Persuasion

Question 1

Persuasion

researchers have identified alpha or omega strategies for increasing the effectiveness of a persuasive message (i.e., that the message will persuade recipients to change their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors). Describe each strategy

Answer 1

alpha: attempt to overcome resistance to persuasion by increasing approach forces

omega: attempt to reduce or neutralize resistance to persuasion by decreasing avoidance forces

Question 2

Persuasion

list alpha strategies associated with increasing the effectiveness of persuasive messages

Answer 2

providing reasons why change is desirable by:
* maximizing the strength arguments presented in the message
* using consensus information (e.g., showing that the attitude, belief, or behavior advocated for by the message is the most popular one)

Question 3

Persuasion

list omega strategies associated with increasing the effectiveness of persuasive messages

Answer 3

addressing resistance by:
* providing recipients with counterarguments to their concerns
* using comparisons to make the position more desirable

Question 4

Persuasion

research on persuasion found that communicators (source) factors are more persuasive when they have these 3 qualities

Answer 4

• attractiveness
• likability
• credibility

Question 5

Persuasion

research has found that credibility of communicators is most affected by these 2 factors

Answer 5

expertise & trustworthiness

Question 6

Persuasion

list 3 qualities of communicators that increase their perceived credibility

Answer 6

adequate knowledge, skill, & expertise

Question 7

Persuasion

the likeihood of a well-known basketball player being a more effective spokesperson for athletic shoes than for non-athletic products is an example of which factor that makes communicators more persuasive

Answer 7

credibility

Question 8

Persuasion

list 3 qualities of communicators that increase their perceived trustworthiness

Answer 8

being fair, honest, & unbiased

Question 9

Persuasion

trustworthiness can be affected by the communicator’s ____, with communicators being more likely to be considered trustworthy when they are arguing against their own best interests or when the message is accidentally overheard

Answer 9

intent

Question 10

Persuasion

this concept refers to the tendency for people, over time, to remember the message but forget its source despite whether the message came from a high- or low-credible communicator

Answer 10

the sleeper effect

Question 11

Persuasion

list 3 message factors that affect the persuasiveness of a message

Answer 11

1) message discrepancy
2) presentation order & timing
3) fear arousal

Question 12

Persuasion

the relationship between amount of attitude change & message discrepancy has an inverted-U shape, with the greatest amount of change being elicited when there’s moderate discrepancy between these 2 factors

Answer 12

1) the recipient’s current position
2) the position advocated for by the message

Question 13

Persuasion

this occurs when the two sides are presented back-to-back and a period of time passes before recipients’ attitudes are assessed (i.e., the side presented first has the greatest effect on attitudes)

Answer 13

a primary effect

Question 14

Persuasion

this occurs when one side of an argument is presented, a period of time passes before the other side is presented, and the recipients’ attitudes are assessed immediately after the second presentation (i.e., the side presented second has the greatest impact)

Answer 14

the recency effect

Question 14

Persuasion

Tannenbaum et al.’s (2015) research found that the effect of fear arousal depends on certain conditions and that appeals to fear are most effective under these 3 conditions

Answer 14

when they:
1) attempt to arouse a relatively high level of fear
2) include an efficacy message that assures recipients that they’re capable of taking the recommended action and/or that performing the recommended action will have desirable outcomes
3) describe the negative consequences & risk for those consequences if action is not taken

Question 15

Persuasion

list the 3 recipient factors linked to susceptibility to persuasion

Answer 15

1) self-esteem
2) intelligence
3) age

Question 16

Persuasion

Rhodes & Wood (1992) found that recipients with what level of self-esteem were most susceptible to influence

Answer 16

moderate self-esteem

Question 17

Persuasion

Rhodes & Wood (1992) found that higher levels of susceptibility were associated with what levels of intelligence?

Answer 17

lower levels of intelligence

Question 18

Persuasion

although research investigating the impact of age on susceptibility have produced inconsistent results, but there’s some support for what?

Answer 18

adolescents/young adults & older adults being more susceptible than middle-aged adults

Question 19

Persuasion

with regard to strategies that affect people’s resistance to persuasion, this hypothesis, based on the medical model of immunization, proposes that an effective way to increase resistance to persuasion is to “immunize” people against attempts to change their attitudes, which invovles providing them with weak arguments against their current attitudes along with counterarguments that refute thos arguments before they’re exposed to the persuasive message

Answer 19

McGuire’s (1973) attitude inoculation hypothesis

Question 20

Persuasion

Dittmar et al. (2014) found that prioritization of materialistic values & goals strongly correlated with these 4 behaviors (list in order of strength)

Answer 20

1) compulsive buying behavior
2) engaging in risky health behaviors
3) negative self-appraisal
4) negative affect

Question 21

Persuasion

this scale measures the centrality of acquiring material goods to a person’s life & the person’s beliefs about the effects of acquistion on happiness & success

Answer 21

the Material Values Scale (Richins & Dawson, 1992)

Question 22

Persuasion

Mullainathan & Shafir (2014) aruge that the ____ of something required to fulfill a need causes preoccupation with the unfulfilled need and a reduction in “mental bandwidth” that limits our ability to pay attention, make good decisions, stick with out plans, & resist temptation

Answer 22

scarcity

Question 23

Persuasion

list the 2 components of mental bandwidth

Answer 23

1) cognitive capacity
2) executive control

Question 24

# **Persuasion** according to Mullainathan & Shafir (2014), this concept consists of mechanisms required to solve problems, engage in logical reasoning, & retain information and is **assessed with measures of fluid reasoning**

Answer 24

cognitive capacity

Question 25

# **Persuasion** according to Mullainathan & Shafir (2014) this concept consists of mechanisms that are necessary for planning, shifting attention, and initiating & inhibiting certain actions

Answer 25

executive control

Question 26

# **Persuasion** Mullainathan & Shafir (2014) propose that periods of scarcity can produce this, which is characterized by 1) preoccupation with an unfulfilled need and 2) self-defeating behaviors that perpetuate scarcity (e.g., a person with limited financial resources may postpone getting a broken car taillight fixed but then gets a ticket for the broken taillight, which results in an additional expense)

Answer 26

a **scarcity trap**

Question 27

# **Persuasion** this concept is based on the premise that losses loom larger than gains (i.e., the displeasure that people experience when they lose something is greater than the pleasure they experience when they gain the same thing)

Answer 27

Kahneman & Tversky's (1979) **loss aversion** ## Footnote **aggravation resulting from losing a specific amount of money is 2x as powerful as the satisfaction resulting from gaining the same amount of money**

Question 28

# **Persuasion** loss aversion is a component of this theory developed by Kahneman & Tversy's, which addresses how risky decisions are made

Answer 28

prospect theory