Question 1

The debunking function

Accepted Answer

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 2

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

Which of the following situations would tend to be the most psychologically comfortable?

Accepted Answer

A)  Trudy dislikes tattoos, Trudy's boyfriend is Chet, Chet has several tattoos. 
B)  Kramer likes karate, Kramer's girlfriend is Nina, Nina dislikes karate. 
C)  Zack dislikes guns, Zack dislikes Morton, Morton owns a number of guns. 
D)  Hiram likes Chihuahuas, Hiram dislikes his neighbor, his neighbor owns a Chihuahua.

Question 4

In general, which of the following is most true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Statistical proof is more persuasive than anecdotal proof. 
B)  Anecdotal proof is more persuasive than statistical proof. 
C)  Statistical and anecdotal proof are equally persuasive.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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 6

A student who cheated on a test is meeting with a professor. The professors asks, "Is this the kind of person you want to be? Does a grade matter more to you than your integrity? Your moral character matters more than a grade on a test." The professor is emphasizing

Accepted Answer

A)  amoralism 
B)  ends versus means 
C)  virtue ethics 
D)  utilitarianism

Question 7

According to the text, which type of person is likely to increase social loafing?

Accepted Answer

A)  people who are high in the need for cognition. 
B)  people who are diligent isolates. 
C)  people who are open to new experiences. 
D)  people who are high in their preference for consistency.

Question 8

________________ suggests that as a group becomes larger, its members are

Accepted Answer

A)  Social Impact Theory, more likely to conform. 
B)  Social Influence Theory, more likely to conform. 
C)  Social Judgment Theory, less likely to conform. 
D)  Group Polarization, less likely to conform.

Question 9

Although the use of ________________ seems to increase people's persuasiveness, the use of ________________ seems to decrease it.

Accepted Answer

A)  emblems, illustrators 
B)  illustrators, proxemics 
C)  illustrators, adaptors 
D)  self-touching, adaptors

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

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 11

Which ethical perspective places the onus on the receiver to be informed, aware, and avoid being suckered?

Accepted Answer

A)  egalitarianism 
B)  consequentialism 
C)  situational 
D)  free market

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

A soccer team of 4th graders is down 2-0 at halftime. Their coach says, "I want to see some fire in your belly. You have to want this. Give everything you've got for the next 45 minutes. Win or lose, when you leave the field today I want you to think 'I did my best, I couldn't have tried any harder.'" Their coach is relying primarily on:

Accepted Answer

A)  fear and guilt 
B)  an emotional appeal 
C)  source credibility 
D)  ingratiation

Question 14

Which theory states that language choices can either facilitate or inhibit persuasion, depending on whether violations of language norms are perceived positively or negatively?

Accepted Answer

A)  Reinforcement theory 
B)  Sapir-Whorf hypothesis 
C)  Communication Accommodation theory 
D)  Language Expectancy theory

Question 15

If one subscribes to the belief that "size matters," then those countries and economies with the tallest skyscrapers would be viewed as the most powerful and/or successful in the world. Such a perception illustrates which persuasive aspect of architecture?

Accepted Answer

A)  iconicity 
B)  indexicality 
C)  syntactic indeterminacy 
D)  capitalism

Question 16

Imagine that you are watching a person who is making several statements. Half of the statements are true and half are false. You must try to distinguish which statements are true and which are false. The veracity effect suggest that:

Accepted Answer

A)  you will be more accurate at spotting lies than truths. 
B)  you will be more accurate at spotting truths than lies. 
C)  you will spot lies and truths at about the same degree of accuracy. 
D)  you will be most accurate at spotting lies when you are suspicious.

Question 17

One reason why many companies have begun to rely on fictional spokespersons is that

Accepted Answer

A)  they have high perceived expertise 
B)  they won't become embroiled in a scandal 
C)  they are easier for consumers to identify with 
D)  there are no real heroes anymore

Question 18

When considering the situation, which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  A persuader must consider audience members' traits first and foremost. 
B)  A persuader must adapt his/her message to the listener's frame of reference. 
C)  A persuader should aim her/his message at the audience's latitude of rejection. 
D)  A persuader should consider each listener a "blank slate" on which to write her/his message.

Question 19

A salesperson who viewed customers as "marks," or "suckers" would be lacking in which characteristic of ethical persuasion?

Accepted Answer

A)  tolerance 
B)  equality 
C)  respect 
D)  likeability

Question 20

A communicator who said, "The Sound of Music is a great movie, don't you think?" would be exhibiting a ________________ style of language.

Accepted Answer

A)  vivid 
B)  pallid 
C)  powerful 
D)  powerless

Exam 1: Why Study Persuasion