An Introduction to Social Psychology Chapter 4

Question 1

What is an attitude?

Answer 1

Attitude is a psychological tendency expressed by evaluating a particular entity (person, object, issue) with some degree of favor or disfavor.

Question 2

What are the three components of an attitude?

Answer 2

Affective component: The emotional reaction (e.g., feeling happy or angry about something).
Cognitive component: The beliefs or thoughts about the object.
Behavioral component: The actions or intentions toward the object

Question 3

How do attitudes form?

Answer 3

Attitudes can form through direct experience with an object, social learning, or classical/operant conditioning.

Question 4

What is cognitive dissonance?

Answer 4

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort experienced when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.

Question 5

How can cognitive dissonance be reduced?

Answer 5

Change behavior: Align actions with beliefs.
Change beliefs: Justify or alter conflicting beliefs.
Add consonant cognitions: Find new beliefs that support current behavior.

Question 6

What is the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of persuasion?

Answer 6

ELM suggests that there are two main routes to persuasion:
* Central route: Involves deep processing of information (e.g., thoughtful evaluation).
* Peripheral route: Involves superficial cues (e.g., attractiveness of the speaker).

Question 7

What is persuasion?

Answer 7

Persuasion is the process by which attitudes are changed through communication.

Question 8

What factors influence persuasion according to the ELM?

Answer 8

Motivation: How much the individual cares about the issue.
Ability: Whether the person is capable of processing the information.
Source factors: Attractiveness, credibility, and likability of the communicator.
Message factors: Emotional appeals, message strength, and clarity.

Question 9

What is the foot-in-the-door technique?

Answer 9

The foot-in-the-door technique involves getting a person to agree to a small request first, which increases the likelihood they will comply with a larger request later.

Question 10

What is the door-in-the-face technique?

Answer 10

The door-in-the-face technique involves making a large request that is likely to be rejected, followed by a smaller request that is more likely to be accepted.

Question 11

What role does attitude strength play in persuasion?

Answer 11

Strong attitudes are more resistant to change and more predictive of behavior than weak attitudes.

Question 12

What is social influence?

Answer 12

Social influence refers to the ways in which people are affected by others, including through conformity, compliance, and obedience.

Question 13

What is conformity?

Answer 13

Conformity is the tendency to align one’s attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors with those of others, often in response to social pressure.

Question 14

What is normative social influence?

Answer 14

Normative social influence occurs when people conform to gain acceptance or avoid rejection from others.

Question 15

What is informational social influence?

Answer 15

Informational social influence occurs when people conform because they believe others have accurate information or know better.

Question 16

What is the Asch conformity experiment?

Answer 16

Solomon Asch’s study showed that people would often conform to a group’s incorrect answer even when they knew the correct one, illustrating the power of social pressure.

Question 17

What factors affect conformity?

Answer 17

Group size, group unanimity, expertise of the group, and cultural context can influence levels of conformity.

Question 18

What is obedience?

Answer 18

Obedience is a form of social influence where an individual complies with a direct order from an authority figure, as seen in Milgram’s obedience experiments

Question 19

What was the Milgram obedience study about?

Answer 19

Stanley Milgram’s study showed that people were willing to administer potentially lethal shocks to others when instructed by an authority figure, demonstrating the power of obedience.

Question 20

How does attitude behavior consistency work?

Answer 20

Attitude-behavior consistency is influenced by factors like the strength of the attitude, the person’s awareness of their attitudes, and the specificity of the attitude in relation to the behavior.

Question 21

What is the role of self-presentation in attitudes?

Answer 21

Self-presentation theory suggests that people may change their attitudes or behaviors to appear consistent with social norms or expectations, often for social approval.

Question 22

How do cultural influences shape attitudes?

Answer 22

Attitudes are often shaped by cultural norms, values, and the social environment, which can vary across different societies and contexts.

Question 23

What is reactance theory?

Answer 23

Reactance theory states that when people perceive their freedom to choose is being restricted, they will often do the opposite of what is being suggested or coerced, to restore their autonomy.

Question 24

How can persuasive messages backfire?

Answer 24

Persuasive messages can backfire if they are too forceful or if they threaten an individual’s sense of freedom (reactance), leading to a stronger resistance to change.