Social Psychology 9th Edition Chapter 7

Gender Roles

Societal beliefs—such as those conveyed by media and other sources—regarding how men and women are expected to behave

Persuasive Communication

A message advocating a particular side of an issue

Elaboration Likelihood Model

A model explaining two ways in which persuasive communications can cause attitude change: centrally, when people are motivated and have the ability to pay attention to the arguments in the communication, and peripherally, when people do not pay attention to the arguments but are instead swayed by surface characteristics

Affectively Based Attitude

An attitude based more on people's feelings and values than on their beliefs about the nature of an attitude object

Cognitively Based Attitude

An attitude based primarily on people's beliefs about the properties of an attitude object

Implicit Attitudes

Attitudes that exist outside of conscious awareness

Explicit Attitudes

Attitudes that we consciously endorse and can easily report

Attitudes

Evaluations of people, objects, and ideas

Subjective Norms

People's beliefs about how others they care about will view the behavior in question

Fear-Arousing Communication

Persuasive message that attempts to change people's attitudes by arousing their fears

Peripheral Route to Persuasion

The case in which people do not elaborate on the arguments in a persuasive communication but are instead swayed by more superficial cues

Theory of Planned Behavior

The idea that people's intentions are the best predictors of their deliberate behaviors, which are determined by their attitudes toward specific behaviors, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control

Classical Conditioning

The phenomenon whereby a stimulus that elicits an emotional response is repeatedly paired with a neutral stimulus that does not, until the neutral stimulus takes on the emotional properties of the first stimulus

Operant Conditioning

The phenomenon whereby behaviors we freely choose to perform become more or less frequent, depending on whether they are followed by a reward or punishment

Attitude Accessibility

The strength of the association between an attitude object and a person's evaluation of that object, measured by the speed with which people can report how they feel about the object

Yale Attitude Change Approach

The study of the conditions under which people are most likely to change their attitudes in response to persuasive messages, focusing on the source of the communication, the nature of the communication, and the nature of the audience

Subliminal Messages

Words or pictures that are not consciously perceived but may nevertheless influence judgments, attitudes, and behaviors

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. "All toys MUST be put away after they are used." c. "Do not leave toys lying around!." d. "Your job is to clean up after yourself."

a. "Please try to remember to clean up your toys when you are done with them."

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. support our existing attitude. b. are weakened versions of arguments we might hear later. c. prevent us from considering alternative viewpoints ahead of time. d. lead us to pay more attention to peripheral cues.

b. are weakened versions of arguments we might hear later.

Women who are randomly assigned to look at media depictions of thin women a. always develop eating disorders. b. experience a decrease in body self-image. c. come to place a greater emphasis on men's physical appearance, particularly how muscular they are. d. show an increase in self-esteem.

b. experience a decrease in body self-image.

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. classical conditioning. b. operant conditioning. c. self-perception. d. values.

b. operant conditioning

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

c. a plan for reducing the fear is provided.

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

c. affective

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. Affectively based attitude b. Behaviorally based attitude c. Explicitly based attitude d. Cognitively based attitude

d. Cognitively based attitude

Heuristic-Systematic Model of Persuasion

An explanation of the two ways in which persuasive communications can cause attitude change: either systematically processing the merits of the arguments or using mental shortcuts or heuristics

Attitude Inoculation

Making people immune to attempts to change their attitudes by initially exposing them to small doses of the arguments against their position

Central Route to Persuasion

The case in which people have both the ability and the motivation to elaborate on a persuasive communication, listening carefully to and thinking about the arguments presented

Reactance Theory

The idea that when people feel their freedom to perform a certain behavior is threatened, an unpleasant state of resistance is aroused, which they can reduce by performing the prohibited behavior

A debate breaks out at the town hall meeting over whether local real estate taxes should be raised 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. Gob, who has no school-aged children of his own and owns no real estate b. Lindsay, whose daughter still has 3 years left of public school c. Michael, who is a real estate executive whose business is affected by local tax rates d. 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

a. Gob, who has no school-aged children of his own and owns no real estate

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. Make up a flier that gives convincing reasons why the toothbrush is so good. b. Make a large sign that says, "9 out of 10 dentists recommend this toothbrush!" c. Put up a large banner featuring a picture of your friend who looks like Brad Pitt posing with the toothbrush. d. Stop people and say, "Do you know that this is the toothbrush that is used the most by Hollywood stars?"

a. Make up a flier that gives convincing reasons why the toothbrush is so good.

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

a. affective

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

a. less effective than people assume them to be.

Attitude accessibility is a particularly good predictor of behavior when a. the behavior in question is spontaneous. b. the behavior in question is deliberative. c. the attitude in question is general. d. the attitude in question is an unpopular one.

a. the behavior in question is spontaneous.

Peer pressure effects tend to be linked most often to what type of attitude? a. Cognitively based attitudes b. Affectively based attitudes c. Inoculated attitudes d. Negative attitudes

b. Affectively based attitudes

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

b. Attitude specificity, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control

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

b. Attitudes rarely change over time.

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

b. His best friend, Trevor, who is always talking about how important it is to wear a seat belt, is in the car with him.

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. It usually leads to a reactance response. d. Cognitively based efforts at persuasion tend to have longer-lasting effects.

b. The audience is often unaware that an effort at attitude change is occurring.

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. know little about the candidate's policies but have positive feelings toward him or her. c. see subliminal ads supporting the candidate on national television. d. see television ads supporting the candidate while they are distracted by their children.

b. know little about the candidate's policies but have positive feelings toward him or her.

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

b. people's attitudes are not always reliable predictors of their behaviors.

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 statistical information about AIDS throughout the world. b. the speaker emphasized how the disease has spread in her community and there isn't anything distracting Emilia from listening. c. 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. d. the speaker is a nationally known expert on AIDS.

b. the speaker emphasized how the disease has spread in her community and there isn't anything distracting Emilia from listening.

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

c. "It's the law—you must wear your seat belt."

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 U.S. politics?" b. "What are your attitudes about voting?" c. "What are your attitudes about voting in the next U.S. presidential election?" d. "What are your attitudes about former U.S. President George W. Bush?"

c. "What are your attitudes about voting in the next U.S. presidential election?"

Which component of an attitude is most related to the process of examining facts and weighing the objective merits of a target? a. Affective b. Behavioral c. Cognitive d. Operant

c. Cognitive

Which of the following is not one of the three factors considered by the Yale Attitude Change approach? a. Nature of the audience b. Message source c. Fear d. Nature of the communication itself

c. Fear

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

c. Korean ads are more likely than American ads to focus on family and concern for others.

The physical attractiveness of the source of a persuasive communication would be best described as which of the following? a. Systematic cue b. Central cue c. Peripheral cue d. Rational cue

c. Peripheral cue

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

c. We often inherit a temperament or personality that renders us likely to develop similar attitudes to those held by our genetic relatives.

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

c. are more effective via television than print ads when their target is young people.

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

c. forbidding people to buy a product.

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

c. uses graphic pictures of the damages of smoking on the body and then provides specific recommendations on how to quit smoking.

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. Telling a salesman who calls you on the phone that you aren't interested in the item he's selling 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. Making a decision regarding where you want to travel over your next vacation break

d. Making a decision regarding where you want to travel over your next vacation break

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. Attitude inoculation b. Peer pressure c. Implicit attitude d. Reactance theory

d. Reactance theory

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 weak arguments in the editorial. b. The head-shakers who heard strong arguments in the editorial. c. The head-nodders who heard weak arguments in the editorial. d. The head-nodders who heard strong arguments in the editorial.

d. The head-nodders who heard strong arguments in the editorial.

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 other people start to do so first. b. You will get up and buy a Coke, but only if you prefer Coke to Pepsi. c. You will be less likely to get up and buy a Coke. d. You will be no more likely to buy a Coke than if the subliminal messages were not flashed.

d. You will be no more likely to buy a Coke than if the subliminal messages were not flashed.

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. two-sided arguments d. insufficient justification for making the speech

d. insufficient justification for making the speech

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. behaviorally based; cognitively based b. cognitively based; behaviorally based c. negative; positive d. positive; negative

d. positive; negative