CHP 8: Attitude Change

Question 1

What are the two basic elements of communication?

Answer 1

1. The source (who initiates/communicates the message)
2. The message (what is said in the message)

Question 2

Describe the communication model

Answer 2

Source -> Message -> Medium -> consumer

Question 3

What is Source Creditability?

Answer 3

refers to communication’s expertise, objectivity, and trustworthy

Credibility is enhanced if the source’s qualifications are perceived as relevant to the product being endorsed

Question 4

What is the sleeper effect?

Answer 4

we “forget” about the negative source while changing our attitudes

Question 5

What is source bias?

Answer 5

source may be perceived to be the victim of bias:

1. Knowledge bias: a source’s knowledge about a topic is not accurate
2. Reporting bias: accurate knowledge, but may not be willing to disclose

Question 6

What is source attractiveness?

Answer 6

refers to the source’s perceived social value

(e.g. physical appearance, personality, social status, similarity to the receiver)

Question 7

What is the Halo Effect?

Answer 7

explains that those who are rated highly on one dimension are assumed to excel on others

E.g. Pay more attention to beautiful models
- More relevant to products related to attractiveness and sexuality

Question 8

Difference between a verbal & visual message

Answer 8

Verbal - utilitarian, high-involvement situation (e.g., print ad), difficult to remember

Visual - aesthetic/hedonic, imagery, emotional impact, easy to remember

Question 9

What is the purpose of vividness & repetition in relaying messages?

Answer 9

1. Vividness of the message
   * Detailed/powerful description/graphics  attention, memory
   * Activate mental imagery
   * Influence attribute importance
2. Repetition of the message
   * Increase awareness; mere exposure effect  familiarity
   * Increase both familiarity and boredom (two-factor theory)
   * Stress on the same information by various ways

Question 10

Explain the 4 types of message appeals

Answer 10

1. Emotional vs. rational appeal (the heart or the head)
   - Depends on the nature of the product and the type of relationship consumers have with it
2. Sex appeal
   - Varies between countries
   - male consumers were shown to react positively to sexual imagery in ads, regardless of product fit
   - sex sells to the female audience when perceived in relationships/ more soft contexts
3. Humorous appeal
   - Provide a source of distraction
   - Overcome negative emotions when using negatively framed message e.g., “Nationwide Insurance - life comes at you fast”
4. Fear appeal
   - Effective with moderate amount of fear; better when source credibility is high
   - more common in social marketing contexts in which organizations encourage people to convert to healthier lifestyle (e.g. quit smoking, drunk driving, etc.)

Question 11

What is the Elaboration Likelihood Model?

Answer 11

Consumer responds to a message using one of two routes to persuasion:

1. Central Route
   High involvement (carefully attend to relevant message content) -> cognitive response -> belief & attitude change -> behaviour change
2. Peripheral Route
   low involvement -> belief change -> behaviour change -> attitude change