Deck 7: Scarcity

Question 1

A store repeatedly advertises that it is having a "going out of business sale." The owners of the store are taking advantage of the principle of:

A) Social Proof
B) Reciprocity
C) Liking
D) Scarcity
E) Commitment/Consistency

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Resources are most desired when

A) they become more limited in quantity because others obtained them.
B) they become more limited in quantity because of a counting error.
C) they have always been limited in quantity.
D) All of the above are equally desirable.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In a study of 140 Colorado teenage couples, parental interference led to which of the following?

A) The partners viewed one another more critically and reported a greater number of negative behaviors in the other.
B) The pair felt greater love for each other and a greater desire for marriage.
C) When parental interference increased, so did the love the couple felt for each other.
D) All of the above
E) Both b and c

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In a trial, the judge will sometimes instruct a jury to disregard evidence. According to the research cited in Influence, what is a common result of the judge's instructions?

A) The jury successfully disregards the evidence and renders a decision similar to the one they would have arrived at had they never heard the disregarded evidence.
B) The jury overreacts to the judge's instructions and renders a decision in the opposite direction of the evidence.
C) The jury ignores the judge's instructions and renders a decision as if the judge had never instructed the jury to disregard the evidence.
D) The jury focuses on the disregarded evidence and renders a decision that incorporates it even more strongly than had the judge never instructed them to disregard it.

Question 5

Which of the following results was not obtained in the Worchel et al. chocolate cookie study?

A) Scarce cookies were rated as more desirable and costly than abundant cookies.
B) Scarce cookies were rated as better tasting than abundant cookies.
C) New scarcity produced more desire for the cookies than did long-standing scarcity.
D) Competition for a newly scare resource produced the most desire for it.
E) None of the above; they were all obtained.

Question 6

Which of the following does NOT invoke scarcity?

A) Mimicry
B) Censorship
C) Exclusive information
D) Competition

Question 7

According to Influence, why is it that as things become less available they seem more attractive?

A) Because most of the time, the things that are less available are more attractive.
B) Because when something becomes less available our freedom to have it is restricted, causing us to want it more by virtue of psychological reactance.
C) Both a and b.
D) Neither a nor b.

Question 8

People tend to be most likely to engage in behaviors

A) to achieve gains.
B) to prevent losses.
C) that are risky
D) Both A and B are equally pursued.

Question 9

A salesperson notices that a customer is closely examining a particular television set. She approaches the customer and explains that it's a great TV, but, unfortunately, the last one was sold 20 minutes ago. The disappointed customer asks if there are any more available. The salesperson agrees to check, but first asks the customer if he will purchase the TV if one is found. The customer agrees quickly. Lo and behold, the salesperson finds an additional supply of televisions. Though the TV is not quite as attractive as it was a moment ago, the customer buys it anyway. Which weapon of influence led to the sale?

A) Scarcity
B) Authority
C) Commitment and Consistency
D) Both a and b
E) Both a and c

Question 10

In a study by Brehm and Weintraub on the reactions of 2-year-old boys to an obstructed toy, what happened?

A) The boys went to the obstructed toy faster whether or not the obstruction was large enough to hinder their access to the toy.
B) The boys went to the obstructed toy faster only when the obstruction was large enough to hinder their access to the toy.
C) The boys went to the unobstructed toy faster.
D) The boys went to the obstructed and the unobstructed toy with equal speed in all conditions.

Question 11

Psychological reactance fuels which weapon of influence?

A) Reciprocity
B) Commitment and Consistency
C) Social Proof
D) Authority
E) Scarcity

Question 12

What is the typical effect on an audience of banning information? The audience:

A) wants to have the information more but is not any more convinced of its validity.
B) wants to have the information more and becomes more convinced of its validity
C) doesn't want to have the information any more and does not become more convinced of its validity.
D) none of the above.

Question 13

According to Influence, why is it so easy to be "conned" into compliance by a requester who uses scarcity pressures?

A) Because these pressures produce a state of calm that makes considered thinking easy.
B) Because scarcity pressures are so subtle, we hardly know they are there.
C) Because we are naturally inclined to try to achieve gains more than avoid losses.
D) None of the above.

Question 14

In the "imported beef" study by Knishinsky 1982), which of the following added pieces of information did NOT result in increased beef orders?

A) Imported beef was likely to be scarce
B) The information regarding the beef shortage was exclusive
C) The information regarding the beef shortage had been known for quite some time.
D) None of the above all resulted in increased orders)

Question 15

According to Influence, to defend ourselves against scarcity, we should do all of the following except

A) notice the rising tide of arousal and use it as a signal to calm ourselves and proceed with care.
B) use our emotions as a guide to see whether we truly wish to obtain the item.
C) when we feel scarcity pressure, consider whether we want the item under consideration because it is rare or because we actually want to eat it, drink it, drive it, or otherwise use it.
D) None of the above; all of the above help us defend ourselves against scarcity.