Deck 5: Attitudes and Persuasion

Question 1

According to the theory of planned behavior,the BEST predictor of behavior is

A) behavioral intentions.
B) attitudes.
C) subjective norms.
D) perceived behavioral control.

Answer 1

behavioral intentions.

Question 2

Strong attitudes are more resistant to persuasion because

A) people who hold strong attitudes have logically reviewed numerous arguments for and against their initial position.
B) people who hold strong attitudes are less certain that their position is correct.
C) strong attitudes are more related to additional features of the person.
D) people who hold strong attitudes are more likely to systematically process the arguments against their initial attitudes.

Answer 2

strong attitudes are more related to additional features of the person.

Question 3

Jose is enthusiastic about a new political candidate but feels that he has no time to campaign in support of this candidate.In this example,Jose's behavior has been influenced by

A) subjective norms.
B) perceived behavioral control.
C) attitude strength.
D) persuasive messages.

Answer 3

perceived behavioral control.

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of operant conditioning potentially influencing an attitude?

A) A voter listens to a political candidate speaking in a dark, noisy, and cramped auditorium.
B) A teacher smiles and nods when a student expresses a political view that the teacher likes.
C) Children watch a video that shows other children having fun recycling.
D) A woman tries sushi for the first time with her new boyfriend in a romantic setting.

Question 5

Which of the following are the two qualities of strong attitudes that make them resistant to change?

A) consistency and dissonance
B) commitment and embeddedness
C) inoculation and balance
D) relatedness and complexity

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of observational learning potentially influencing an attitude?

A) A voter listens to a political candidate speaking in a dark, noisy, and cramped auditorium.
B) A teacher smiles and nods when a student expresses a political view that the teacher likes.
C) Children watch a video that shows other children having fun recycling.
D) A woman tries sushi for the first time with her new boyfriend in a romantic setting.

Question 7

The two aspects of knowledge that strengthen the link between attitudes and behavior are

A) the personal relevance of the knowledge and the reliability of the knowledge.
B) the speed with which the knowledge comes to mind and the degree of control one has over the knowledge.
C) the amount of knowledge gained and the direct versus indirect nature of the knowledge.
D) the rewards and the punishments associated with the knowledge.

Question 8

A study (Sivacek & Crano,1982)was conducted at Michigan State University when the government proposed raising the drinking age from 18 to 21.Which students volunteered to campaign against the proposal and why?

A) Students who were under 20 were more likely to volunteer because the issue was more personally relevant to them.
B) Students majoring in law or government were more likely to volunteer because they had greater knowledge about the issue.
C) Students who were under 20 were more likely to volunteer because students 21 and over were not against the proposal.
D) Students who drank more frequently were more likely to volunteer because their attitudes were more accessible.

Question 9

Suppose that you hold a strong attitude against capital punishment and you are shown an essay that opposes your position.According to a study by Pomeranz,Chaiken,& Tordesillas (1995),you would be likely to perceive the essay arguments as

A) strong, but do not change your position.
B) strong, and slightly change your position.
C) weak, but nevertheless change your position.
D) weak, and do not change your position.

Question 10

The speed with which an attitude springs to mind is known as attitude

A) embeddedness.
B) relevance.
C) pliability.
D) accessibility.

Question 11

When attitudes are formed through the process of classical conditioning,the degree of liking for something is influenced by

A) its association with something we already like or dislike.
B) being rewarded or punished for expressing a particular attitude.
C) observing how others are rewarded or punished for expressing a particular attitude.
D) the degree of inconsistency between attitude and behavior.

Question 12

Your text described attitudes being formed from all of the following processes EXCEPT

A) heredity.
B) operant conditioning.
C) schemas.
D) observational learning.

Question 13

Peter met Hal on a very cold and windy day.Peter didn't like Hal very much because he associated Hal with the negative experience of being cold.In this example,Peter's attitude toward Hal was influenced by the process of

A) associative conditioning.
B) observational learning.
C) operant conditioning.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 14

The theory of planned behavior characterizes attitudes as influencing action by first influencing

A) knowledge.
B) personal relevance.
C) attitude accessibility.
D) behavioral intention.

Question 15

Which of the following statements related to attitudes and heredity is true?

A) Attitudes develop exclusively through learning.
B) Genetically influenced attitudes are fairly weak and do not influence behavior to a significant extent.
C) Many political and religious attitudes have been found to have a genetic component.
D) People can be persuaded to change their genetically influenced attitudes fairly easily.

Question 16

Embeddedness makes attitudes resistant to change because

A) it makes people reject contradictory information.
B) changing the attitude would mean changing many other aspects of the self.
C) it makes people more committed to the attitude.
D) it makes people review relevant information in a biased fashion.

Question 17

In a study by Insko (1965),students at the University of Hawaii were surveyed by phone about their attitudes toward the creation of a Springtime Aloha Week.The interviewer said "good" after some students expressed a favorable attitude,but said "good" after other students expressed an unfavorable attitude.One week later,a survey revealed that the interviewer's comments influenced students' attitudes toward Springtime Aloha Week via the process of

A) classical conditioning.
B) cognitive dissonance.
C) operant conditioning.
D) observational conditioning.

Question 18

Emily has a strong attitude about the issue of gun control,but all her close friends hold the opposite attitude about the issue.Consequently,Emily is not active politically on this issue.According to the language of the theory of planned behavior,Emily's reduced consistency between her attitude and her actions is influenced by

A) reduced attitude accessibility.
B) personal relevance of the issue.
C) perceived behavioral control.
D) subjective norms.

Question 19

According to the theory of planned behavior,behavioral intentions are influenced by all of the following EXCEPT

A) perceived behavioral control.
B) attitude accessibility.
C) attitudes.
D) subjective norms.

Question 20

Your text described how all of the following can influence attitude-behavior consistency EXCEPT

A) attitude accessibility.
B) knowledge.
C) personal relevance.
D) dissonance level.

Question 21

Imagine that you have given a speech to your colleagues about the potential health hazards of smoking.Your message can be considered persuasive if,after hearing the speech,your colleagues

A) agree to sign a petition to prohibit smoking in public places in order to avoid a confrontation with you.
B) come to privately believe more strongly that smoking is bad for their health.
C) are more friendly toward you.
D) start to smoke more as a result of reactance.

Question 22

After-only design should be used for measuring attitude change only when

A) there isn't a control group in the design of the study.
B) participants are placed in either the treatment or control condition completely by chance.
C) covert measures of attitudes are used.
D) there isn't random assignment.

Question 23

The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion (Petty & Cacioppo,1986)proposes that message recipients will centrally process a communication when they

A) are motivated to attend to it and have the ability to do so.
B) have heard the message repeatedly and have thoroughly learned it.
C) are convinced that an expert supports the message.
D) associate the message with obtaining a reward or avoiding a punishment.

Question 24

Encouraging positive self-talk,inhibiting counterarguments,and defeating a message through inoculation are implications of

A) the cognitive response model.
B) reactance theory.
C) consistency theory.
D) balance theory.

Question 25

The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion is considered a dual process model because it postulates that there are two

A) types of messages: long and short.
B) types of counterarguments: strong and weak.
C) routes to persuasion: central and peripheral
D) routes to persuasion: motivation and ability.

Question 26

Imagine you are an incumbent politician who wants to employ inoculation in a campaign letter so your constituents will vote against your challenger.Which of the following techniques best employs the inoculation procedure (McGuire,1964)?

A) Present your arguments without reference to your opponent's arguments.
B) Present both your and your opponent's strongest arguments, but present yours first.
C) Present a few of the weaker arguments that your opponent will use against you.
D) Present a few of the stronger arguments that your opponent will use against you.

Question 27

According to the text,one persuasive strategy recommended by the cognitive response model is to

A) repeat the information enough times so that it is well-remembered by the target.
B) have the target learn the information well enough so that he or she can explain it to someone else.
C) provide punishment immediately after the target fails to engage in the desired behavior.
D) give the audience little time to formulate counterarguments.

Question 28

According to the cognitive response model of persuasion,persuasion is affected most strongly by

A) the strength of the arguments.
B) how well the person remembers the message arguments.
C) what the person says to himself or herself after receiving the message.
D) the ability to process the message.

Question 29

The text defines persuasion as

A) an observable change in a behavior that indicates public conformity to a group norm.
B) the use of legitimate authority to enforce compliance with society's laws and regulations.
C) a change in a private attitude or belief resulting from the receipt of a message.
D) the use of subliminal suggestions to induce unconscious compliance in the target.

Question 30

According to your text,William McGuire's (1964)inoculation procedure refers to

A) a technique for inhibiting counterarguing through distraction.
B) the use of preventive measures to ensure both physical and mental health.
C) the presentation of easily defeated, weak arguments for the opposition's position.
D) the presentation of complex arguments followed by simple answers.

Question 31

The cognitive response model of persuasion emphasizes

A) the ability to remember elements of the persuasive message.
B) the importance of what a target says to himself or herself after hearing a persuasive communication.
C) the use of reactance, where a desired freedom is made to seem scarce and thus more desirable.
D) social norms that guide the target into socially acceptable behavior.

Question 32

As mentioned in your text,the interrogators of Peter Reilly did not let him eat or sleep for about 24 hours before the formal questioning.According to the cognitive response model,how did this affect his false confession?

A) He wanted to get out as soon as possible, so that he could rest.
B) He was not able to think straight in order to form counterarguments.
C) He made the false confession, hoping that he would be rewarded with food.
D) The exhaustion made him experience cognitive dissonance.

Question 33

Nonreactive measurement

A) does not change participants' responses while recording them.
B) is measurement in which participants subjectively report their responses.
C) is reported when experimenters are not physically present.
D) removes from the responses the effect of physiological reactions to the treatment.

Question 34

A researcher who wanted to test the persuasiveness of a message against abortion sent a letter to half of the households in the sample.Later,she called all of the households in the sample and asked them about their attitudes toward abortion.What kind of design was employed in the study?

A) before-after
B) nonreactive
C) after-only
D) before-only

Question 35

It is preferable to use self-report measures of attitudes rather than covert measures when

A) the attitudes are strong.
B) the study is conducted in laboratory settings.
C) people have no good reason to hide their true feelings.
D) there is a control group.

Question 36

In order to measure whether a message produced an attitude change when an after-only design was used,you should compare the attitudes of the people who received the message with

A) their attitudes toward similar issues.
B) their attitudes toward the same issue at least two weeks ago.
C) the attitudes of people who received the message two weeks after the first group.
D) the attitudes of people who did not receive the message.

Question 37

According to the cognitive response model,all of the following tactics would reduce counterarguing against a persuasive message EXCEPT

A) encouraging "self-talk" by the target.
B) having a quote from an expert supporting the persuasive message.
C) giving targets little time to respond.
D) distracting targets during the presentation of the persuasive message.

Question 38

Suppose that you are presented with an essay favoring comprehensive exams at your school.Which of the following would most likely affect your attitudes if you are told that the policy will not go into effect for 10 years?

A) the quality of the arguments
B) the number of strong arguments
C) the number of weak arguments
D) the total number of arguments

Question 39

The text discusses how anti-tobacco groups aired TV ads that parodied ads by tobacco companies,such as the ad where tough Marlboro Man-like characters were reduced to wheezing and coughing.These parody ads were effective because they induced viewers to

A) reduce the attitude accessibility of pro-tobacco attitudes.
B) experience cognitive dissonance.
C) eliminate self-talk that could convince them to keep smoking.
D) register counterarguments against the tobacco company ads.

Question 40

The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion is an example of a

A) dual-process model.
B) nonreactive model.
C) balance model.
D) motivational model.

Question 41

Suppose that you have to deliver a message that contains primarily weak arguments.What could you do to increase its persuasiveness?

A) Present the arguments slowly, so the audience can process them centrally.
B) Present the message in print.
C) Present the arguments rapidly, so the audience will not have enough time to consider them centrally.
D) Make sure that there are no distractions while the audience is processing your ad.

Question 42

The tactic known as "stealing the opponent's thunder" refers to

A) stealing the opponent's evidence in a court case.
B) preparing strong arguments to counter the opponent's claims.
C) acknowledging a minor weakness in one's own position.
D) finding weaknesses in the opponent's argument.

Question 43

When people wish to make accurate judgments,but don't have the time or ability to analyze the evidence closely,they often rely on "shortcut" evidence.According to the text,shortcut evidence can be gathered from all of the following EXCEPT

A) strength of the arguments.
B) credible communicators.
C) others' responses.
D) cognitively ready ideas.

Question 44

According to the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion,all of the following are factors associated with peripheral route processing of a message EXCEPT

A) number of arguments.
B) attractiveness of the communicator.
C) expert status of the communicator.
D) high personal relevance of the message.

Question 45

Suppose that the students on your campus are presented with a message favoring using a helmet when bicycling.Which of the following groups would be most likely to process the arguments in the message centrally?

A) students who were in a hurry
B) students who were in a good mood while reading the message
C) students with a high need for structure
D) students with a high need for cognition

Question 46

Imagine you are trying to persuade an audience that is hostile to your view and suspicious that you are presenting arguments for personal gain.How might you best increase your trustworthiness with the audience?

A) Provide evidence for both sides of the argument.
B) Speak slowly and present a few important points for your position.
C) Speak rapidly and present many points for your position.
D) Attempt to address the audience on the radio or TV rather than print.

Question 47

Vinny is a professional thief and currently in prison.As such,he's not what most people would consider a trustworthy communicator.However,if Vinny were to voice one of the following messages,he could be considered a trustworthy communicator.Which one would make him the most trustworthy?

A) He should promote shorter jail terms.
B) He should promote longer jail terms.
C) He should promote a liberal candidate for public office.
D) He should promote greater access to educational materials in the prison system.

Question 48

The tendency to enjoy and engage in deliberate thought is known as

A) need for cognition.
B) cognitive dissonance.
C) need for structure.
D) achievement orientation.

Question 49

Credibility of the communicator is used as a shortcut when people are motivated to

A) be consistent.
B) be accurate.
C) gain social rewards.
D) gain social approval.

Question 50

Imagine you need to create a TV advertisement for a political candidate who is not trusted by the public.Of the following choices,which would be the best way to start an ad that made your candidate look more trustworthy?

A) "My opponent has not gone far enough in fighting crime."
B) "Although my opponent has a good record of fighting crime,…"
C) "I'll be tough in fighting crime."
D) "The opposing party has consistently been soft on crime."

Question 51

Peripheral processing of a persuasive message,as opposed to central processing,is associated with which of the following?

A) higher levels of motivation and the ability to analyze the message
B) more enduring attitude change
C) higher need for cognition
D) lower personal relevance of the topic

Question 52

Central processing of a persuasive message leads to ________ than peripheral processing.

A) stronger emotions
B) more immediate attitude change
C) higher likelihood of attitude change
D) more enduring attitude change

Question 53

In Alba and Marmorstein's (1987)study,participants were presented with ads of two cameras.When were the participants most likely to prefer the camera that was described as superior on three important features over the camera that was described as superior on eight less important features?

A) when participants were exposed to each of the features for two seconds
B) when participants were exposed to each of the features for five seconds
C) when participants were given unlimited time to consider the features
D) when the ads were presented by an attractive experimenter

Question 54

According to the text,cognitively ready ideas are

A) ideas that result from cognitive dissonance.
B) ideas that are easy to picture or bring to mind.
C) our ideas of what we are going to say in social interactions.
D) our ideas of what others think about us.

Question 55

When should you try to change someone's attitudes through central processing of the message?

A) when your arguments are weak
B) when your goal is to achieve temporary attitude change
C) when the audience has a low need for cognition
D) when your goal is to achieve attitude change that is resistant to counterattacks

Question 56

Central processing of a persuasive message,as opposed to peripheral processing,is associated with which of the following?

A) higher levels of motivation and the ability to analyze the message
B) lower personal relevance of the topic
C) less time to consider the message
D) lower need for cognition

Question 57

Criminal interrogators often tell the suspect that they have an eyewitness who agrees with them.According to the text,this tactic is

A) successful, because criminal interrogators never use it if there really isn't an eyewitness.
B) successful, because the suspect uses the eyewitness testimony in order to form an "accurate" judgment of whether he or she committed the crime.
C) not successful, because criminal interrogators sometimes use false evidence.
D) not successful, because more than one eyewitness testimony is necessary to influence the suspect.

Question 58

When people wish to make accurate judgments,but don't have the time or ability to analyze the evidence closely,they

A) experience cognitive dissonance.
B) rely on "shortcut" evidence.
C) develop a strong need for cognition.
D) rely on their well-developed counterarguments.

Question 59

Imagine that you are a participant in the Kassin and Kiechel (1996)study,in which you are falsely accused of pressing a "forbidden" keyboard button while performing a computer task.According to the results of the study,you would be more likely to "confess" that you really pressed the button if you were

A) cognitively overloaded during the task.
B) inoculated.
C) high in need for cognition.
D) high in need for consistency.

Question 60

A credible communicator is defined as one who is both

A) expert and attractive.
B) expert and trustworthy.
C) expert and knowledgeable.
D) attractive and knowledgeable.

Question 61

Individuals who are most likely to engage in denial even when confronted with troubling information are

A) chronic unrealistic optimists.
B) low need for cognition individuals.
C) mildly depressed individuals.
D) people with high but unstable self-esteem.

Question 62

Dwayne purchased a Sony TV ten years ago.Now he wants to purchase a new wide-screen TV,and when he goes to the store,he looks at the Sony TVs first.What principle might account for his behavior?

A) the recency principle
B) the spreading activation principle
C) the consistency principle
D) the contrast principle

Question 63

Imagine that you are an attorney trying to prove that a certain chemical caused your client's cancer.Your arguments will be more persuasive if your witness is

A) Dr. Fallon, described as highly expert in the field, who simply says, "The chemical causes liver cancer, several other diseases of the liver, and diseases of the immune system."
B) Dr. Fallon, described as highly expert in the field, who states, "The chemical leads to tumor induction as well as hepatomegaly, hepatomegalocytosis, and lymphoid atrophy of the spleen and thymus."
C) Dr. Bryan, described as moderately expert in the field, who simply says, "The chemical causes liver cancer, several other diseases of the liver, and diseases of the immune system."
D) Dr. Bryan, described as moderately expert in the field, who states, "The chemical leads to tumor induction as well as hepatomegaly, hepatomegalocytosis, and lymphoid atrophy of the spleen and thymus."

Question 64

How would the use of the pronoun "you" in a persuasive message affect the way you would process the message?

A) It will make you process the message more centrally.
B) It will make you process the message more peripherally.
C) It will make you less concerned about whether you understand the message.
D) It would distract you from processing the message.

Question 65

In a study by Burnkrant & Unnava (1989),participants were presented with an advertisement for disposable razors which either did or did not contain the self-referencing pronoun "you." The results of the study revealed that the use of the word "you" caused people to be

A) less persuaded by the ad only when the ad contained strong arguments.
B) more persuaded by the ad only when the ad contained strong arguments.
C) less persuaded by the ad regardless of the strength of the arguments.
D) more persuaded by the ad regardless of the strength of the arguments.

Question 66

How do people process persuasive information that agrees with their personal preferences and positions?

A) They look for weaknesses in the message.
B) They try to form counterarguments.
C) They think deeply about the message.
D) They don't expend the effort to look for flaws in the message.

Question 67

Which of the following phenomena would NOT be explained by balance theory?

A) We want to agree with the people we like and disagree with those we dislike.
B) We want to see things that are alike in one way as alike in other ways, too.
C) We want to return favors that we receive from others.
D) We want to associate good things with good people.

Question 68

According to cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger,1957),people are motivated to

A) be accurate in their social perceptions.
B) reduce psychological arousal via relaxation techniques.
C) affiliate with others, especially those who agree with them.
D) reduce inconsistency only to the extent that it involves something important.

Question 69

Which of the following pairs of theories is derived from the human desire to be consistent?

A) cognitive response theory and cognitive dissonance theory
B) behaviorism and learning theory
C) cognitive response theory and self-enhancement theory
D) balance theory and cognitive dissonance theory

Question 70

Imagine that you are about to buy a new car.You would have

A) more negative thoughts about the car before you buy it than after you buy it.
B) more negative thoughts about the car after you buy it than before you buy it.
C) more positive thoughts about the car before you buy it than after, only if you have low self-esteem.
D) equally positive and negative thoughts about the car before and after the purchase.

Question 71

Accuracy motives can become more prominent when

A) people are in a happy mood.
B) the decision is already made.
C) the content of the message conflicts with what the recipient wants to hear.
D) the issue is personally relevant.

Question 72

The consistency principle states that people will

A) change their attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and actions to achieve consistency.
B) seek long-lasting relationships with others who act consistently.
C) seek a balance between consistency and inconsistency in their attitude, beliefs, perceptions, and actions.
D) seek long-lasting relationships with others who are similar to themselves.

Question 73

As in the Peter Reilly case,interrogators often ask suspects to imagine how they could have committed the crime.According to your text,this strategy is effective because

A) it reduces the self-esteem of the suspects.
B) it makes suspects mention details that are later used against them.
C) it creates a cognitively ready idea about committing the crime.
D) the story can be recorded and presented as an eyewitness testimony.

Question 74

Messages that include fear appeals are most effective when

A) the message generates high levels of fear, and the targets are told what to do to reduce the danger.
B) the message generates high levels of fear, and the targets are left feeling vulnerable.
C) the message generates low levels of fear, and the targets are left feeling vulnerable.
D) the message generates low levels of fear, and the targets are told what to do to reduce the danger.

Question 75

Which of the following theories best explains how a person's actions can change his or her attitudes and beliefs?

A) balance theory
B) cognitive dissonance theory
C) elaboration likelihood model
D) counterattitudinal theory

Question 76

In a study conducted by Cooper,Bennett,and Sukel (1996),a jury was most persuaded by a witness who was

A) moderately expert in his field and spoke in complex, almost incomprehensible language.
B) moderately expert in his field and spoke in ordinary, easy-to-understand language.
C) highly expert in his field and spoke in complex, almost incomprehensible language.
D) highly expert in his field and spoke in ordinary, easy-to-understand language.

Question 77

According to balance theory,which of the following best explains why one only has to be liked,not an expert,in order to be convincing?

A) Experts are usually not convincing because they talk in an incomprehensible language.
B) Experts are usually not convincing because they are not seen as trustworthy.
C) People tend to agree with those whom they like in order to preserve cognitive consistency.
D) People tend to undermine the expertise of those whom they like.

Question 78

Franklin dislikes the Rush Limbaugh radio talk show.At a party,Franklin meets Jefferson,who lavishly praises the Rush Limbaugh show.Franklin takes an instant dislike to Jefferson.Which of the following psychological theories would best predict Franklin's response to Jefferson?

A) cognitive dissonance theory
B) balance theory
C) learning theory
D) reciprocity theory

Question 79

The desire to make accurate judgments is highest

A) when the topic is of low personal relevance.
B) when the person is in a happy mood.
C) when a person is self-confident.
D) before a decision is made.

Question 80

Which of the following persuasive strategies of McDonald's Corporation would be best explained by balance theory?

A) showing in their ads that many kids like their hamburgers
B) holding sweepstakes
C) offering free gifts with happy meals
D) hiring Michael Jordan to endorse their products