Chapter 7

Question 1

Systematic processing

Answer 1

thorough, detailed processing of information (e.g. attention to the arguments contained in a persuasive communication); this kind of processing relies on ability and effort

Question 2

the cognitive response model

Answer 2

assumes that attitude change is mediated by the thoughts or cognitive responses-Greenwald and colleagues.
It’s not so much about the information itself, it’s how people elaborate on the information.

Question 3

thought-listing

Answer 3

a measure of cognitive responses; a message recipients are asked to list all the thoughts that occurred to them while being exposed to a persuasive message.

Question 4

distraction; while doing a test

Answer 4

while listening to a persuasive communication, individuals are distracted by having to perform an irrelevant activity.

Question 5

dual-process theories of persuasion

Answer 5

theories of persuasion postulating two modes of information processing, systematic and non-systematic. Modes differ in the extent to which individuals engage in content relevant thoughts and critical evaluation of the arguments contained in a message.

Question 6

Dual-process model: Elaboration likelihood model (ELM)

Answer 6

attitude change to persuasive communication is mediated by either central or peripheral processing; elaboration denotes the extent to which a person thinks about the issue-relevant arguments contained in a message.

Question 7

Dual-process model: Heuristics-systematic model (HSM)

Answer 7

attitude change to persuasive communication is mediated by heuristics and/or systematic processing is likely; when they are low, individuals rely on heuristics cues.

Question 8

elaboration

Answer 8

refers to the extent to which a person thinks about the issue-relevant arguments contained in a message.

Question 9

central route to persuasion

Answer 9

a person’s careful and thoughtful consideration of the arguments presented in support of a position.

Question 10

the peripheral route to persuasion

Answer 10

subsumes those persuasion processes that are not based on issue-relevant thinking.

Question 11

heuristics processing

Answer 11

assessing the validity of a communication through reliance on heuristics; that is, simple rules like ‘‘statistics don’t lie’’ rather than through evaluation of arguments.

Question 12

need for cognition

Answer 12

an individual difference variable which differentiates people according to the extent to which they enjoy thinking about arguments contained in communucation.

Question 13

need for cognitive closure

Answer 13

refers to the desire of individuals for a definite answer to a question-any answer as opposed to uncertainty; the need reflects an individual difference variable, but can also be situationally induced

Question 14

counter attitudinal behavior

Answer 14

behavior induced by monetary incentives or threats, which is inconsistent with the actor’s attitude or beliefs.

Question 15

Which three things influence a persuasive message according to the Hovland-Yale model?

Answer 15

-Who (source) • Experts vs. non-experts (who)
-Says what (message)• One- or two-sided message
(what)
-To whom (audience)• Who is the audience (to
whom)?
It assumes that people need to have understood the message.
Not how it always works and not really supported!

Question 16

The information processing model of

persuasion (McGuire, 1969, 1985)

Answer 16

• Attention: Get their attention
• Comprehension: Understand the message
• Yielding: Leave their original attitude and change it to yours
• Retention: Use it again
• Behaviour: Leads to the actual behaviour change

Question 17

What are the problems with the information processing model?

Answer 17

• Retention did not correlate with the attitude change
• Not clear what predicts whether people yield
Not really supported!

Question 18

Festinger’s research on cognitive dissonance: Receiving money for lying to the next participant about how the task was. Describe the results.

Answer 18

1 dollar: High dissonance because it cannot justify the boring task. After asked a second time what they thought about the task they changed their attitude. This is because they had to reduce their dissonance by adjusting their attitudes.
20 dollars: Low dissonance because the money should justify the lying. No change, they still after lying thought the task was boring.

Question 19

When does dissonance lead to attitude change?

Answer 19

• When the person thinks it’s voluntary.
• When the person cannot ascribe the discrepancy to an external factor (high reward)
• When people think what their doing is important