Chapter 1 Levers of Influence Flashcards
What does the quote by Alfred North Whitehead suggest about civilization?
Civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them.
What is the main finding of the study involving volunteers and an energy drink?
Volunteers charged a higher price for the drink solved fewer problems than those charged a lower price.
What was the surprising outcome of the turquoise jewelry sale in the story?
The jewelry sold better when mistakenly priced at double the original price.
What concept from ethology is illustrated by the behavior of mother turkeys?
Mother turkeys rely on the ‘cheep-cheep’ sound of chicks to trigger maternal behavior.
What are fixed-action patterns in animal behavior?
Regular, mechanically patterned sequences of behavior triggered by specific stimuli.
What is a trigger feature in the context of animal behavior?
A specific characteristic that activates a fixed-action pattern in an animal.
True or False: The mother turkey will care for any chick regardless of the sound it makes.
False.
What did Ellen Langer’s experiment reveal about human behavior?
The word ‘because’ can trigger an automatic compliance response, even without a real reason.
Fill in the blank: In Langer’s experiment, compliance increased when she included the word _______.
because.
What stereotype did the tourists use when purchasing turquoise jewelry?
Expensive = good.
What lesson did the antique jewelry store owner learn regarding pricing?
The expensive = good stereotype influences purchasing decisions.
What does the phrase ‘you get what you pay for’ imply in consumer behavior?
Higher prices are often associated with higher quality.
What was the outcome when people believed they received a more expensive pain reliever?
They rated it as more effective, even though all received the same medication.
Why do people use simplifying shortcuts like stereotypes in decision-making?
To efficiently navigate a complex and rapidly moving environment.
What can happen when trigger features lead to automatic responses?
Behavior might not be appropriate for the situation.
What is a key characteristic of fixed-action patterns?
They occur in virtually the same fashion and order every time.
What is the relationship between price and perceived quality in consumer behavior?
Higher prices often lead consumers to perceive an item as higher quality.
True or False: The behavior of the mother turkey is complex and involves multiple stimuli.
False.
What role does automaticity play in human behavior according to the text?
It simplifies decision-making by allowing quick responses to familiar stimuli.
What are judgmental heuristics?
Mental shortcuts that simplify decision-making
They allow for simplified thinking that works well most of the time but can lead to mistakes.
What is the ‘If an expert said so, it must be true’ rule?
A heuristic where people tend to trust statements from authorities without questioning them
This rule illustrates automatic responding based on the status of the speaker rather than the quality of their arguments.
What is automatic or click, run responding?
Responding based on a single piece of information without thorough analysis
This contrasts with controlled responding, which involves careful consideration of all information.
What factors influence whether people respond in a controlled fashion?
Desire and ability to analyze information
Without personal stakes or cognitive resources, people tend to rely on heuristics.
What is Captainitis?
A phenomenon where crew members fail to correct a captain’s mistakes due to their authority
This has led to serious accidents in the aviation industry.
What is the principle of social proof?
The tendency to believe or do what others are doing
This principle influences behavior, such as checking product reviews before making purchases.
Fill in the blank: The contrast principle affects our perception of differences between two items based on the _______.
Order in which they are presented
What can trigger automatic behavior patterns in humans?
Psychological principles or stereotypes learned over time
These principles can be manipulated by others to influence behavior.
What is the relationship between mimics and automatic responding?
Mimics exploit trigger features to manipulate behavior
This is analogous to how humans can be influenced by automatic responding patterns.
How do fake online reviews often differ from genuine ones?
They lack detail, use more first-person pronouns, and have more verbs than nouns
These characteristics can help identify deceptive reviews.
What is the significance of the example of the jewelry-store owner?
It illustrates how individuals can exploit stereotypes for profit
The owner intentionally uses the ‘expensive = good’ stereotype to manipulate customer perceptions.
True or False: The contrast principle suggests that we perceive differences more accurately when items are presented in isolation.
False
The contrast principle indicates that we perceive differences more dramatically when items are presented sequentially.
What is the outcome of the contrast principle in perception?
It leads to overestimating differences between items presented one after another
This can affect judgments in various contexts, such as attractiveness and calorie counts.
What effect does increasing exposure to sensual models in the media have on our perception of romantic possibilities?
It lowers the sexual desirability of our current mates.
What is perceptual contrast?
The tendency to see two things that are different from one another as being more different than they actually are.
Describe the water experiment used to demonstrate perceptual contrast.
A student places one hand in cold water and the other in hot water, then both in room-temperature water, feeling different sensations despite being in the same temperature.
What was the purpose of the letter from the university student to her parents?
To frame poor academic performance in a more favorable light through exaggerated negative events.
What is the contrast principle in sales?
Presenting an expensive item first makes subsequent items seem less costly in comparison.
True or False: Presenting an inexpensive product first can make an expensive item seem more affordable.
False.
What tactic do real estate agents use to apply the contrast principle?
They show undesirable houses first to make the attractive properties seem better by comparison.
How do automobile dealers utilize the contrast principle during negotiations?
They wait to suggest options after the price has been negotiated to make additional costs seem trivial.
Fill in the blank: The principle of _______ allows individuals to react automatically to a single feature of information.
trigger features.
What are fixed-action patterns?
Rigid and mechanical behavior patterns observed in animal species, similar to automatic responses in humans.
What are the advantages of shortcut responding to trigger features?
Efficiency and economy in decision-making.
What are the disadvantages of relying on trigger features for compliance?
Increased chances of silly mistakes and vulnerability to manipulation.
What is a lever of influence in the context of compliance?
A trigger feature that can be used to move people to agree with requests.
How did the desk agent at O’Hare misuse the contrast principle?
By presenting an exaggerated joke offer of $10,000 before revealing the actual $200 offer.
What is the potential consequence of using the contrast principle incorrectly in sales?
It can lead to customers feeling the subsequent offers are unattractively low.
What did Phil, the real estate salesman, refer to the undesirable houses as?
‘Setup’ properties.
How does the contrast principle relate to the perception of college course grades?
Grades can be perceived differently based on the context or information presented before them.
True or False: The contrast principle is always recognized by those who are influenced by it.
False.
