Question 1

Cacioppo and colleagues have examined how arm movements can influence attitudes by asking participants to view Chinese characters while either extending an arm away from or flexing an arm toward themselves. Which of the following best sums up the results of this research?

Accepted Answer

The research found that participants had more favorable attitudes toward the characters they viewed while flexing an arm toward themselves, compared with extending an arm away. This suggests that arm flexion, associated with approach, can lead to more positive evaluations.

Question 2

Consider the following quote: "How do I know what I think until I hear what I say?" The sentiment expressed in this quote captures the essence of

Accepted Answer

The quote suggests that individuals come to understand their own thoughts and attitudes by observing their own verbal behavior. This aligns with self-perception theory, which posits that people infer their own attitudes and beliefs by observing their own behavior and the context in which it occurs. The other choices do not accurately reflect the sentiment expressed in the quote.

Question 3

Dissonance theory suggests that people ________ their attitudes as a result of dissonance, whereas self-perception theory suggests that people ________ their attitudes from observing their behaviors.

Accepted Answer

Dissonance theory proposes that when individuals have inconsistent beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors, they experience psychological discomfort, or dissonance. This discomfort motivates people to change their attitudes or behaviors to restore consistency and reduce the dissonance. On the other hand, self-perception theory suggests that people infer their attitudes from their behavior. That is, people observe their actions and make inferences about their internal state, such as their attitudes, emotions, or beliefs. Therefore, according to this theory, people may change their attitudes if they observe themselves engaging in certain behaviors, but not necessarily because of dissonance.

Question 4

Define attitude and describe the components of an attitude.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Define attitude and describe the components of...

Question 5

Challenge the widely held belief that attitudes do a good job of predicting a person's behavior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Challenge the widely held belief that attitudes...

Question 6

Self-perception processes are most likely to occur when prior attitudes are

Accepted Answer

The answer of Self-perception processes are most likely to occur...

Question 7

Lenora's parents always taught her that she ought to "put on a happy face" even when she is not. According to research on self-perception theory, what effect does this behavior have on her corresponding internal state?

Accepted Answer

According to self-perception theory, our internal states are inferred from our behavior and the situational context. Therefore, by putting on a happy face, Lenora's external behavior can influence her internal state, making her feel happier as a result. This is known as "facial feedback hypothesis."

Question 8

According to Daryl Bem's self-perception theory,

Accepted Answer

According to Bem's self-perception theory, people infer their own attitudes from their behaviors and the context in which these behaviors occur. This means that people observe and interpret their own behavior and then use this interpretation to create attitudes or beliefs about themselves.

Question 9

Why is it a good idea for incumbent politicians to campaign for maintaining the safety and security of their countries?

Accepted Answer

Incumbent politicians can appeal to people's desire to maintain the status quo, particularly when it comes to their safety and security. This is because when people's own mortalities are made salient, they become more motivated to maintain the familiar and known rather than taking risks with unknown alternatives. This can help incumbent politicians maintain their position by showing that they are capable of providing safety and security to their constituents.

Question 10

Bradley narrowly escapes a head-on collision while driving from home. Once he arrives, he turns on the television and sees a political ad for the challenger in the local mayoral race, which focuses on how the challenger will change city policies if elected. According to research on terror management, how will he evaluate this ad?

Accepted Answer

According to terror management theory, reminders of mortality can lead individuals to cling more strongly to their existing beliefs and worldviews, often resulting in a rejection of new or opposing ideas.

Question 11

Lucy's family is poor. Although they wish they were more prosperous, they take comfort in the love and support they provide to each other and consider themselves quite happy. As a result, Lucy's family does not endorse proposed changes to the laws that would provide them with better health insurance. Their behavior can be explained by ________ theory.

Accepted Answer

System justification theory proposes that individuals tend to support the existing social and political system and its norms, even when it may not benefit them. This can explain why Lucy's family would not endorse changes to the laws that could provide them with better health insurance, as they may feel a sense of loyalty or acceptance towards the current system.

Question 12

Describe three ways that researchers measure attitudes.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe three ways that researchers measure attitudes....

Question 13

George listens to music while studying for his biology test. While he studies, he nods his head in time to the music. Over time, George realizes he likes biology a lot more than he initially did. Why is this?

Accepted Answer

George's nonverbal head nods to the music while studying biology were an indication of approval that he then associated with the subject. This is because of classical conditioning, in which George paired the positive feelings he had towards the music with the subject of biology, thus increasing his liking towards it.

Question 14

Janet has received two job offers, one from SimpCo and another from JebCo, both companies for which she would be thrilled to work. Janet thinks a lot about each offer and ends up accepting JebCo's offer, even though she thought highly of both. Analyze the effects of Janet's decision on her later attitudes and behavior relating to both SimpCo and JebCo. To do this, draw directly on social psychological theory and research findings.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Janet has received two job offers, one...

Question 15

Attitudes often fail to predict behavior with the accuracy we might expect. Explain how this failure could result from the level of specificity in which the attitudes and behaviors are measured.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Attitudes often fail to predict behavior with...

Question 16

________ theory states that people are motivated to see the existing sociopolitical setup as fair, desirable, and legitimate.

Accepted Answer

System justification theory suggests that people are motivated to justify and maintain the status quo, believing that the existing sociopolitical system is fair, desirable, and legitimate. This helps individuals to maintain a sense of stability and security in their lives.

Question 17

Katerina loves to read books. Her parents think that reading books is important, so they reward her with $5 every time she reads a book. Over time, Katerina decides that she does not really love books all that much. This is an example of the

Accepted Answer

The overjustification effect occurs when an external incentive (in this case, the monetary reward) decreases a person's intrinsic motivation to perform a behavior that they already enjoy (reading books). Eventually, the behavior becomes solely motivated by the external reward, and when the reward is removed, the behavior ceases. This is likely what happened with Katerina's diminished love for books.

Question 18

The self-perception processes posited by Daryl Bem are particularly likely to be invoked when

Accepted Answer

Self-perception processes are more likely to be invoked when behavior is not easily explained by existing attitudes. In this case, behavior is inconsistent with attitudes that are relatively vague, thus making it more likely that self-perception processes will be used to understand one's own behavior.

Question 19

Cognitive dissonance theory and self-perception theory differ in that self-perception theory emphasizes that ________ influence(s) our attitudes.

Accepted Answer

Self-perception theory suggests that our attitudes are shaped by our inferences about our behavior, whereas cognitive dissonance theory suggests that internal conflict or aversive physiological arousal drives attitude change. Self-perception theory also takes into account experiences with other people, but this is not the key difference between the two theories.

Question 20

To learn whether responses in cognitive dissonance experiments are the product of self-perception processes, Daryl Bem asked participants to

Accepted Answer

Daryl Bem's self-perception theory suggests that people infer their attitudes by observing their own behavior. In his study, participants read about a condition and predicted the attitude of the person in the description, which aligns with this theory.

Quiz 7: Attitudes, Behavior, and Rationalization