Deck 7: Persuasion, Influence, and Impression Management

Question 1

When shopping in a retail store, a very loud alarm goes off. You look around and see that no one is panicking, not even the employees, so you decide that it must be a false alarm and continue shopping. What helps explain your conclusion?

A) Authority
B) Reciprocity
C) Social proof
D) Scarcity

Answer 1

C
Explanation:C) Social proof persuaded you the alarm did not signal danger. When the ambiguous alert sounded, other people around you didn't change their behavior, so you were persuaded that there was no need to change your behavior in response to the alarm. You relied on the actions of others to shape your own behavior.

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of impression management?

A) Manager creating a to-do list to track daily accomplishments
B) Leader creating a vision for the company
C) Individual responding in a timely manner to emails from other team members
D) Individual presenting themselves as a team player and organized leader in job interview

Answer 2

D
Explanation:D) Impression management is the process of controlling the influence process.  In the case of an interviewee presenting themselves as a team player and leader, they are actively influencing how they are perceived by the interviewer: as a good collaborator and leader.

Question 3

What is one of the main ways social proof persuades you to go with the group?

A) Feeling of security from being part of larger group
B) Provides evidence that the group's choice will be personally beneficial for you
C) Mimic behavior of others because the majority is always right
D) Prior behavior should be repeated in group settings

Answer 3

A
Explanation:A) Social proof is a persuasive tactic that works in two main ways; either people gain comfort from going with the crowd or they don't want to or don't care to make the decision. Looking to others to influence your behavior is how social proof is a persuasive tactic.

Question 4

Which of the following is not a primary factor in an individual's choice to exert influence?

A) Nature of the influence target
B) Objectives one wants to achieve
C) Impression one wants to convey
D) One's ability to influence

Question 5

In what way is motivation involved in social proof?

A) Those with extrinsic motivation persuade others effectively
B) Those with intrinsic motivation are highly vulnerable to persuasion
C) People are motivated to follow the crowd even when they know for certain that the group is making the wrong choice
D) In social proof, people look to others' actions when they aren't motivated or don't have the time to carefully think about what to do and follow the crowd

Question 6

What is the difference between "street smart" which is knowing something because you have done it and "book smart" which is knowing something because you have studied it.

A) Experience
B) Personal power
C) Authority
D) Intelligence

Question 7

Why is the social norm of reciprocity such a powerful persuasion tactic?

A) Reciprocity is based on equity theory, and thus it's a goal that everyone strives for in the workplace
B) Reciprocity is found in many different societies making it a universal and cross cultural persuasion tactic
C) Reciprocity reduces uncertainty that people have, and we are motivated to feel secure in our environments
D) Reciprocity is based on the simple theory of give and take which is easy for people to understand

Question 8

Anna works late to help Nate finish his marketing proposal. A few weeks later, Anna asks Nate for help on her sales presentation. According to the social norm of reciprocity, who will end up receiving the most help?

A) Anna because she asked for the favor after helping Nate
B) Nate because he got help from Anna first
C) A reciprocal exchange requires that both parties get the same outcome, so Anna will help Nate the same amount that Nate helped her
D) Reciprocity doesn't allow one person to get more than the other. It depends on the people and the situation

Question 9

How are social power and persuasion tactics related?

A) Social power provides the basis for persuasion tactics
B) Social power only provides leverage for the social persuasion tactics
C) Social power is the ability to effectively use persuasion tactics
D) Social power comes from position and persuasion tactics

Question 10

How can you use reciprocity to influence others in a way that benefits you most?

A) Engage in organizational citizenship behavior
B) Offer unsolicited help to others
C) Give priority to doing favors for those you like
D) Repay those who do favors for you

Question 11

Organizational politics includes all of the following except ________.

A) Using influence
B) Behavior performed by people in organizations
C) Behavior based on legitimate power
D) Behavior based on social power designed to get one's way

Question 12

Who can have authority over you?

A) Your teammate
B) Your subordinate
C) Your direct supervisor
D) All of the above

Question 13

If you want to increase your ability to influence others, what type of power should you focus on improving?

A) Social power
B) Positional power
C) Personal power
D) Autonomic power

Question 14

When might you first be persuaded that the guest speaker for your class is an authority?

A) After hearing and critically considering their presentation
B) After evaluating their qualifications
C) Watching them confidently and professionally interact with your professor before the presentation
D) Hearing that they have been invited to speak in your class

Question 15

When individuals in organizations choose to exert influence they consider three main factors.  Which of the following is not one of the factors individuals consider when choosing to exert influence?

A) Desired objective of exerting influence
B) Cost/benefit of exerting influence
C) Characteristics of the target of influence
D) Impression to be made by exerting influence

Question 16

What is the best way to maximize the effectiveness of influence?

A) Combine authority with social proof
B) Utilize social proof in organizational politics
C) Utilize impression management to create social proof
D) Combine persuasion tactics with sources of power

Question 17

According to the halo effect, which of the following will you assume about someone if they are attractive and likable?

A) Neurotic
B) Conceited
C) Intelligent
D) Introverted

Question 18

What is the common method used by each of the six persuasion tactics to exert influence on target(s)?

A) Trading logical and careful analysis for mindless compliance
B) Using position power and influence tactics together
C) Foregoing careful evaluation to comply with authority
D) Using heuristics instead of using social norms

Question 19

When an employee becomes empowered, what type of power have they gained?

A) Expertise
B) Experience
C) Personal
D) Autonomy

Question 20

What is a requirement for all persuasion tactics?

A) They only take place in workplaces with politics
B) Position power determines the persuasion tactics
C) There has to be a target of influence
D) An alternate agenda guides influence

Question 21

Eric is the statistics whiz on your team, and everyone on your team has informally agreed that Eric should run all the stats for your research and presentations while the rest of you take on a larger share of the other project parts. You are likely to help Eric anytime he asks for help, but you don't always put in that extra effort for your other team members. What combination of persuasion tactic and power source explains your willingness to help Eric anytime he asks?

A) Expertise/Consistency
B) Experience/Social proof
C) Autonomy/Scarcity
D) Relevance/Reciprocity

Question 22

Why would a company choose not to grow or expand despite great demand for their product?

A) Create greater perceived value for their product
B) Increase the cost of their product
C) Create greater demand for their product
D) All of the above

Question 23

How can you successfully claim your bags and get a taxi after getting off a flight in a foreign country where you don't know the language?

A) Persuasion of officials
B) Commitment to consistent actions
C) Use social proof and follow the actions of other travelers
D) Direction by those you assume have authority

Question 24

Impression management involves controlling the influence process to impact ideas formed about all of the following except a(n)________.

A) event
B) person
C) idea
D) None of the above

Question 25

As HR manager, you are under intense pressure to hire top talent at the lowest possible cost. What would be the most effective way to persuade a candidate to join your organization without offering more money?

A) Allow the candidate one week to consider the compensation package before getting back to you
B) Provide statistics on employee satisfaction at your organization
C) Tell the applicant you are considering two other highly qualified applicants for the opening and want to decide soon
D) Provide a better benefits package that may include better medical insurance or stock options

Question 26

Alpha Manufacturing Inc. wants to increase demand for a certain product so they are printing "limited edition" on the packaging. Why might this influence more customers to buy their product?

A) Scarcity persuasion tactic
B) Limited edition
C) False advertising
D) Persuasive marketing

Question 27

Which of the following would not be a good combination of a persuasion tactic and source of power?

A) Experience/Social proof
B) Attractiveness/Liking
C) Relevance/Autonomy
D) Formal authority/Authority

Question 28

An organization is ramping up efforts to increase the health and well-being of their employees in several different ways like training sessions, access to online resources, and posting fliers. In the break room, there is a poster with a statement explaining the campaign and lines below where employees can voluntarily sign to signify they will adopt more healthy behaviors. Sarah and Rick are two employees in particular who are excited to become healthier. Rick decides to sign the poster but Sarah doesn't. What is the likely outcome?

A) Rick and Sarah will equally adopt healthier behaviors
B) Sarah will adopt more healthy behaviors than Rick
C) Rick will adopt more healthy behaviors than Sarah
D) Sarah and Rick won't adopt healthier behaviors