; high
D) in favor of bell-bottoms; high

Question 77

According to the Yale Attitude Change approach, a __________ salesperson would lead to higher sales.

A) more honest
B) younger
C) more attractive
D) less credible

Question 78

The Yale Attitude Change approach to persuasion yielded a great deal of information about the attitude change process, but there was one major problem with the approach: it __________.

A) was not clear when one factor should be emphasized over others
B) only accounted for implicit attitudes
C) only applied to women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five
D) is unclear as to who exactly is a source and who is an audience member

Question 79

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 __________.

A) dissonance reduction techniques
B) persuasive communication
C) insufficient external justification
D) counterattitudinal advocacy

Question 80

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?

A) Hostile versus receptive audiences
B) Attentive versus inattentive listeners
C) Long versus short appeals
D) Expert versus novice speakers