Persuasion Flashcards
The results of a study indicate that the different effects of high-credible and low-credible communicators on the attitudes of the recipients of a message faded over time because the recipients remembered the message but forgot its source. These results provide support for which of the following?
A. attitude inoculation
B. the sleeper effect
C. the contrast effect
D. psychological reactance
Answer B is correct. High-credible communicators initially have a greater effect than low-credible communicators on recipients’ attitude change, but this difference fades because, over time, the recipients tend to remember the persuasive message but forget its source. This is referred to as the sleeper effect.
The meta-analysis conducted by Dittmar, Bond, Hurst, and Kasser (2014) found that materialism is most strongly related to which of the following?
A. risky health behaviors
B. compulsive buying behaviors
C. positive self-appraisal
D. negative affect
Answer B is correct. Dittmar and colleagues found that prioritization of materialistic values and goals strongly correlated with, in order of strength, compulsive buying behavior, engaging in risky health behaviors, negative self-appraisal, and negative affect. Note that, even if you’re unfamiliar with this meta-analysis, it makes sense that materialism would be strongly correlated with compulsive buying. On the EPPP, you’re likely to encounter a few questions on unfamiliar topics or familiar topics that are asked about in an unfamiliar way, and a good test-taking strategy for those questions is to choose the most plausible or obvious answer.
When people will be exposed to arguments that address two sides of a controversial issue, a recency effect is most likely to occur when:
A. one side is presented immediately after the other side and attitudes are measured immediately after the second presentation.
B. one side is presented immediately after the other side and attitudes are measured one week later.
C. one side is presented one week after the other side and attitudes are measured immediately after the second presentation.
D. one side is presented one week after the other side and attitudes are measured one week later.
Answer C is correct. Miller & Campbell (1959) found that a recency effect is most likely to occur when there’s an interval of time between presentation of the two sides of an argument and attitudes are measured immediately after the second presentation.
As described by McGuire (1973), attitude inoculation is useful for:
A. changing a person’s attitudes.
B. strengthening the link between a person’s attitudes and behaviors.
C. helping people evaluate their own attitudes and behaviors.
D. reducing a person’s susceptibility to persuasion.
Answer D is correct. The attitude inoculation hypothesis proposes that an effective way to increase resistance to persuasion is to “immunize” people against attempts to change their attitudes by providing them with weak arguments against their current attitudes along with counterarguments that refute those arguments before they’re exposed to a persuasive message.
