Question 1

Sandy is trying to decide which new soft drink to try.She decides to try "Bliss Mist" because it has a prettier bottle and the theme song is running through her head.Sandy is using the ________ heuristic to make her decision.

Accepted Answer

Sandy is making her decision based on her emotional response (theme song and pretty bottle) rather than any rational or factual information about the soft drink. This aligns with the "How do I feel about it?" heuristic, which is based on emotional reactions to stimuli.

Question 2

There is an exception to the general rule that logical, informative messages will be highly persuasive when the issue is relevant to the audience.What is that exception?

Accepted Answer

When attitudes are based on values and feelings, logical and informative messages may not be as effective in changing those attitudes. This is because values and feelings are often deeply entrenched and emotional, and may not be swayed by simple logical arguments. In these cases, messages that appeal to emotions or values may be more persuasive.

Question 3

"I like sex, but not enough to die for it," says a young woman in an ad designed to persuade people to use condoms if they are sexually active.Why might this approach be ineffective? If people are

Accepted Answer

If people are too frightened, they may not process the message rationally and could dismiss it instead of considering the intended behavior change.

Question 4

Using the "How do I feel about it?" heuristic can be problematic because we can make mistakes about what is causing our feelings.This idea is related to which other ideas in social psychology?

Accepted Answer

The "How do I feel about it?" heuristic is a form of affective forecasting, or predicting our emotional responses to future events. Misattribution occurs when we mistakenly attribute our feelings to the wrong source, which can lead to errors in our predictions. Reasons-generated attitude change refers to the process of generating reasons for our attitudes that may not be accurate, which can also lead to mistakes in predicting our emotional responses. Both of these concepts are related to the potential inaccuracies in relying solely on the "How do I feel about it?" heuristic.

Question 5

Research by Leventhal and his colleagues (1967) was described in the text.In the experiment, the researchers showed some smokers a graphic film about lung cancer and gave them a pamphlet with instructions on how to quit; other smokers received either the pamphlet alone, or watched the grisly film.After three months, those smokers who received only the pamphlet with instructions were smoking significantly more than those who both saw the film and received the pamphlet.What is the independent variable of this research?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the type of intervention: pamphlet only, movie only, or pamphlet and movie. It is the variable that is manipulated by the researchers to see its effect on the dependent variable, which is the amount that the smokers smoked after three months.

Question 6

Reggie is busy trying to prepare a complicated recipe for dinner when his sons come in asking him who can use the computer first.One son, Jason, gives a long explanation about why he needs it, and goes on for some time.The other son, Cameron, just gives a short explanation.If Reggie is processing these arguments via the heuristic route, who is he most likely to give computer privileges to first?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Reggie is busy trying to prepare a...

Question 7

According to the heuristic-systematic model of persuasion, when people use the peripheral route of persuasion, they rely on

Accepted Answer

The peripheral route of persuasion relies on heuristics, which are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that people use to make judgments without fully processing the information. Examples of heuristics include expertise, likability, and attractiveness. This route of persuasion is characterized by a superficial evaluation of the message and an emphasis on cues that have little to do with the content of the message.

Question 8

Research by Leventhal and his colleagues (1967) was described in the text.In the experiment, the researchers showed some smokers a graphic film about lung cancer and gave them a pamphlet with instructions on how to quit; other smokers received either the pamphlet alone, or watched the grisly film.After three months, those smokers who received only the pamphlet with instructions were smoking significantly more than those who both saw the film and received the pamphlet.What is the dependent variable of this research?

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable of this research is the amount that the smokers smoked, as this is what is being measured and compared between the different intervention groups.

Question 9

The ________ model of persuasion asserts that attitudes may change because people attend to the merits of an argument, or because they use such cognitive shortcuts as "The faster a person talks, the more she knows about the issue."

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ________ model of persuasion asserts that...

Question 10

"Experts are always right" and "Expensive means quality" are some examples of how ________ can be used in persuasion.

Accepted Answer

The two examples given represent the use of heuristics in persuasion. Heuristics are mental shortcuts that people use to make decisions quickly and efficiently, but they can also lead to bias and error. The first example, "Experts are always right," uses the heuristic of authority, where people assume that someone who is an expert in a particular field is always right. The second example, "Expensive means quality," uses the heuristic of price, where people assume that a more expensive product is of higher quality than a cheaper one. Both of these heuristics can be effective in persuading people to believe a particular message or take a certain action, but they may not always be accurate.

Question 11

When we seek to infer our attitudes, one reason that relying on moods or emotions as heuristics can mislead us is that

Accepted Answer

Emotions can be triggered by various factors, including external stimuli and internal thoughts or belief patterns. Therefore, relying solely on emotions as a heuristic to infer attitudes can be misleading because we may not accurately identify the true source of our emotions, which may not necessarily reflect our true attitudes towards a particular subject or situation.

Question 12

Research by Leventhal and his colleagues (1967) was described in the text.In the experiment, the researchers showed some smokers a graphic film about lung cancer and gave them a pamphlet with instructions on how to quit; other smokers received either the pamphlet alone, or watched the grisly film.After three months, those smokers who received only the pamphlet with instructions were smoking significantly more than those who both saw the film and received the pamphlet.Why?

Accepted Answer

The study showed that providing information alone (the pamphlet) was not enough to motivate smokers to quit. The combination of fear (from the film) and actionable information (from the pamphlet) was more effective, indicating that motivation is necessary for people to act on information.

Question 13

George is trying to decide which of two used cars to buy.He test drives each, listening to the radio while he does so.While he is test driving the Honda, his favorite song comes on the radio.George tells his friend, "I know the Toyota is a bit better of a deal, but somehow the Honda just feels better to me." If the reason that the Honda feels better is that George liked the song that he heard while driving it, his decision is being influenced by

Accepted Answer

George's decision is being influenced by misattribution of emotion because he is attributing his positive feelings towards the Honda to liking the song on the radio, rather than objectively evaluating the quality of the car.

Question 14

It can be tricky to use fear-arousing communication properly; a moderate amount can lead people to ________ and too much can lead people to ________.

Accepted Answer

A moderate amount of fear-arousing communication can be effective in persuading people through the central route, where they engage in active processing of the information. However, too much fear can lead to a defensive response where people reject the message altogether.

Question 15

The authors of your text suggest that when trying to determine our attitude about something, we often rely on the ________ heuristic.

Accepted Answer

The "How do I feel about it?" heuristic refers to the tendency to rely on our emotions and feelings to make judgments and decisions about something.

Question 16

In most stores, owners provide background music for shoppers.Now, this music may not be to everyone's taste, but from the perspective of social psychologists who study routes to persuasion, it is probably designed to ________, and thus to ________.

Accepted Answer

The background music is likely designed to put shoppers in a good mood, which can make products more attractive to them and increase the likelihood that they will make purchases.

Question 17

Research by Leventhal and his colleagues (1967) was described in the text.In the experiment, the researchers showed one group of smokers a film depicting the ravages of lung cancer, gave another group of smokers a pamphlet with instructions on how to quit smoking, and exposed a third group to both the film and the pamphlets.People in the last group reduced their smoking significantly more than people in the other two groups because people who only

Accepted Answer

The combination of both the film and the pamphlet provided both motivation and practical guidance, leading to a greater reduction in smoking. Those who only received the pamphlet may not have been motivated enough to engage with the material.

Question 18

Chaiken (1987) and other proponents of the heuristic-systematic model of persuasion assert that emotions often signal us as to our true attitudes.By this they mean that

Accepted Answer

According to the heuristic-systematic model of persuasion, emotions play a significant role in the process of attitude formation and change. Emotions may serve as a heuristic, which can lead to quick and automatic reactions to persuasive messages. Emotions can also inform our "How do I feel about it?" heuristic, and guide our attitude formation process. Therefore, choice B is the correct answer.

Question 19

You've just learned that your younger brother has begun having sex.You are concerned about his health and the health of his partner, and because abstinence doesn't seem reasonable to expect, you have decided to have a serious talk with him.What is the best thing to do?

Accepted Answer

While scaring him about the consequences of unsafe sex may get his attention, it may also be traumatizing and cause unnecessary fear. Providing him with practical solutions by explaining where to get condoms and how to use them is a better approach as it empowers him to take responsibility for his sexual health.

Question 20

Research by Leventhal and his colleagues (1967) was described in the text.In the experiment, the researchers showed one group of smokers a film depicting the ravages of lung cancer, gave another group of smokers a pamphlet with instructions on how to quit smoking, and exposed a third group to both the film and the pamphlets.People in the last group reduced their smoking significantly more than people in the other two groups because

Accepted Answer

The combination of arousing fear through the film depicting the ravages of lung cancer and providing a means to reduce that fear through the pamphlets with instructions on how to quit smoking was effective in significantly reducing smoking more than the other interventions alone. This approach aligns with the fear appeal theory, which suggests that for a fear appeal to be effective, it must be accompanied by a clear and feasible way for the individual to reduce the threat.

Quiz 7: Attitudes and Attitude Change: Influencing Thoughts and Feelings