Chapter 7 Practice Questions

b

Briñol and Petty (2003) conducted a study in which participants tried on headphones while listening to a persuasive editorial. Half of the participants shook their head side-to-side while listening; the other half nodded up-and-down while listening. Which group of participants expressed the greatest agreement with the arguments expressed in the editorial at the end of the study? a) The head-shakers who heard strong arguments in the editorial. b) The head-nodders who heard strong arguments in the editorial. c) The head-nodders who heard weak arguments in the editorial. d) The head-shakers who heard weak arguments in the editorial.

a

Cameron and Mitchell want to convince their daughter to stop leaving her toys scattered all around the floor, so they leave her a sign by her toy box. According to reactance theory, which of the following signs would be most effective? a) "Please try to remember to clean up your toys when you are done with them" b) "Do not leave toys lying around!" c) "All toys MUST be put away after they are used" d) "Your job is to clean up after yourself"

a

Emilia would be most likely to pay attention to facts about the danger of AIDS during a school assembly and remember the facts for a long time if a) the speaker emphasized how the disease has spread in her community and there isn't anything distracting Emilia from listening. b) the speaker emphasized statistical information about AIDS throughout the world. c) the speaker is a nationally known expert on AIDS. d) the speaker emphasized how the disease has spread in her community and at the same time Emilia's best friend is whispering to her about a big party that weekend.

c

In trying to predict deliberative behaviors, what three considerations must we evaluate? a) classical conditioning, operant conditioning, self-perception theory b) cognitively based attitudes, behaviorally based attitudes, affectively based attitudes c) attitude specificity, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control d) attitude accessibility, explicit attitudes, implicit attitudes

c

Newman is currently overweight, but as a child he was quite thin. His current explicit attitude toward the overweight is likely to be more ___________ and his current implicit attitude toward the overweight is likely to be more ___________ . a) cognitively based; behaviorally based b) behaviorally based; cognitively based c) positive; negative d) negative; positive

d

On a survey, Marquel reports that he agrees with wearing a seatbelt. According to the theory of planned behavior, which of the following would be the best predictor of whether Marquel will wear a seatbelt on a given day? a) His attitude toward seatbelts is not very accessible. b) Marquel believes that it is hard to remember to wear his seatbelt. c) He generally agrees that safe driving is important. d) His best friend, Trevor, who is always talking about how important it is to wear a seatbelt, is in the car with him.

c

One way to change someone's attitude is to get that person to give a speech arguing against his or her actual viewpoint. This strategy can lead to attitude change through cognitive dissonance as long as ___________ is/are present. a) peripheral cues to persuasion b) a motivated audience that feels a sense of personal relevance c) insufficient justification for making the speech d) two-sided arguments

d

Paige wants to buy a puppy. She does some research and decides to buy an English Springer Spaniel rather than a Great Dane because they are smaller, more active, and good with children. Which type of attitude influenced her decision? a) behaviorally based attitude b) affectively based attitude c) explicitly based attitude d) cognitively based attitude

b

People will be most likely to change their attitudes about smoking if an antismoking advertisement a) gives people subliminal messages about the risks of smoking as well as recommendations of how to quit. b) uses graphic pictures of the damages of smoking on the body and then provides specific recommendations on how to quit smoking. c) uses success stories of how people quit smoking. d) uses extremely graphic pictures of how smoke can harm the body and warns of the risks of smoking.

b

People's emotional reaction to a target is referred to as the ___________ component of attitudes a) operant b) affective c) behavioral d) cognitive

a

Research on public service ads designed to promote healthy behavior indicates that such efforts a) are more effective via television than print ads when their target is young people. b) almost always fail. c) are more effective at changing the attitudes of men versus women. d) are most effective when they are subliminal.

b

Serafina, an advertising executive, is trying to figure out the best way to market a product that does not evoke a strong emotional, personal response from people. Her most effective strategy would be to adopt a campaign that focuses on a) subliminal strategies. b) logical, fact-based arguments. c) creating such an emotional connection. d) avoiding behavioral references.

b

Suppose that while you are watching a film at a movie theater the words "Drink Coke" are flashed on the screen at speeds too quick for you to see consciously. According to research on subliminal perception, which of the following is true? a) You will get up and buy a Coke, but only if you prefer Coke to Pepsi. b) You will be no more likely to buy a Coke than if the subliminal messages were not flashed. c) You will be less likely to get up and buy a Coke. d) You will get up and buy a Coke, but only if other people start to do so first.

b

The physical attractiveness of the source of a persuasive communication would be best described as which of the following? a) central cue b) peripheral cue c) systematic cue d) rational cue

a

Wendy is a member of a political group on your campus and is interested in finding out how many students plan to vote in the next presidential election. According to the theory of planned behavior, which of the following attitude questions Wendy could ask would be the best predictor of whether or not a particular student will vote in the next presidential election? a) "What are your attitudes about voting in the next U.S. presidential election?" b) "What are your attitudes about U.S. politics?" c) "What are your attitudes about voting?" d) "What are your attitudes about former U.S. President George W. Bush?"

c

When is attitude accessibility a particularly good predictor of behavior? a) When the behavior in question is deliberative b) When the attitude in question is general c) When the behavior in question is spontaneous d) When the attitude in question is an unpopular one

b

Which component of an attitude is most related to the process of examining facts and weighing the objective merits of a target? a) operant b) cognitive c) behavioral d) affective

b

Which of the following concepts relates to the ironic research finding that the stronger the warning against a certain attitude or behavior, the more people sometimes wish to exhibit it? a) peer pressure b) reactance theory c) attitude inoculation d) implicit attitude

b

Adults' tendency to experience happy, nostalgia-filled feelings when they hear the music of an ice cream truck can be best explained by the relationship of attitudes to a) operant conditioning b) classical conditioning c) self-perception d) values

d

A debate breaks out at the town hall meeting over whether local real estate taxes should be raised in order to pay for a new public school building. Which of the following individuals is most likely to process the persuasive information raised during this debate through the peripheral route? a) Lindsay, whose daughter still has 3 years left of public school b) Buster, a local teacher, who is working in a temporary classroom because the current school building is too small for the number of students enrolled c) Michael, who is a real estate executive whose business is affected by local tax rates d) Gob, who has no school-aged children of his own and owns no real estate

b

According to reactance theory, which of the following public service messages would be least likely to get people to wear seatbelts? a) "Buckle up your children—you might save their lives." b) "It's the law—you must wear your seatbelt." c) "Wear your seatbelt to save lives." d) "Please wear your seatbelt every time you drive."

b

All of the following are examples of ways to resist persuasion except a) role-playing using milder versions of real-life social pressures. b) forbidding people to buy a product. c) warning people about advertising techniques such as product placement. d) making people immune to change of opinions by initially exposing them to small doses of arguments against their position.

d

Fear-arousing persuasive communication is most likely to be effective when a) very low levels of fear are induced. b) the target of the communication is a utilitarian or functional object. c) very high levels of fear are induced. d) a plan for reducing the fear is provided.

d

Peer pressure effects tend to be linked most often to what type of attitude? a) negative attitudes b) cognitively based attitudes c) inoculated attitudes d) affectively based attitudes

d

Under which of the following conditions would people be most likely to vote for a political candidate? They a) like the candidate's policies but have negative feelings toward him or her. b) see subliminal ads supporting the candidate on national television. c) see television ads supporting the candidate while they are distracted by their children. d) know little about the candidate's policies but have positive feelings toward him or her.

b

Which of the following is true regarding cross-cultural comparisons of advertising? a) Korean ads are more likely than American ads to portray women and men in a state of complete or partial undress. b) Korean ads are more likely than American ads to focus on family and concern for others. c) Korean magazines have fewer ads than American magazines. d) Korean ads are more likely than American ads to focus on utilitarian products like shoes.

c

You are trying to sell a new electronic toothbrush at the airport to busy, distracted travelers. Which of the following strategies is least likely to be successful at getting people to buy a toothbrush? a) Stop people and say, "Do you know that this is the toothbrush that is used the most by Hollywood stars?" b) Put up a large banner featuring a picture of your friend who looks like Brad Pitt posing with the toothbrush. c) Make up a flier that gives convincing reasons why the toothbrush is so good. d) Make a large sign that says, "9 out of 10 dentists recommend this toothbrush!"

c

All of the following are true about attitudes except one. Which one is false? a) Under the right conditions attitudes predict people's behavior. b) Attitudes can be changed with persuasive communications. c) Attitudes rarely change over time. d) Attitudes are related to our temperament and personality.

b

Research on subliminal influence in advertising demonstrates that subliminal efforts at persuasion are a) more effective in individualistic versus collectivistic cultures. b) less effective than people assume them to be. c) more effective than people assume them to be. d) more effective in collectivistic versus individualistic cultures.

c

The best way for an advertisement to change an affectively-based attitude is to use a __________ appeal. a) cognitive b) behavioral c) affective d) fact-filled

b

The concept of attitude inoculation indicates that we are better able to resist a later attempt to change our attitudes when we are first exposed to arguments that a) lead us to pay more attention to peripheral cues. b) are weakened versions of arguments we might hear later. c) prevent us from considering alternative viewpoints ahead of time. d) support our existing attitude.

a

The major finding of LaPiere's (1934) classic study on attitudes and behavior involving prejudice and hotel/restaurant owners is that a) people's attitudes are not always reliable predictors of their behaviors. b) the less accessible an attitude is, the more likely it is to shape behavior. c) people are more prejudiced than their self-reported attitudes would lead us to believe. d) when it comes to racial prejudice, people's attitudes are particularly strong predictors of their behaviors.

a

Which of the following conclusions is the most consistent with research on the heritability of attitudes? a) We often inherit a temperament or personality that renders us likely to develop similar attitudes to those held by our genetic relatives. b) Fraternal twins are just as likely to share attitudes as are identical twins. c) Our attitudes are shaped by our surroundings and do not seem to have any genetic component to them. d) Our attitudes are inherited and dictated by our genetic makeup, with little influence from environmental factors.

b

Which of the following is not one of the three factors considered by the Yale Attitude Change Approach? d) nature of the audience b) fear c) nature of the communication itself d) message source

b

Which of the following is the best example of a deliberative behavior? a) Buying a candy bar from the rack next to the check-out line at the grocery store b) Making a decision regarding where you want to travel over your next vacation break c) Deciding at the last minute to skip a class because your friends just told you that they're going to a movie you want to see d) Telling a salesman who calls you on the phone that you aren't interested in the item he's selling

b

Which of the following is the best explanation for why product placement can be effective at changing attitudes? a) It tends to operate via the central route to persuasion. b) The audience is often unaware that an effort at attitude change is occurring. c) Cognitively based efforts at persuasion tend to have longer-lasting effects. d) It usually leads to a reactance response.