Attitudes and Persuasion Study Guide Questions
Course Introduction
This course explores the psychological foundations of attitudes and the processes of persuasion, examining how beliefs, opinions, and behaviors are formed, changed, and maintained. Students will learn about classic and contemporary theories in attitude formation, measurement techniques, and the influence of cognitive, affective, and social factors. The course also analyzes the mechanisms of persuasive communication, including message framing, source credibility, and emotional appeals, as well as resistance to persuasion. Real-world applications in advertising, politics, health, and social change are emphasized to illustrate the practical relevance of these concepts.
Recommended Textbook
Social Psychology 9th Edition by Elliot Aronson
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16 Chapters
2963 Verified Questions
2963 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introducing Social Psychology
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184 Verified Questions
184 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) How people select, interpret, remember, and use information to make judgments and decisions is called _______.
A)self-esteem
B)social psychology
C)behaviorism
D)social cognition
Answer: D
Q2) One potential problem of justifying past behavior in order to protect our self-esteem is that
A) people tend to become narcissistic.
B) people distort reality and deny any negative information about themselves.
C) it hinders people from learning from their past mistakes.
D) it leads people to present themselves as being better than they really are.
Answer: C
Q3) Most of the early social psychologists arrived in the U.S.from
A) Asia.
B) Europe.
C) Australia.
D) South America.
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research
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251 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the authors of your text, one of the major problems with relying solely on evolutionary theory as the only explanation for social behavior is that A) psychologists are making assumptions about the conditions that existed long ago that produced reproductive advantages for certain genes. B) it defies religious explanations, which are core beliefs for many people in the U.S.
C) social behaviors are not based on genes at all, so it is difficult to use evolution to predict behavior.
D) evolution occurs too slowly for it to truly impact human behavior.
Answer: A
Q2) All of the following are limits on observational research except A) the coding of the data by judges is always low in reliability. B) many behaviors of interest occur only in private.
C) researchers using archival data are dependent on the original creators of the archive. D) the sample being observed tends to be limited to just one group of people, one activity, and one setting.
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Social Cognition: How We Think About the Social World
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235 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) More recent research suggests that cultural differences in thinking styles may stem from
A) physiological differences across races.
B) differences in the environments across cultures.
C) political differences across nations.
D) religious differences between countries.
Answer: B
Q2) Fidan wrecked his dad's car.When his dad got home from work, Fidan met him at the door with a cold beer and his favorite magazine.The smell from his dad's favorite meal was wafting through the house, and his dad's favorite CD was playing.Fidan is trying to use ________ to get his father to think of him as a good, responsible son before he tells him about the car.
A) representativeness heuristic
B) priming
C) controlled thinking
D) counterfactual thinking
Answer: B
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Chapter 4: Social Perception: How We Come to Understand
Other People
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Sample Questions
Q1) ________ information addresses the extent to which the same person responds similarly to different stimuli.
A) Distinctiveness
B) Consensus
C) Consistency
D) Discriminating
Q2) The text suggests that the fundamental attribution error occurs because information about the situational causes of behavior is
A) generally available and easy to interpret.
B) generally available but difficult to interpret.
C) often unavailable, but easy to interpret when it is.
D) often unavailable and difficult to interpret.
Q3) Describe the role of culture in the fundamental attribution error.How prevalent is this error across cultures, and why do these differences exist?
Q4) When people communicate using nonverbal behavior, they typically use
A) their eyes.
B) their hands.
C) their tone of voice.
D) multiple channels.
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Chapter 5: The Self: Understanding Ourselves in a Social Context
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Sample Questions
Q1) The overall positive or negative evaluation that people have themselves is
A) extrinsic motivation.
B) self-esteem.
C) terror management.
D) dispositional attribution.
Q2) The mindset that our abilities are malleable qualities that we can cultivate and nurture best describes a ________ mindset.
A) fixed
B) growth
C) intrinsic
D) overjustified
Q3) Terror management is most like which of the following?
A) defensive attributions
B) collective interdependence
C) extrinsic motivation
D) causal theories
Q4) Robert has an important exam the next day.However, instead of studying for his exam, Robert is out at a party and drinking until the early morning hours.What social-psychological construct can explain Robert's behavior and why would he do this?
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Chapter 6: The Need to Justify Our Actions: the Costs and Benefits
of Dissonance Reduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Jay just found out that he was not accepted into his dream college.Based on information from the authors of your text about impact bias, which of the following best reflects how Jay will react?
A) He will become severely depressed.
B) He will not go to college at all unless he can get admitted into his dream school.
C) He will get over it rather quickly.
D) It actually will not bother him in the least.
Q2) Over the weekend, you are going to meet your new romantic partner's parents for the first time.In particular, you want your partner's father to like you.How might you use the Ben Franklin effect to get him to like you more? Be sure you include an example.
Q3) In an experiment by Takaku (2006) on road rage, when drivers went through a driving simulation in which they accidentally cut off another driver, and then were cut off themselves, they were quicker to
A) become angry.
B) lay on the horn.
C) forgive the other driver.
D) distract themselves.
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Page 8
Chapter 7: Attitudes and Attitude Change: Influencing
Thoughts and Feelings
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Sample Questions
Q1) Research by Petty, Cacioppo, and Goldman (1981) found that when students are not involved in an issue, their opinions are influenced more by the ________ than by the
A) quality of the arguments; credibility of the speaker
B) credibility of the speaker; quality of the arguments
C) quality of the arguments; surface characteristics of the message
D) content of the message; expertise of the speaker
Q2) Which of the following is the most accurate statement about advertising?
A) People's beliefs about the power of different kinds of advertising are backward.They don't think they are influenced much by regular advertising when they probably are, and they believe they are influenced by subliminal advertising when they probably are not.
B) People's beliefs about how much they are influenced by advertising are generally accurate.
C) Most people know that subliminal messages in audiotapes don't really work.
D) Most advertisements work by conveying a lot of information about the product they are trying to sell.
Q3) An attitude can exist at two levels: implicit and explicit.Define an attitude at each level and explain the distinctions between the two.
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Chapter 8: Conformity: Influencing Behavior
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Sample Questions
Q1) Results from Milgram's study, in which participants were led to believe that they were being asked to shock another person at lethal levels, suggest that people A) are generally rather sadistic.
B) have strong aggressive impulses, as Freud suggested.
C) will obey authority, even when perhaps they shouldn't. D) are willing to do just about anything for a buck.
Q2) According to several replications of Asch's line studies in Japan, Germany, and Britain, people in those countries are more likely to conform to groups A) to which they belong.
B) who are strangers.
C) who make them feel inferior.
D) composed of opposite-sex individuals.
Q3) Explain what two conflicting norms operated in Stanley Milgram's classic obedience experiments.Also explain why one norm was more likely to be obeyed than the other.
Q4) After the Milgram study, there were several changes made to the way psychologists are allowed to conduct research.Describe at least three of the differences between the APA ethics code now and then.
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Chapter 9: Group Processes: Influence in Social Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) Shared group expectations about how particular group members are expected to behave are called
A) norms.
B) expectancy effects.
C) roles.
D) collective standards.
Q2) Which of the following individuals is most likely to engage in social loafing?
A) Amanda, who sits alone in her office, licking stamps and placing them on envelopes
B) Tim, who washes a car with his friends
C) Phoebe, who works with her classmates on a difficult assignment
D) Danny, who struggles alone with a difficult calculus problem
Q3) Baron (1986) has found that flashing lights can cause the same social facilitation effects as the presence of other people.These findings support the idea that ________ is the source of arousal that enhances performance on simple tasks.
A) evaluation apprehension
B) increased vigilance
C) distraction
D) reactance
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Chapter 10: Interpersonal Attraction: From First Impressions to Close Relationships
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Sample Questions
Q1) Distance is to ________ as familiarity is to ________.
A) the propinquity effect; opposites attract
B) functional distance; complementary attraction
C) the propinquity effect; the mere exposure effect
D) romantic love; the mere exposure effect
Q2) According to the evolutionary approach to love, if Juanita is looking for a romantic partner, who is she most likely to choose?
A) Harry Handsome
B) Kindly Ken
C) Wealthy Wendell
D) Nice Ned
Q3) Research by Toma and colleagues found that ______ of participants in their research provided some inaccurate information on their online dating profile.
A)15%
B)almost 50%
C)over 70%
D)100%
Q4) Compare and contrast social exchange theory and operant conditioning.
Q5) In what sense is the concept of romantic love culture-specific?
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Chapter 11: Prosocial Behavior: Why Do People Help
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Sample Questions
Q1) Timothy just got into a big fight with his girlfriend, and as a result, he is in a bad mood.When Kate asks him to contribute to her charity organization, Timothy readily agrees, which makes him feel better.Timothy's behavior can best be explained by A) feel bad; do good.
B) feel good; do good.
C) feel bad; do bad.
D) do bad; feel good.
Q2) Every morning at the bus stop, Carlos encounters an old woman begging for change.She is clearly hungry and alone.Because Carlos feels very bad for this woman and can "feel her pain," he makes a point of giving her some change each morning that he sees her.Which theoretical approach best explains Carlos's behavior?
A) social-exchange theory
B) kin selection
C) the empathy-altruism hypothesis
D) the norm of reciprocity
Q3) The crowded sidewalk is coated with ice.You feel a sharp pain and hear a cracking sound when you fall.You know that you've broken your leg.How might you overcome the bystander effect to ensure that you get help from passersby?
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Chapter 12: Aggression: Why Do We Hurt Other People Can
We Prevent It
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Sample Questions
Q1) Julie is really interested in Tom.She flirts with him at lunch a few times, and finally asks him out for a drink on Friday.According to the authors of your text, Julie's behavior is
A) assertive.
B) aggressive.
C) masculine.
D) abnormal.
Q2) Social-psychological research has revealed that exposure to televised violence might weaken viewers' inhibitions about using violence in their own lives.If Peter is one such person, what is he likely to think when he watches a violent cops-and-robbers show?
A) "If they can get away with it, so can I."
B) "So that's how it's done."
C) "I guess it's the urge to aggress that I'm feeling."
D) "Big deal.What's on PBS?"
Q3) Rape may occur as a result of having sex
A)as a result of physical force.
B)as a result of incapacitation.
C)as a result of both physical force and incapacitation.
D)as a result of catharsis.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Prejudice: Causes Consequences and Cures
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Sample Questions
Q1) Although psychologists usually refer to stereotypes only in a ________ sense, it is possible for a person to have a ________ stereotype about a particular group.
A) benign; destructive
B) positive; negative
C) negative; positive
D) specific; diffuse
Q2) Provide an example of a microaggression you have either done or seen.Be sure to give the definition of "microaggression" and explain how the behavior fits the definition.
Q3) Alan just met Tina who is from a small rural town in the South.Alan believes that people from the South are narrow-minded, conservatively religious, and prudish.Tina, however, is none of these.What will Alan think?
A) His stereotype about southerners is incorrect.
B) Tina is an exception to his stereotype about southerners.
C) His stereotype needs revision.
D) His emotions about Tina aren't appropriate.
Q4) According to the authors, how does a belief in a just world contribute to blaming the victims of injustice?
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Chapter 14: Making a Difference With Social Psychology: Attaining a Sustainable Future
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Sample Questions
Q1) Recall that researchers conducted a field experiment in Fairfax County, Virginia, where recycling efforts were instituted.These researchers found that positive attitudes best predicted recycling when residents
A) had to find their own containers for recycling.
B) had first agreed to recycle newspapers.
C) were provided with free recycling containers.
D) were provided with financial incentives for recycling.
Q2) Which of the following is NOT a controllable aspect of your life that can influence happiness, as discussed by the authors of your text?
A) having satisfying relationships with others
B) having financial wealth
C) pursuing something you love
D) helping others
Q3) Descriptive norms work the best to reduce litter when
A) everyone cooperates.
B) there is cognitive dissonance.
C) people have strong pro-environment attitudes.
D) people are motivated and able to pick up after themselves.
Q4) What is the role of money in determining how happy a person will be?
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Social Psychology and Health
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the gender differences in coping styles.Discuss why such a difference might exist, and what the implications for health are.
Q2) The authors of your text provide a "word of caution." It can be dangerous to overestimate the relationship between perceived control and physical health, because A) scientists still do not understand the mechanisms that explain this relationship. B) when health problems become chronic, people may blame themselves.
C) when health problems improve, people lose a sense of perceived control.
D) it is impossible to determine whether perceived control and health are causally related.
Q3) Research summarized in your textbook suggests that a sense of control is more valued in ________ cultures.
A) Western
B) collectivist
C) East Asian
D) industrialized
Q4) Given daily and even more major life stressors, explain how people tend to respond.
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Chapter 16: Social Psychology and the Law
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Sample Questions
Q1) Despite the fact that dissenting jurors often adopt the majority point of view, unanimous verdicts are desirable because this requirement encourages jurors to consider the evidence more carefully and
A) the majority may change their minds as to how guilty the defendant is.
B) the minority prolongs productive deliberation.
C) try to debunk false testimonies.
D) the majority will then be more confident in their verdict.
Q2) According to your text, composite face programs are to be avoided.Why is this?
A) They are more costly in terms of time and monetary expenses and they are only as effective as lineups.
B) They are more effective than lineups, but only if the witness was less than thirty feet from the crime.
C) Witnesses typically produce less accurate faces because they focus too much on specific features.
D) Witnesses usually cannot recall enough detail to use these programs in cases of violent crime.
Q3) How do jurors make sense of the large amount of information presented during the trial? What are the implications for how jurors process information for legal strategy?
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