Chapter 6: attitudes

Question 1

Attitudes are…

Answer 1

lasting evaluations of aspects of the world

Question 2

The idea that we learn from other people

Answer 2

Social Learning Theory

Question 3

If an action or expressed idea is reinforced, you are likely to repeat that action or expressed behavior. This is called _________. If reinforcement is repeated, you are likely to ______________ the behavior.

Answer 3

Operant conditioning; internalize

Question 4

Persuasion

Answer 4

the process by which attitudes are changed.

Question 5

What are the two routes to persuasion called?

Answer 5

systematic processing and heuristic processing

Question 6

What type of persuasion uses elaboration?

Answer 6

systematic processing

Question 7

Systematic processing is also called the ________________.

Answer 7

central route

Question 8

Which type of persuasion relies upon the strength of the message?

Answer 8

Systematic processing.

Question 9

What type of persuasion uses mental shortcuts?

Answer 9

Heuristic processing

Question 10

What are heuristics?

Answer 10

mental short-cuts

Question 11

Heuristic processing is also called

Answer 11

the peripheral route

Question 12

What types of peripheral cues are likely to be used in heuristic processing persuasion? (5)

Answer 12

expertise
physical attractiveness
beauty
humor
informational overload

Question 13

What conditions must be present for systematic processing to be effective?

Answer 13

The audience must be able to process the information carefully, without being rushed, distracted, or cognitively overloaded
The audience must have the motivation to process the message carefully. The topic must be important, interesting, and self-relevant

Question 14

What conditions call for heuristic processing?

Answer 14

When the audience lacks the ability or motivation to consider the message carefully.

Question 15

An implicit attitude is an attitude that one is ____ _____________ of having, such as ____________.

Answer 15

not aware; predjudice

Question 16

A covert measure of unconscious attitudes derived from the speed at which people respond to pairings of concepts such as black or white with good or bad.

Answer 16

Implicit Association Test or IAT

Question 17

The belief that information that is presented first has a greater impact

Answer 17

Primacy effect

Question 18

the belief that information that is presented last has a greater impact

Answer 18

Recency effect

Question 19

In Miller & Campbell’s 1959 study of the primacy and recency effects, they found that when subjects were asked to make a decision soon after hearing arguments, the ____________ argument prevailed, but when subjects waited a month, the ____________ argument did, because both arguments had _____________________.

Answer 19

more recent; first presented; faded equally from the subjects’ memories.

Question 20

Message discrepancy refers to…

Answer 20

how different the message is from the audience’s existing position.

Question 21

What amount of discrepancy is the most effective in persuasion?

Answer 21

moderate.

Question 22

The inoculation hypothesis refers to…

Answer 22

the idea that exposure to weak versions of a persuasive argument increases later resistance to that argument.

Question 23

What is insufficient justification?

Answer 23

A condition in which people freely perform an attitude discrepant behavior without receiving a large reward, then attempt to change their own attitude to reduce cognitive dissonance.

Question 24

Dissonance theory predicts that the more you pay for something (in time, money, pain, ect.) the more you will ____________________.

Answer 24

come to like it

Question 25

According to dissonance theory, people will justify their choices after difficult decisions by…

Answer 25

exaggerating the positive outcomes of the chosen and exaggerating the negative features of the unchosen alternative.

Question 26

Cognitive dissonance is caused by…

Answer 26

an awareness of inconsistency between two attitudes or between an attitude and a behavior

Question 27

To trivialize an issue means to…

Answer 27

reduce dissonance by minimizing the importance of the issue or behavior

Question 28

to rationalize means to…

Answer 28

provide plausible but not necessarily valid reasons to justify an inconsistent behavior

Question 29

To engage in self-affirmation is to

Answer 29

focus on positive things about the self in order to make up for inconsistent behavior.

Question 30

What makes cognitive dissonance theory powerful in persuading others?

Answer 30

People become vulnerable to persuasion when they realize an inconsistency.