Practice exam questions

Question 1

Lecture 1

1. Lily is promotion-focused when she is with her boss, and prevention focused with her partner. What orientation does this represent?

Answer 1

It represents a temporary orientation, which refers to situational factors that trigger either orientations

Question 2

Lecture 1

2. How do promotion oriented individuals see success and failure vs prevention oriented?

Answer 2

Promotion-focus individuals see success as a positive deviation from the status quo (+1) and failure as a failure to advance (0)

Prevention-focus individuals see success as maintaining the status quo (0) and failure as negative deviation from the status quo (-1)

Question 3

Lecture 1

3. Alex uses a very soft and calm voice and body language when he gives speeches. He gets criticised for that, which motivates him a lot. He usually focuses on details and accuracy way too much. He has a…

Answer 3

Prevention orientation

Question 4

Lecture 1

4. A company mandates employees to return to the office five days a week after a long period of remote work. Some employees strongly oppose this decision, even though the company argues it will improve collaboration.

What type of resistance is this, and what can be done about it?

Answer 4

1. Reactance. The employees feel their autonomy and freedom to choose their work environment is being taken away, leading them to push back.
2. Give options to choose: instead of a 5 day work week offer them a 4 day work week and 1 day remotely. Or 3 day work week and 2 days remotely.
   Ask, don’t tell: Ask each employee to think of the impact of working remotely and on social interactions.

Question 5

Lecture 1

5. A customer is offered a trade-in deal to replace their 5-year-old smartphone with a newer model featuring better technology. Despite the advantages, they decide to stick with their current phone.

What type of resistance is this and how do you solve it?

Answer 5

1. Endowment. The customer values their current phone and is reluctant to give it up due to loss aversion, even if the new phone is better.
2. One option is reducing switch costs, by offering a free service which will transfer everything from the old phone to the new phone. Another way is to appeal to something they lost but can gain back. For instance, the seller could say “Remember how much you loved your phone’s fast battery life when it was new? With this upgrade, you’ll get that same feeling back, plus even longer-lasting power and faster performance.”

Question 6

Lecture 1

6. A city government proposes a public transit system to reduce traffic. However, suburban residents dismiss the proposal, saying it’s irrelevant because they drive and live far from the city.

What type of resistance is this, and what can you do to solve it?

Answer 6

1. Distance. The suburban residents feel the proposal is too disconnected from their needs and lifestyle, so they reject it.
2. To solve this, the social judgment theory can be applied which states that any offer is in the latitude of acceptance, rejection or non-commitment. The goal is to get closer to the latitude of acceptance and find the movable middle. They could reframe the situation by showing the advantages of public transit, such as reduced traffic and cost effectiveness on parking and fuel. This should be addressed directly to the suburban drivers.

Question 7

Lecture 1

7. A company introduces a new, innovative software for managing finances. Despite its potential benefits, the finance team hesitates to adopt it, citing concerns about its reliability and the risk of errors.

What type of resistance is this, and how can you solve it?

Answer 7

1. Uncertainty. The team doubts the new software’s performance and fears the risk of potential mistakes, leading to risk-averse behavior.
2. To solve it, the team could reduce uncertainty by giving employees a 2-week trial period of the software to see if they enjoy it.
   Another way is to make it reversible by telling your team that they can always switch back to the older software if they are not enjoying the new one.

Question 8

Lecture 1

8. If I ask people about their desired and aspirations what am I trying to elicit?

Answer 8

A change mindset/promotion focus

Question 9

Lecture 2

9. What do Bingley et al. criticise about only focusing on s-frame?

Answer 9

They say that focusing on the systematic “big picture” solutions alone will not in intself resut in more effective public policy, because this approach fails to engage with group memberships.

They argue that behavioral scientists and policy makers should not just resort to an S-frame but also develop a G-frame (group-level analysis)

Question 10

Lecture 2

10. Give 4 reasons why acting in groups can accelerate behavior change

Answer 10

1. It fosters a shared identity among members, enhancing collective efficiency
2. It creates in-group norms that encourage normative behavior, as individuals feel compelled to conform to the values of their group
3. Participation in groups can shift individuals’ self-concepts and they can view themselves as agents of change
4. Finally, collective events can evoke strong emotions, reinforcing participants’ connection to the cause

Question 11

Lecture 2

11. In a classroom of children, 60% of them are of west-asian descent and they show pride for it. What does that say about optimal distintictiveness?

Answer 11

It means that the optimal distinctiveness of a given social identity is context-specific. Individuals like belonging to groups, while remaining unique at the same time, but it depends on context.

Question 12

Lecture 2

12. Amy believes the politicians in her country are very corrupt and she and the majority of the population have had enough. They are planning to start a movement. How can they build a strong social identity?

Answer 12

1. Amy sould signal the movement’s identity via identificable events, campaigns and slogans.
2. Amy should find allies, such as other similar movements and public figures who fit with the core values of the movement and can positively impact social identity
3. She can focus on building strong in-group chesion by clearly defining the values and goals of the group, creating differentiation and a sense of exclusivity.

Question 13

Lecture 2

13. What was the phenomenon used in the FARC guerilla case to help the soldiers demobilize?

Answer 13

Social identity switching, which refers to making a different group membership salient.

Question 14

Lecture 2

14. You are a public health official tasked with addressing the rising rates of childhood obesity in your city. Which approach (i-frame or s-frame) should you prioritize and why/why not? What would your recommendation be in the end?

Answer 14

The s-frame involves implementing systematic changes to elicit behavior change. In this situation I would prioritize the s-frame by applying the sugar tax and implementing school meal regulations for healthier options.

It it beneficial because it addresses the deep rooted issue of obesity in society, thus making desired outcomes inevitable. It promotes equity, as in this context, the sugar tax would apply to every consumer, which can the reduce overall risk of obesity. Additionally, it reduces cognitive burden on members in society affected by the problem such as hospitals.

An i-frame solution, such as calorile labeling, does not address the root issue of obestity, thus leading to limited effectiveness. Another downside is the risk of the crowding out effect, which entails the attention diverts away from research and resources for the s-frame to the i-frame. Finally, focusing on i-frames cand also lead to reduced support from policymakers and the general public, thus delaying change.

My recommendations would be to redirect research to s-frame inerventions, using behavioral insights to design and implement systemic reforms. I would resist corporate efforts to promote the i-frame and I would foster interdisciplinary collaboration to address the structural causes of societal problems

Question 15

Lecture 3

15. “Joy comes from living without constraints, where you can do what makes you feel alive”
    What kind of well-being is this?

Answer 15

Hedonic well-being
It focuses on enjoying pleasure and freedom in the present moment, without the need for deeper meaning or purpose.

Question 16

Lecture 3

16. Which parenting style is related to hedonia?

Answer 16

None

Question 17

Lecture 3

17. How can you shape products, ideas and movements that help people meet their well-being needs?

Answer 17

Delivering expectations through high promise creates trust and emotional connection which fosters loyalty.

Question 18

Lecture 3

18. How would a person who scores high on materialism react to a disappointing posession compared to a bad experiential purchase?

Answer 18

They would suffer more from the disappointing possession rather than the experiential possession

Question 19

Lecture 3

19. “Respecting the traditions of my family is more important than pursuing new ideas”. Is this message congruent?

Answer 19

No, because these values reflect a tension between maintaining traditions, which is on the conservation part of the wheel, and embracing new experiences or perspectives, which is on the opennes to change side of the wheel.

Question 20

Lecture 3

20. An oil company is supporting an environmental charity. Is there a fit between the values of the brand and the cause?

Answer 20

21. No because oil companies are seen as competent and high in power, while environmental charities are seen as universal and benevolent.

Question 21

Lecture 3

22. What are the key mechanisms behind values?

Answer 21

Values serve as internalized guides for personal behavior.
They are invoked to justify or define socially appropriate actions

Question 22

Lecture 4

23. What can you amplify word of mouth?

Answer 22

• A trusted, expert source
• A weak brand could be impacted more by WOM as they are less known
• A high-involvement product, as it presents more risks and consequences
• An intangible product, such as insurance or things that peope do not feel secure about

Question 23

Lecture 4

24. What does the impact of bad publicity depend on?

Answer 23

It depends on the severity of the case, the relevance to core brand vales, the speed and effectiveness of crisis management and positive brand awarenesss

Question 24

Lecture 4

25. Give two arguments as to whether WOM is self-serving or not.

Answer 24

WOM is considered predominantly self-oriented, activating brain regions linked to rewards like food or money.

One argument against self-serving account is altruism. People sometimes share to help others. When consumers are asked why they share things, for example, some report wantng to help others to make good decisions. It is unclear whether this is truly about altruism or more self-serving motives (e.g., makes you look smart and helpful)

Another potental argument against a self-serving account is audience tuning. Communicators oFen tailor what they share to the knowledge, aBtudes, and interests of their audience. People care about their audience, but tailoring one’s message also facilitates self-presentaton and social bonding.

Question 25

Lecture 4

26. George wants to engage in social bonding with his peers but does not know which approach to take. What audience size should he go for?

Answer 25

George should go for narrowcasting, meaning word of mouth is more likely to facilitate social bonding when audience size is small. The larger the audience, the less likely everyone has the same opinion.

Question 26

Lecture 4

27. In the context of social interactions and status dynamics, explain how people’s behavior toward high and low-status individuals might differ. Use the concepts of impression management to support your answer.

Answer 26

People tend to share more positive information with those higher in the social hierarchy due to due to people’s greater desire to associate with or impress high status others (impression management)

Individuals may attempt to persuade low-status people more often because they perceive that they have more social power in these interactions. The low-status individual is seen as more impressionable, or potentially more dependent on the higher-status person’s influence.

Question 27

Lecture 4

28. Ana wants to start a new trend regarding sustainability but she is currently facing ridicule and annoyance from the public. What do you recommend her to do to grow her influence?

Answer 27

First, I would recommend for her to advocate for alternative behaviors through which she can slowly change private opinions first, a term known as conversion. When reaching a tipping point of 25%, she will be able to reach public opinions as well, thus leading to increased influence.
Ana could also start challenging fixed norms by demonstrating viable alternatives, and how they may be more beneficial.
She should also find allies, who can provide social support and reduce the social costs of deviating from your norm.