Practice exam questions

Question 1

An ad that says “Escape the ordinary”

To what type of audience will this type of ad appeal, promotions focused or prevention focused people?

a) Promotion
b) Prevention
c) Promotion and prevention
d) Not promotion, not prevention

Answer 1

a) promotion

Promotion focus with avoidance behaviour.

Question 2

A manager is giving a presentation to her team. In her presentation, she talks overly optimistically about the future of the company. You are attending the presentation with John, a prevention-focused colleague. John will probably…

a) Like the presentation because people tend to be generally motivated by pride and optimism.
b) Like the presentation but only when the overly optimistic message is presented in terms of avoiding losses.
c) Dislike the presentation as prevention-focused people tend to avoid extreme optimism for fear of lowering their vigilance.
d) Dislike the presentation as prevention-focused people tend to feel less proud about their achievements.

Answer 2

c) dislike the presentation as prevention-focused people tend to avoid extreme optimism for fear of lowering their vigilance.

(This is the most correct answer)

Question 3

The type of resistance called ‘uncertainty’ is based on:

a) Loss aversion
b) Risk aversion
c) Both loss aversion and risk aversion
d) Latitudes of acceptance and rejection

Answer 3

b) risk aversion

You never know what is going to happen, so they want to avoid risk.

Question 4

Consider this: you walk out of this lecture hall today and a salesman walks up to you, offering you a new phone + contract. It’s a brand you have never heard of. It has all the services you have now, but 5 euros per month cheaper.

What types of resistance can you expect? And give an example of how to reduce this type of resistance.

Answer 4

First assess the level of resistance, will there be resistance? There will probably be endowment (loss aversion), reactance (you don’t know the person that is walking up to you) and uncertainty.

Examples:

Make the offer reversible. Even if people buy the new phone + contract, they are able to return to their old phone + contract in the first 6 months for example. This lowers the uncertainty. Providing a risk free trial.

Providing information of people that already tried it, show testimonials and numbers.

Lowering switch costs.

You can lower reactance by offering choices.

Asking questions instead of just offering things, to make people have the feeling of autonomy.

Showing the cost of inaction (showing the downsides of sticking with their own phone). Reminding them of something they lost but can get back. “Remember how nice it was when your phone was still new, it looked great and you had no problems with it.”

Question 5

How can you increase social engagement and interaction in a cubicle office?
Come up with an i-frame, s-frame and g-frame solution for this problem.

Answer 5

i-frame solution:

• Marketing campaign explaining that if you work together your performance will be better. Explain why this targets the individual.

s-frame solution:

• The company is saying that every new employee receives a training for social engagement. The organisation is offering this systematically, which makes it a s-frame.
• Remove the cubicles so people can see each other more, you can turn the tables so they can sit together.
• Cosy neighbourhood style seating zones.
• Flexible work zones where people can collaborate.
• Weekly coffee roulette program where people are paired with a new colleague every week.
• Skill swap sessions where you can sit in somebody else’s team for a week.
• Social break zones.
• Quarterly pitch sessions where you get together.
• An onboarding program.

g-frame solution:

• Organizing a synchrony workshop so people feel more connected with each other. Also label it, talk about values.
• The employees have to wear an uniform. But this might reduce personal distinctiveness. A uniform is also a s-frame solution, it is combined.
• Make a sports team with people from different departments.
• You can have every department create their own identity, their own colour and logo to make a smaller identity, but also create an overarching identity. This gives the balance between distinctiveness and inclusion.

Question 6

Eudaimonia is

a) Based on self-focus
b) Based on cognitive values
c) Based on short-term perspective
d) An expression of our primal side

Answer 6

b) based on cognitive values

Question 7

What people value most in their customer experience is efficiency, convenience, knowledgeable service, friendly service, easy payment, human interaction, up-to-date technology. Are these more hedonic or eudaimonic?

Answer 7

More hedonic, but it’s always dependent on the context.

Mostly eudaimonic:

• Charitability
• Brand image because it’s related to our identity
• Social responsibility.

Human interaction can be both, but is certainly related to eudaimonia.

Question 8

“Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay.”

Which aspects of Schwartz’ value wheel theory were illustrated?

a) Conflict
b) Compatibility
c) Conflict and compatibility
d) Neither

Answer 8

c) conflict and compatibility

Tradition and security are close to each other (=compatibility), but mind (stimulation) and security are opposite of each other (=conflict).

Question 9

When is a person most likely to share a message in their social network?

a) After sitting still for a while
b) When feeling sad
c) When they just woke up
d) After doing physical exercise

Answer 9

d) after doing physical exercise

People share more when they experience high arousal, even after physical exercise.

Sadness is a low arousal emotion.

Question 10

Tide pod challenge. A humorous magazine, the Onion, said “So help me god, I’m going to eat one of those multicoloured detergent pods”. Children then actually started eating them and filming themselves.

How can you use your knowledge to stop them from sharing the challenge? Give two examples

Answer 10

(Think of impression management, emotion regulation, information acquisition, social bonding and persuading others.)

How can you reduce impression management?

• Create a relation between stupidness and doing the challenge.

How can you reduce emotion regulation?

• Ask a lot of people to respond in a lukewarm/bored way to their videos.

Question 11

The newest trend in sustainable eating goes beyond vegetarian and vegan diets, focusing on circular food and alternative protein sources. This emerging trend emphasizes not just avoiding animal products, but creating a holistic, waste-free approach to food consumption.

Say, you are the only person in your family who embraces the new trend. They are passionate meat-eaters and ridicule you for your food choices. Based on your knowledge on minority influence, propose three specific strategies to guide your family to a tipping point where they all embrace the new trend.

Answer 11

Possible answers:

• Find an ally.
• Be consistent.
• Don’t pretend that you know better, don’t threaten the others by taking the high ground.
• Remind people of a more radical group, so relatively you seem less extreme.