Question 1

George Gerbner and his colleagues (1986) studied whether the media (e.g., prime-time television programming) shape a person's conception of social reality. They found that people who watched a lot of television

Accepted Answer

Gerbner and his colleagues found that people who watched a lot of television tend to overestimate the prevalence of criminal activity, which suggests that the media can shape a person's conception of social reality in this domain.

Question 2

Metacognitions about thought confidence arise from

Accepted Answer

Metacognitions about thought confidence involve all of the factors listed in options A, B, and C. It includes perceptions about the accuracy, validity, clarity, and ease of retrieval of our thoughts, as well as our awareness and interpretations of these factors.

Question 3

Pablo wants to persuade his coworkers to adopt his product plan and has many high-quality arguments detailing why his plan is sound. Which of the following should NOT be an attribute of his persuasive message?

Accepted Answer

Using complex scientific language and jargon can be intimidating and off-putting to coworkers who may not have the same level of expertise or understanding. It is important to use clear and concise language that can be easily understood by everyone.

Question 4

Roger thinks that his neighbors are more susceptible to the influence of television commercials than he is. This phenomenon has been called the ________ effect.

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described is known as the third-person effect, which suggests that individuals tend to perceive that others are more susceptible to media influence than they are themselves.

Question 5

Imagine that you have just watched a Coca-Cola ad on TV. Which of the following statements is most accurate in describing what effect this ad is likely to have on you?

Accepted Answer

The ad is likely to create positive feelings towards Coca-Cola products. While it may lead to increased consumption in the short term, it is unlikely to result in consistent long-term purchasing or investing in the company. It is also unlikely to cause someone to question their loyalty to the brand.

Question 6

Jamie is the sort of person who likes to think, puzzle, ponder, and consider multiple perspectives. Compared with people who do not like these activities, Jamie is

Accepted Answer

Jamie is more likely to engage in central processing when evaluating a persuasive communication, meaning that they will focus on the quality and strength of the arguments presented rather than peripheral factors like the source or presentation style. Therefore, they are less likely to be influenced by peripheral aspects of the message.

Question 7

In one study, participants who were asked to come up with six examples of assertive behavior subsequently rated themselves as higher in assertiveness than those who provided twelve examples. How might metacognition help to explain this finding?

Accepted Answer

This finding can be explained by the concept of metacognition, which is the awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes. Participants in the six-behavior condition may have engaged in more metacognition by reflecting on their ability to come up with six assertive behaviors, leading them to rate themselves as more assertive. On the other hand, participants in the twelve-behavior condition may have engaged in less metacognition and assumed they were less assertive, as they found it harder to come up with twelve examples. Therefore, the best choice is B, as it reflects the most accurate explanation for the finding.

Question 8

Which of the following slogans is most likely to persuade members of an independent culture to buy a sunscreen product?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following slogans is most...

Question 9

Which finding concerning the effects of standard mass communication efforts on attitudes and behaviors is INACCURATE?

Accepted Answer

The finding that teaching adolescents strategies for turning away requests for unprotected sex does not decrease the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases is inaccurate. There is evidence that such interventions can be effective in reducing risky sexual behavior and transmission of STDs. The other options are accurate findings backed by research.

Question 10

Consider the following quote from the writings of Joseph Stalin: "The death of a single Russian soldier is a tragedy. The death of a million soldiers is a statistic." This quote illustrates the idea behind the ________ effect.

Accepted Answer

The quote highlights the fact that people are more likely to be moved to action when faced with a specific, identifiable victim rather than a large, abstract statistic. This is known as the identifiable victim effect.

Question 11

According to Shanto Iyengar's concept of agenda control, the

Accepted Answer

According to Iyengar's concept of agenda control, the media shape what people think about, care about, and believe to be true by selecting and framing news stories in a particular way. It is not about directly influencing people's behavior or the government manipulating social beliefs or purchasing patterns.

Question 12

The self-validation hypothesis states that

Accepted Answer

According to the self-validation hypothesis, feeling confident about one's thoughts serves as a form of validation, which leads to greater resistance to persuasion. This means that individuals who are confident in their own beliefs and thoughts are less likely to be swayed by external influences, even if those influences provide contradictory information. Therefore, choice A is the correct answer to this question.

Question 13

According to the self-validation hypothesis, under what circumstances can greater source credibility, which might prompt recipients of a message to be more confident, lead to less persuasion?

Accepted Answer

The self-validation hypothesis suggests that if recipients are highly confident in their ability to evaluate the arguments in a message, they will rely less on source credibility and more on the strength of the arguments. In this case, if the arguments are weak, then greater source credibility may not have much of an impact on persuasion, and the message may be rejected. Therefore, under such circumstances, greater source credibility can lead to less persuasion.

Question 14

You are asked to design an antismoking pamphlet. You decide to put a frightening photograph of a lung-cancer victim on the cover. According to Howard Leventhal and his colleagues' (1967) research, your message will be more likely to reduce smoking if you also provide

Accepted Answer

According to Howard Leventhal's research, including suggestions for how to quit smoking will make the message more effective in reducing smoking. Simply showing a frightening photograph without any actionable steps may not be as effective.

Question 15

One study found that head nodding led to greater persuasion when arguments were strong but less persuasion when arguments were weak. How did the researchers explain these findings?

Accepted Answer

Head nodding is believed to increase self-confidence and thus would enhance confidence in one's own favorable or unfavorable thoughts. When arguments are strong, nodding would reinforce the perception that one's own thoughts are correct, and therefore lead to greater persuasion. However, when arguments are weak, nodding would reinforce the perception that one's own thoughts are incorrect, and therefore lead to less persuasion.

Question 16

The sleeper effect occurs in situations in which messages from ________ sources shift attitudes ________.

Accepted Answer

The sleeper effect occurs when messages from unreliable sources initially have a weak impact on attitudes, but over time, the attitudes shift and become more favorable. This delay in attitude change distinguishes the sleeper effect from other types of persuasion effects.

Question 17

To persuade a large group, a(n)________argument is generally more effective than a(n)________ argument.

Accepted Answer

The answer of To persuade a large group, a(n)________argument is...

Question 18

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates how audience characteristics tend to impact persuasion?

Accepted Answer

The scenario in which Tommy is more likely to attend to pessimistic messages when he feels sad illustrates how audience characteristics, such as mood, can impact persuasion. This suggests that people in different emotional states may be more or less receptive to certain types of messages, which can impact the effectiveness of persuasive communication.

Question 19

Which of the following statements concerning the effects of media on attitudes or behaviors is accurate?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following statements concerning the...

Question 20

For Valentine's Day, Femi and Maria decide to make lists of all the reasons why they love their boyfriends. Femi attempts to come up with fifty items, whereas Maria sets her goal at five. Drawing on research on metacognition, who is more likely to feel confident about her love for her boyfriend after making the list?

Accepted Answer

According to research on metacognition, setting a higher goal or more challenging task can actually decrease one's confidence in their abilities. Femi may feel overwhelmed by her goal of listing fifty items and may struggle to come up with enough reasons. On the other hand, Maria's goal of listing five items is more achievable, and she may feel more confident in her ability to complete the task successfully. Therefore, Maria is more likely to feel confident about her love for her boyfriend after making the list.

Quiz 8: Persuasion

George Gerbner and his colleagues (1986) studied whether the media (e.g., prime-time television programming) shape a person's conception of social reality. They found that people who watched a lot of television

Metacognitions about thought confidence arise from

Pablo wants to persuade his coworkers to adopt his product plan and has many high-quality arguments detailing why his plan is sound. Which of the following should NOT be an attribute of his persuasive message?

Roger thinks that his neighbors are more susceptible to the influence of television commercials than he is. This phenomenon has been called the ________ effect.

Imagine that you have just watched a Coca-Cola ad on TV. Which of the following statements is most accurate in describing what effect this ad is likely to have on you?

Jamie is the sort of person who likes to think, puzzle, ponder, and consider multiple perspectives. Compared with people who do not like these activities, Jamie is

In one study, participants who were asked to come up with six examples of assertive behavior subsequently rated themselves as higher in assertiveness than those who provided twelve examples. How might metacognition help to explain this finding?

Which of the following slogans is most likely to persuade members of an independent culture to buy a sunscreen product?

Which finding concerning the effects of standard mass communication efforts on attitudes and behaviors is INACCURATE?

Consider the following quote from the writings of Joseph Stalin: "The death of a single Russian soldier is a tragedy. The death of a million soldiers is a statistic." This quote illustrates the idea behind the ________ effect.

According to Shanto Iyengar's concept of agenda control, the

The self-validation hypothesis states that

According to the self-validation hypothesis, under what circumstances can greater source credibility, which might prompt recipients of a message to be more confident, lead to less persuasion?

You are asked to design an antismoking pamphlet. You decide to put a frightening photograph of a lung-cancer victim on the cover. According to Howard Leventhal and his colleagues' (1967) research, your message will be more likely to reduce smoking if you also provide

One study found that head nodding led to greater persuasion when arguments were strong but less persuasion when arguments were weak. How did the researchers explain these findings?

The sleeper effect occurs in situations in which messages from sources shift attitudes .

To persuade a large group, a(n) argument is generally more effective than a(n) argument.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates how audience characteristics tend to impact persuasion?

Which of the following statements concerning the effects of media on attitudes or behaviors is accurate?

Quiz 8: Persuasion

George Gerbner and his colleagues (1986) studied whether the media (e.g., prime-time television programming) shape a person's conception of social reality. They found that people who watched a lot of television

Metacognitions about thought confidence arise from

Pablo wants to persuade his coworkers to adopt his product plan and has many high-quality arguments detailing why his plan is sound. Which of the following should NOT be an attribute of his persuasive message?

Roger thinks that his neighbors are more susceptible to the influence of television commercials than he is. This phenomenon has been called the ________ effect.

Imagine that you have just watched a Coca-Cola ad on TV. Which of the following statements is most accurate in describing what effect this ad is likely to have on you?

Jamie is the sort of person who likes to think, puzzle, ponder, and consider multiple perspectives. Compared with people who do not like these activities, Jamie is

In one study, participants who were asked to come up with six examples of assertive behavior subsequently rated themselves as higher in assertiveness than those who provided twelve examples. How might metacognition help to explain this finding?

Which of the following slogans is most likely to persuade members of an independent culture to buy a sunscreen product?

Which finding concerning the effects of standard mass communication efforts on attitudes and behaviors is INACCURATE?

Consider the following quote from the writings of Joseph Stalin: "The death of a single Russian soldier is a tragedy. The death of a million soldiers is a statistic." This quote illustrates the idea behind the ________ effect.

According to Shanto Iyengar's concept of agenda control, the

The self-validation hypothesis states that

According to the self-validation hypothesis, under what circumstances can greater source credibility, which might prompt recipients of a message to be more confident, lead to less persuasion?

You are asked to design an antismoking pamphlet. You decide to put a frightening photograph of a lung-cancer victim on the cover. According to Howard Leventhal and his colleagues' (1967) research, your message will be more likely to reduce smoking if you also provide

One study found that head nodding led to greater persuasion when arguments were strong but less persuasion when arguments were weak. How did the researchers explain these findings?

The sleeper effect occurs in situations in which messages from ________ sources shift attitudes ________.

To persuade a large group, a(n) ________argument is generally more effective than a(n) ________ argument.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates how audience characteristics tend to impact persuasion?

Which of the following statements concerning the effects of media on attitudes or behaviors is accurate?

The sleeper effect occurs in situations in which messages from sources shift attitudes .

To persuade a large group, a(n) argument is generally more effective than a(n) argument.