Deck 1: Why Study Persuasion

Question 1

When politicians are shown drinking a beer, shopping at Wal-Mart, eating at McDonald's, or going bowling, they are employing which propaganda technique?

A) testimonials
B) bandwagon effect
C) transfer
D) card-stacking
E) plain folks appeal

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which persuasive strategy below is designed to increase consumer engagement through active participation?

A) online advertising
B) sentiment tracking
C) product placement
D) gamification

Answer 2

gamification

Question 3

A reporter asks a politician, "Do you favor or oppose gay adoptions?" The politician responds, "I'm for families. The family unit is the backbone of our society. Family bonds are vital." The politician's response best reflects which propaganda technique?

A) smoke and mirrors
B) pomp and circumstance
C) card-stacking
D) glittering generalities

Answer 3

glittering generalities

Question 4

A meta-analysis helps persuasion researchers to

A) determine if a persuasive strategy is ethical or unethical.
B) formulate universal generalizations regarding persuasion.
C) identify what their persuasive goal or objective should be.
D) reconcile previous inconsistencies in the literature.

Question 5

To say that persuasion is "pervasive" means

A) influence attempts are found everywhere you find people communicating
B) it is difficult to define what is and isn't persuasion
C) persuasion plays a major role in the "people" professions, but a minor or negligible role in the natural sciences
D) influence attempts are usually explicit or overt, rather than subtle or implicit

Question 6

In using a tool analogy to describe persuasion, Gass & Seiter wish to show that

A) a persuader, like a carpenter, is only as good as her/his tools
B) it is the poor persuader (or carpenter) who blames his tools
C) whether persuasion is good or bad depends on the purpose for which it is used
D) specific persuasive situations call for specific persuasive tools

Question 7

The debunking function of persuasion helps one to

A) arm him/herself against influence attempts by unethical persuaders
B) gain greater awareness about false stereotypes and myths regarding persuasion
C) identify different elements and features of a persuasive message
D) design and present a persuasive message on his/her own

Question 8

An example of habitual persuasion is

A) arguing with a friend about an editorial in the newspaper
B) negotiating with your parents over how much of your tuition they should pay
C) claiming "the dog ate it" whenever you turn in a late assignment
D) asking a professor to explain why you got the grade you did on an essay

Question 9

Which of the following statements about the relationship of persuasion to the arts is most accurate?

A) Artists are the most temperamental of all persuaders.
B) Artists are usually too wrapped up in their work to care about persuading others.
C) Art is as much about persuasion as it is about creating aesthetic works.
D) Art is usually created for "art's sake" and not as a means of influencing others.

Question 10

Which of the following statements best reflects the view of persuasion offered by Gass & Seiter?

A) On balance, persuasion probably does more harm than good
B) Persuasion is an essential, desirable feature of human interaction
C) Persuasion emphasizes manipulation, communication emphasizes cooperation
D) Persuasion is a necessary, but unfortunate, fact of life

Question 11

Which of the following statements best characterizes persuasion, as opposed to propaganda?

A) It operates most effectively in the interpersonal arena
B) It is practiced by organized groups and institutions
C) It has a strong ideological bent
D) It tends to rely on ethically suspect methods of influence

Question 12

Which of the following best reflects the view of persuasion offered in the text?

A) People actually aren't all that gullible or easy to persuade
B) There is a sucker born every minute
C) Anyone can be persuaded if you know the right button to push
D) Persuaders know far more about persuading than researchers do about how persuasion works

Question 13

Which of the following statements about propaganda is most accurate?

A) Propaganda is a feature of totalitarian regimes, rather than democratic societies
B) The government uses propaganda frequently, but the private sector rarely does so
C) The term "propaganda" has a negative connotation, and is usually used in a pejorative sense
D) Propaganda tends to be political in nature, rather than religious or commercial

Question 14

Which of the following generalizations drawn from persuasion research is most accurate?

A) Current studies, from the 1970s through the 1990s, tend to contradict past studies, those from the 1940s through the 60s
B) The results of persuasion studies have been remarkably consistent, dating back to the time of Aristotle
C) Newly developed statistical techniques have made it possible to resolve a number of previous inconsistencies in the literature
D) Research findings are largely consistent, but there are dramatic differences in theories of persuasion

Question 15

Persuasion research often produces "counter-intuitive" findings,e.g., results that are contrary to what common sense would dictate. Such findings highlight the ________________ function performed by the study of persuasion.

A) pragmatic
B) empirical
C) defensive
D) debunking

Question 16

According to Gass & Seiter, persuasion is best thought of as

A) a science
B) an art
C) a science and an art
D) a social science

Question 17

The debunking function

A) helps us defend ourselves against unscrupulous influence attempts.
B) serves to correct erroneous perceptions about how persuasion works.
C) assists in making us more discriminating consumers of persuasive messages.
D) helps us avoid habitual or mindless persuasion.

Question 18

The arena in which persuasive attempts enjoy the greatest likelihood of success is

A) print media
B) television
C) cinema
D) interpersonal
E) online

Question 19

One reason for studying persuasion is to learn more about how and why people respond to persuasive messages. This is called the

A) attentiveness function
B) knowledge function
C) defensive function
D) debunking function

Question 20

According to Gass & Seiter, persuasion

A) occurs primarily in the mass media
B) is rare in the natural or "hard" sciences
C) is more common in mediated than non-mediated settings
D) occurs in a variety of non-obvious or even weird contexts

Question 21

Buzz marketing has become a pervasive persuasion strategy because

A) consumers prefer traditional advertisements.
B) consumers rely on word of mouth in their social circles
C) consumers enjoy clever advertisements and commercials
D) consumers are comfortable with corporate-sponsored marketing

Question 22

An effects orientation to defining persuasion emphasizes

A) the receiver
B) the source
C) the message
D) the outcome

Question 23

A problem with a linear view of persuasion is

A) the role of the source is ignored
B) the effect of the message is ignored
C) the possibility for mutual influence is ignored
D) persuasion as a product or outcome is ignored

Question 24

You advise a friend to enroll in Professor Windplenty's class because "he's an easy 'A.'" A stranger in the registration line overhears you and decides to sign up for the same professor. This is an example of

A) peripheral persuasion
B) the "grapevine" effect
C) the bystander phenomenon
D) the unintended receiver effect

Question 25

People who often provide suggestions to their circle of friends such as, "You should try it," "You have to see this movie," and "You need to buy it, it is the best thing yet!" are termed

A) connectors
B) prompters
C) mavens
D) salespersons

Question 26

You see two unsavory-looking characters standing near an ATM machine and decide to go elsewhere to make a cash withdrawal. Their threatening appearance best represents

A) pure persuasion
B) borderline persuasion
C) coercion
D) third person effect

Question 27

Word-of-mouth marketing (WOM) based on social networks is also known as

A) viral marketing
B) multi-modal marketing
C) branding
D) consumer-centric marketing
E) decentralized persuasion

Question 28

In regards to ethical communication, it isn't so much what strategies and tactics a persuader uses as

A) the amount of skill she/he has
B) the events that take place
C) whom she/he can influence
D) why she/he uses them

Question 29

According to Gladwell's concept of Tipping Points, a product or idea can't take off unless it has inherent appeal. This is known as

A) gravitational pull
B) scalability
C) momentum magic
D) stickiness
E) gravitas

Question 30

Borderline persuasion refers to

A) influence attempts that are ethically suspect.
B) influence attempts that are only partially successful.
C) less traditional or obvious forms of influence.
D) attempts to influence border patrol agents and immigration officers.

Question 31

Which of the following justifications for the study of persuasion do Gass & Seiter identify as most compelling?

A) Social influence is an interdisciplinary area of scholarly inquiry
B) Influence is generally manipulative
C) Persuasion is the cornerstone of many positive, pro-social activities
D) To be well paid in the "people professions," one must be able to influence others

Question 32

According to the "Tipping Point" theory, people who have lots of expertise and know-how are known as:

A) connectors
B) salespeople
C) mavens
D) geeks
E) nerds

Question 33

Sentiment tracking is most closely associated with

A) social media
B) print advertising
C) television advertisements
D) word of mouth

Question 34

All of the following are reasons why buzz marketing has become popular except

A)it is more expensive than traditional media advertising
B)it is becoming harder to reach large audiences via traditional media
C) TIVO and digital video recorders allow viewers to ignore commercials entirely
D) it generates its own free publicity

Question 35

Which of the following statements best describes the third person effect? People tend to

A) overestimate the influence of persuasion on themselves and underestimate its effects on others
B) underestimate the influence of a group on an individual member
C) underestimate the influence of persuasion on themselves and overestimate its effects on others
D) underestimate the influence of the individual member on the group

Question 36

Which of the following statements about buzz marketing is most accurate?

A) Buzz marketing relies heavily on TV and print media
B) Buzz marketing depends upon the selling power of celebrity endorsers
C) Buzz marketing relies on word-of-mouth recommendations
D) Buzz marketing is aimed at young, urban consumers

Question 37

A litmus test for distinguishing persuasion from social influence is

A) social influence is coercive, persuasion is not
B) social influence requires conscious awareness, persuasion does not
C) persuasion is intentional, social influence is not
D) persuasive is effective, social influence is not

Question 38

Pure persuasion means

A) all the ingredients for what most people would consider to be persuasion are present.
B) the source succeeded in persuading the receiver completely.
C) there are underlying motives behind the message.
D) the sender is well-intentioned, or has the receiver's best interests at heart.

Question 39

Kiyoko is known by her friends as the fashion expert. She is always ahead of the curve on fashion trends. According to Malcolm Gladwell, Kiyoko would be termed a

A) connector
B) maven
C) hawker
D) salesperson
E) trendspotter

Question 40

Which two limiting criteria for defining persuasion are primarily receiver-based?

A) intent, effects
B) effects, free choice
C) free choice, symbolic action
D) intent, free choice

Question 41

Daniel O'Keefe (2002) defines persuasion as "a successful intentional effort at influencing another's mental state through communication in a circumstance in which the persuadee has some measure of freedom." His definition presumes that:

A) persuasion may be accidental
B) persuasion must be effective
C) persuasion must be ethical
D) self-persuasion is common

Question 42

A definition which limits persuasion to symbolic action

A) would say all persuasion exists in the world of words
B) would say most behavior is persuasive in nature
C) would say protests, marches, demonstrations, and sit-ins were part of persuasion
D) would say physical characteristics such as height or attractiveness are part of persuasion

Question 43

The unintended receiver effect illustrates one problem with relying on ____________ to define persuasion

A) intentionality
B) effects
C) free will
D) symbolic action

Question 44

________________ is to Chaiken & Eagly's HSM model what _________________ is to Petty & Cacioppo's ELM model.

A) heuristic processing, systematic processing
B) systematic processing, central processing
C) central processing, systematic processing
D) heuristic processing, central processing

Question 45

The idea that persuasion requires free choice or free will focuses on

A) the receiver
B) the source
C) the message
D) the outcome

Question 46

In the Gass & Seiter model, the outer circle represents ________________ persuasion, while the inner circle represents ________________ persuasion.

A) pure, borderline
B) borderline, pure
C) symbolic, nonsymbolic
D) free choice, free will

Question 47

Which group of receivers would be most likely to engage in peripheral processing?

A) receivers with high involvement and a high need for cognition
B) receivers with high involvement and a low need for cognition
C) receivers with low involvement and a high need for cognition
D) receivers with low involvement and a low need for cognition

Question 48

One way to help ensure a persuasive message will have a lasting effect on receivers is to:

A) increase their intelligence
B) increase their peripheral processing
C) decrease their self-monitoring
D) increase their involvement in the issue

Question 49

Petty and Cacioppo's ELM postulates that there are two routes to persuasion:

A) a pure route, and a borderline route
B) an ethical route, and an unethical route
C) self-persuasion and other persuasion
D) a central route, and a peripheral route

Question 50

According to the Elaboration Likelihood Model, a person with high involvement in an issue would tend to be persuaded by

A) credibility
B) the central route
C) peripheral route
D) heuristics cues

Question 51

What is the relationship of persuasion and coercion, according to Gass & Seiter?

A) Persuasion is the antithesis of coercion
B) Coercion is a subset of persuasion
C) Persuasion is a subset of coercion
D) Persuasion and coercion are close relatives

Question 52

Which of the following is the best example of asynchronous persuasion?

A) A teenager asks her parents to purchase concert tickets for her sixteenth birthday
B) A television commercial claims that a juicer is three times more durable than its competitors
C) A salesperson in the fragrance department encourages you to try a new perfume
D) The cashier at a department store asks if you would like to donate to a charity

Question 53

A preacher reminds his congregation that even though forgiving a sinner may not be easy, it is the Christian thing to do. This is an example of

A) changing existing attitudes and beliefs
B) creating new attitudes and beliefs
C) reinforcing existing attitudes and beliefs
D) extinguishing existing attitudes and beliefs

Question 54

"Persuasive communication represents any message that is intended to shape, reinforce, or change the responses of another, or others" (James Stiff, 2003). The above definition relies on which two limiting criteria?

A) intentionality, interpersonal
B) intrapersonal, symbolic action
C) intentionality, free will
D) effects, conscious awareness

Question 55

Which of the following groups of receivers would tend to rely less on credibility as a peripheral cue and more on the content or substance of a message?

A) alumni of a college where a tuition hike was being considered
B) students at a college where a tuition hike was being considered
C) faculty at a college where a tuition hike was being considered
D) students at a different college than the one considering a tuition hike

Question 56

The Gass & Seiter model maintains that ________________ determines the nature of the persuasion process.

A) ethnicity
B) the message
C) the context
D) the source

Question 57

Buying a television based on its brand name, or purchasing a product based on a celebrity endorsement are examples of

A) systematic processing
B) parallel processing
C) heuristic processing
D) central processing

Question 58

Which of the following influence scenarios represents persuasion through symbolic action?

A) Art sees a picture of a malnourished African child in his local newspaper and decides to donate $100 to an international charity organization.
B) A human resource executive decides not to hire a particular job candidate after learning of her criminal history.
C) Participants in a social scientific study rate a taller speaker as more credible than a shorter speaker even though the two speakers delivered speeches of the same quality.
D) A passer-by observes a protest march by members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and afterwards decides to volunteer to help at the local animal shelter.

Question 59

In the terms used in the Elaboration Likelihood Model, a person low in the need for cognition is more likely to be persuaded via the _________ route to persuasion.

A) serial
B) parallel
C) central
D) peripheral

Question 60

Which of the following is the best example of synchronous persuasion?

A) A door-to-door solicitor tries to sell a vacuum cleaner to a resident
B) An email message encourages you to upgrade your software
C) The envelope for a mail-in promotion proclaims, "You may already be a winner"
D) A television commercial says a pick-up truck has the most horsepower in its class

Question 61

What type of attitude scale is depicted below? " $\text { "Marijuana should be legalized for medicinal uses." }$
$\begin{array}{lllll}\_\_\_\_&\_\_\_\_&\_\_\_\_&\_\_\_\_&\_\_\_\_\\\text { strongly } & \text { moderately } & \text { neutral/ } & \text { moderately } & \text { strongly } \\\text { disagree } & \text { disagree } & \text { no opinion } & \text { agree } & \text { agree }\end{array}$

A) Likert
B) Thurstone
C) Guttman
D) Semantic Differential

Question 62

Central processing involves all of the following except

A) heuristic cues
B) cognitive elaboration
C) greater motivation
D) ability to process information

Question 63

A defining feature of attitudes is that they are

A) evaluative
B) instinctive
C) fleeting
D) unmeasurable

Question 64

Which statement best characterizes the relationship between attitudes and behavior?

A) Attitudes correlate with behavior little, if at all
B) In general, attitude-behavior correlations are quite low
C) Attitudes correlate with intentions, but not behavior
D) stronger attitudes are better predictor of behavior

Question 65

Parents commonly instill beliefs, impart values, and model behavior for their children, without knowing they are doing so. This is an example of

A) ulterior motives
B) social modeling
C) relational goals
D) symbolic effects

Question 66

Quincy wants to speak to his professor about his last paper. He intends to challenge the professor about his grade. Shortly into the conversation, Quincy realizes he misunderstood the assignment. Rather than challenge the grade, he decides to ask for a chance to rewrite the paper. This best reflects the notion that

A) people's goals may change during a persuasive encounter
B) a reliance on peripheral processing rarely produces compliance
C) a reliance on central processing rarely produces compliance
D) people's need for identity management far outweighs other persuasive tactics

Question 67

According to the Theory of Reasoned Action, the single best predictor of a person's behavior is

A) the person's attitude towards the behavior
B) the person's intention(s) regarding the behavior
C) the person's normative beliefs about the behavior
D) the person's evaluation about the result of the behavior

Question 68

Although you don't know him well, you know that your neighbor, Roy, belongs to the Tea Party and is an NRA member. Decals on his car bumper say so. So you suspect he will not be happy to learn that a same sex couple bought the house next to him. You are

A) inferring attitudes from behavior
B) inferring behavior from attitudes
C) inferring attitudes from appearances
D) inferring attitudes from associations

Question 69

Beverly needs a new surround sound system. She has researched the type of system she wants and is motivated to find the best system to fit her budget. The __________ suggests that she will strive to find out as much as she can about surround sound systems, but only as much as she needs to make a decision, no more, no less.

A) processing potential
B) efficiency maxim
C) information effect
D) sufficiency principle

Question 70

Loretta loves her parents. She also loves her boyfriend, Dion. But her parents don't approve of Dion. Which triad of attitudes best reflects this scenario? (assume Loretta is in the lower left corner) A B C D E

Question 71

During a job interview, Jack is asked, "Have you ever laughed at a sexist joke?" Jack is sure he has, on occasion, but he answers, "Not that I can recall. Certainly not in the workplace." Jack is exhibiting

A) mindfulness
B) selective exposure
C) nonattitudes
D) social desirability bias

Question 72

What type of attitude scale is depicted below? $\text { Same Sex Marriage }$
$\begin{array}{l}\text { Good : }&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\text {Bad }\\\text { Unethical: }&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\text { Ethical} \\\text { Wrong: }&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\_\_\_:&\text {Right }\end{array}$

A) Likert
B) Thurstone
C) Guttman
D) Semantic Differential

Question 73

Babbs tells her friend Delilah that she can't stand her drama teacher because he is so mean. Who or what is the attitude object?

A) Babbs
B) Delilah
C) the drama teacher
D) the role of "friend"

Question 74

Marketing brands to specific niche groups, such as waitress moms, NASCAR dads, or late breaking gays, is known as

A) layering
B) multimodal marketing
C) segmentation analysis
D) trendspotting
E) sentiment tracking

Question 75

Because people don't want to appear unintelligent or uninformed, some respondents in public opinion polls will make up a position on an issue. This problem is known as

A) mindfulness.
B) attitude-behavior consistency.
C) playing the pollster.
D) non-attitudes.

Question 76

A problem with many physiological measures of attitude, such as GSR, EMG, and ERP is that they

A) cannot overcome social desirability bias or acquiescence bias
B) are bidirectional indicators, and may signal positive or negative reactions
C) can only measure negative attitudes or unfavorable reactions to things
D) can only measure positive attitudes, or favorable reactions to things

Question 77

Which of the following is not a contextual factor of persuasion?

A) number of communicators
B) synchronous vs. asynchronous communication
C) degree of success
D) ratio of verbal to nonverbal cues

Question 78

Brands that are handmade, organic, or artisanal rely on which approach?

A) sloganeering
B) authenticity
C) buzz marketing
D) aspirational branding
E) sponsorship

Question 79

The Unimodel postulates that there is one route to persuasion whereby

A) systematic processing overrides heuristic processing
B) there is less cognitive elaboration
C) decision rules are the main components
D) there is simply more or less processing

Question 80

One way to help ensure that a persuasive message will have a lasting effect on receivers is to

A) decrease their motivation
B) increase their peripheral processing
C) decrease their perceived behavioral control
D) increase their involvement in the issue