Question 1

Another term for "negative attitude change" is ____.

Accepted Answer

The boomerang effect refers to a situation in which an attempt to persuade someone results in the person adopting a more extreme version of their original belief or attitude, essentially "boomeranging" in the opposite direction. This is a type of negative attitude change. Inoculation, public compliance, and the autokinetic effect are not synonyms for negative attitude change.

Question 2

Jonah is pan-handling on the busy streets of Chicago. He keeps asking "spare some change?" to passers-by. No one gives him the time of day. To get better results, he starts saying, "spare twelve cents?" Jonah is using the pique technique.

Accepted Answer

The pique technique involves making a specific, unusual request (like asking for twelve cents instead of just "some change") to pique interest and increase the likelihood of getting a response or assistance.

Question 3

According to the text, fear-based messages (e.g., messages about the dangers of smoking) are almost always highly effective.

Accepted Answer

While fear-based messages can be effective in some cases, research has shown that they can also lead to reactance and resistance if the recipient feels threatened or attacked. It is important to carefully consider the audience and message content before using fear-based appeals.

Question 4

Advertisements with explicit conclusions are more persuasive than advertisements with omitted conclusions (which require viewers to come up with conclusions on their own).

Accepted Answer

The answer of Advertisements with explicit conclusions are more persuasive...

Question 5

In the prisons at Guantanamo Bay, American soldiers have used, among other tactics, both sleep deprivation and repeated exposure to annoying music, in an effort to "break" prisoners' resistance and convince them to answer questions. The Americans are apparently operating under the assumption that ____ makes people more yielding.

Accepted Answer

The tactics described aim to deplete the prisoners' mental and physical resources, making them more likely to comply or yield to questioning.

Question 6

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

The question indicates that people are "less likely to be persuaded" when given a warning beforehand, thus eliminating options C and D. Option B is incorrect because the question states that "the amount of advance notice they receive" impacts the effect, suggesting that some amount of warning does have an impact. Therefore, the correct answer is A, which states that people are less likely to be persuaded and that the amount of advance notice heightens this effect.

Question 7

Kelly is collecting money for the March of Dimes by going door-to-door in her neighborhood. At each door, she explains what the March of Dimes is for, and then asks for a donation, saying, "Even a penny would help!" Adding this comment to her request will increase the likelihood of people donating.

Accepted Answer

By saying "even a penny would help," Kelly is lowering the perceived cost of donation and making it more accessible for people to contribute. This can increase the likelihood of people donating, even if it's just a small amount.

Question 8

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

Research indicates that people are less vulnerable to persuasive messages when they have stockpiled resources, which could include being well-rested, in a good mood, and not distracted by other stimuli. This means they have more mental and emotional capacity to resist persuasion attempts. The other options are not applicable to the given scenario.

Question 9

People sometimes do the exact opposite of what someone is trying to persuade them to do. For example, when parents tell their children not to look in certain drawers or cabinets, children sometimes sneak peeks into these places just because they were told not to. In social psychology, this effect is known as "the boomerang effect," or ____.

Accepted Answer

The boomerang effect refers to the phenomenon where people do the opposite of what they are being persuaded to do. This often results in a negative attitude change towards the topic or message being presented. The inoculation effect, halo effect, and sleeper effect are all different concepts in social psychology and do not accurately describe the boomerang effect.

Question 10

When people come to an inner belief that others are right, they have experienced pluralistic ignorance.

Accepted Answer

Pluralistic ignorance occurs when individuals mistakenly believe that their own thoughts, feelings, or behaviors are different from those of the group, even though they are actually similar. It is not about believing others are right, but rather misjudging the group's beliefs.

Question 11

The limited-number technique is based on consistency principles.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The limited-number technique is based on consistency...

Question 12

Well-educated and analytical people (as opposed to poorly-educated and non-educated people) are more responsive to arguments based on logic and reason.

Accepted Answer

Well-educated and analytical people have developed the skills to analyze and evaluate arguments based on logic and reason, making them more responsive to such arguments compared to poorly-educated and non-educated people who may not have the same level of critical thinking skills.

Question 13

The tendency for people to separate the message from the messenger as time passes is called the sleeper effect.

Accepted Answer

The statement is true. The sleeper effect occurs when people remember a message but forget the source, leading them to evaluate the message based on its content rather than the credibility of the messenger.

Question 14

Negative attitude change (or the boomerang effect) often occurs when people experience ____.

Accepted Answer

Psychological reactance occurs when people feel their freedom or autonomy is being threatened. This can lead to an attitude change in the opposite direction of what is being advocated, known as the boomerang effect.

Question 15

Compared to advertisers who communicate using repetition with variation, advertisers who use simple repetition are more likely to run the risk of advertising wearout.

Accepted Answer

Advertisers who use simple repetition without variation may become predictable and boring for the audience, leading to advertising wearout. Repetition with variation, on the other hand, keeps the message fresh and engaging, reducing the risk of wearout.

Question 16

People who are in a good mood are more receptive to persuasive messages than people who are in a bad or neutral mood.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that people in a positive mood are more likely to be persuaded by a message, as they are more open to new information and ideas. In contrast, people in a negative or neutral mood may be more resistant to changing their attitudes or behaviors.

Question 17

People who are processing persuasive messages via the central route tend to rely on surface cues such as source attractiveness and the reactions of others.

Accepted Answer

People who are processing persuasive messages via the central route tend to rely on deep processing of the message content rather than surface cues. They are more likely to engage in critical thinking and scrutinize the argument being presented.

Question 18

Informational social influence helps produce private acceptance, while normative social influence may elicit mere public compliance.

Accepted Answer

Informational social influence involves people conforming to others' behavior because they believe that those others have accurate knowledge or information. This can lead to a genuine change in a person's beliefs or attitudes, known as private acceptance. Normative social influence, on the other hand, involves people conforming to others' behavior to fit in or be accepted by the group. This can lead to superficial, temporary changes in behavior, known as public compliance.

Question 19

The low-ball technique does NOT appear to actually be effective in influencing people or changing their behavior.

Accepted Answer

The low-ball technique has been shown to be effective in influencing people's behavior by getting them to commit to a small request that is later followed up with a larger request. However, some studies have questioned its long-term effectiveness and ethical implications.

Question 20

Compared to other people, people with a high need for cognition tend to have attitudes that are more resistant to change (more difficult to change).

Accepted Answer

People with a high need for cognition tend to engage in more systematic and in-depth thinking, which results in stronger attitudes and beliefs that are more difficult to change through persuasion or new information.

Quiz 8: Social Influence and Persuasion