Question 1

Compared to others, people with a high ____ tend to be more persuaded by strong arguments but less persuaded by weak arguments.

Accepted Answer

A)   need for closure
B)   need for cognition
C)   tolerance for ambiguity
D)   achievement motivation B

Question 2

Communications that are fear-based (e.g., messages about the dangers of smoking) are not always effective. In what cases are they ineffective, and what conditions are necessary for them to be effective?

Accepted Answer

• Possible Response Points:
•Fear-based messages are ineffective when they are too scary- causing the audience to become defensive, feel paralyzed, and/or "block them out." They can also be ineffective for the same reasons that other types of messages are ineffective (e.g., because the communicator is not trustworthy).
•These messages are maximally effective when they
•Speak to an audience that is actually susceptible to the dangers being addressed
•Instruct the audience on how to avoid the dangers being addressed (or speak to an audience that is already aware of how to do so)
•Elicit moderate levels of fear (rather than very low or very high levels of fear)
•Make use of pictures rather than just words

Question 3

Suppose that Frank has relatively low self-esteem, but that his friend Omar has relatively high self-esteem. And suppose that the two friends are approached by a local political group, which attempts to educate them about its causes and persuade them to sign several petitions. Given the research on self-esteem and persuasion, what can we expect?

Accepted Answer

A)   Frank will be more open to talking with the group, and more inclined to sign on with them.
B)   Omar will be more open to talking with the group, and more inclined to sign on with them.
C)   Frank will be more open to talking with the group, but Omar should be more inclined to sign on with them.
D)   Omar will be more open to talking with the group, but Frank should be more inclined to sign on with them. D

Question 4

Informational social influence helps to produce ____, while normative social influence may merely elicit ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   private acceptance; public compliance
B)   public conformity; private acceptance
C)   pluralistic ignorance; the bystander effect
D)   the bystander effect; pluralistic ignorance

Question 5

Research suggests that a number of conditions must be met in order for a person to process a persuasive message using the central route (rather than the peripheral route). What is one of those conditions?

Accepted Answer

A)   The source must be credible.
B)   The source must be trustworthy.
C)   The person must be motivated to process the message carefully.
D)   The person must have an existing attitude that he or she is willing to change.

Question 6

According to research, who is most likely to be persuaded by a fear-inspiring anti-AIDS message?

Accepted Answer

A)   Karen, a prostitute
B)   Shelia, a college freshman who has been having sex since she was 12
C)   Maya, a married woman who has had sex only with her husband and one other man
D)   Nicole, a 20-year-old virgin

Question 7

Who are convert communicators, and when and why are they especially persuasive?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Who are convert communicators, and when and...

Question 8

Suppose that you were attending a lecture on global warming. In evaluating the integrity of the lecture, which factor would least likely be a peripheral cue?

Accepted Answer

A)   how many people attend the lecture and how many of these ask questions
B)   whether the speaker has a Ph.D. and from what institution
C)   what the statistics cited by the speaker indicate when comparing year-to-year temperatures
D)   how long the lecture lasts in comparison to the question and answer section

Question 9

Some research has looked at whether or not giving people warnings that someone is about to try to persuade them of something has an impact on the degree to which they are persuaded. Such research has found that people are ____ likely to be persuaded by the argument when they receive a warning beforehand; the amount of advance notice they receive ____ this effect.

Accepted Answer

A)   less; heightens
B)   less; has no impact
C)   more; heightens
D)   more; has no effect

Question 10

Social psychologists use the term ____ to refer to the tendency to engage in, and enjoy, effortful thinking, analysis, and problem solving.

Accepted Answer

A)   self-monitoring
B)   private self-consciousness
C)   need for cognition
D)   intolerance for ambiguity

Question 11

Compared to persuasion via the peripheral route, persuasion via the central route ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   is associated with a greater sleeper effect
B)   is associated with a greater discontinuity effect
C)   produces stronger and more durable attitude change
D)   produces weaker and more vulnerable attitude change

Question 12

Which term best describes an attempt to change a person's mind?

Accepted Answer

A)   induction
B)   manipulation
C)   persuasion
D)   assimilation

Question 13

Advertisers and marketers use the term ________________ to refer to a condition of inattention and irritation that occurs after an audience has encountered a specific ad many times.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Advertisers and marketers use the term ________________...

Question 14

An infomercial advertises a Swedish pillow for $49.99. The voiceover then announces, "But wait! If you call within the next thirty minutes, you will also receive a Swedish eye mask, valued at over $14.00, along with a pair of Swedish evening candles. And wait, we are now throwing in-for a limited time only-a special booklet of Swedish bedtime stories, all for just $49.99." This infomercial appears to be using the ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   door-in-the-face technique
B)   that's-not-all technique
C)   pique technique
D)   disrupt-then-reframe technique

Question 15

Vince is trying to pick up a woman at a bar. Instead of approaching her with a boring "standard line" (e.g., "Can I buy you a drink?"), he tries something new. He asks, "Can I buy you a diamond?" Even though he has no intention of buying the woman a diamond (at least not right away), he hopes that this will capture her attention. Social psychologists would say that Vince is using the ____ social influence technique.

Accepted Answer

A)   legitimization-of-paltry-favors
B)   labeling
C)   disrupt-and-reframe
D)   pique

Question 16

Josephine is at the park with her kids. Another child falls off the monkey bars and is unconscious. Josephine doesn't immediately react because she assumes the injured child's mother is nearby and knows what to do. In fact, the child's mother doesn't know any more than Josephine does. Josephine's assumption that the mother will know more than she does is an example of ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   pluralistic ignorance
B)   group norms
C)   labeling
D)   persuasion

Question 17

The assumption that physically attractive people possess other desirable characteristics is known as the ____ effect.

Accepted Answer

A)   sleeper
B)   pique
C)   receptivity
D)   halo

Question 18

According to the text, which influence techniques have historically been most used by car salespeople?

Accepted Answer

A)   the foot-in-the-door and door-in-the-face techniques
B)   the low-ball and bait-and-switch techniques
C)   the legitimization-of-paltry-favors and disrupt-then-reframe techniques
D)   the pique and labeling techniques

Question 19

Research indicates that people are less vulnerable to persuasive messages when they are well-rested, in a good mood, and not distracted by other stimuli. That is, people are less prone to be persuaded when they have ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   reverse conditioning
B)   stockpiled resources
C)   experienced a negative attitude change
D)   undergone systematic desensitization

Question 20

In one study, research participants were asked to discuss the case of supposed juvenile delinquent named Johnny Rocco. Each discussion group consisted of five real participants and three confederates-a "mode" confederate (who adopted the majority viewpoint), a "deviant" confederate (who held extreme views that were different from the majority viewpoint), and a "slider" (who started out extreme, but eventually adopted the majority viewpoint). When participants were asked, at the end of the discussion, to "vote one group member out of the group," who was MOST often voted out?

Accepted Answer

A)   the "mode" confederate
B)   the "deviant" confederate
C)   the "slider" confederate
D)   both "slider" and "deviant" confederates (equally)

Exam 8: Social Influence and Persuasion