Ch3 Audiences, Needs & Beliefs Full Test Bank

Chapter Three “Audiences: Social Scientists Address Needs, Attitudes, and Beliefs”

Multiple-Choice Questions

Mark all answers that apply for each question. The correct answers are shown in bold type.

1. Audience demographics refer to which of the following?

_____ A. Age.

_____ B. Income.

_____ C. Political and religious affiliations.

_____ D. Ethnic group.

2. Audience psychographics refers to which of the following?

_____ A. Lifestyles and mind-sets of audiences.

_____ B. Mental health of populace.

_____ C. Only the Woodstock generation.

_____ D. Census data.

3. The characteristics of a dyad in interpersonal communication are:

_____ A. Three or more people talking face to face with instant feedback.

_____ B. Two people talking face to face with instant feedback.

_____ C. Many people taking turns talking to each other.

_____ D. None of the above.

4. The characteristics of a small group that distinguishes it from a dyad are:

_____ A. An anonymous group of people receiving the same message.

_____ B. Two people taking turns talking and receiving a message.

_____ C. Three to 15 people interacting who have an interdependent goal.

_____ D. None of the above.

5. In Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman’s book, In Search of Excellence, they found the vital reason for success in the best-run American companies to be:

_____ A. Detachment and an authoritative leader.

_____ B. Intensity of communications.

_____ C. A democratic style that shares the burden.

_____ D. Innovative training by professionals once a year.

6. Mass audiences have the following characteristics:

_____ A. Anonymous to each other.

_____ B. Heterogeneous in characteristics.

_____ C. Incapable of instant feedback.

_____ D. Unified in purpose.

7. The Roman orator Cicero listed which of the following as knowledge that a speaker must possess to be successful?

_____ A. Complete knowledge of the subject.

_____ B. A good agent to promote the event.

_____ C. Appropriate style or conventions.

_____ D. Extensive knowledge of human emotions.

8. During the 1950s communication research began to explore the philosophical questions in the laboratories of Yale University through the efforts of which social scientist?

_____ A. Edward Bernays.

_____ B. Milton Rokeach.

_____ C. Gerald Miller.

_____ D. Carl Hovland.

9. One consistent finding in all communication theory and philosophy of communication is that the following is at the foundation of audience behavior:

_____ A. Source credibility with the audience.

_____ B. The audience’s preexisting attitude.

_____ C. The place where the speech is delivered.

_____ D. The source’s reputation before the speech.

10. Although credibility is composed of many factors, it can be defined simply as:

_____ A. How much exposure the speaker has had.

_____ B. How intelligent the audience is.

_____ C. How believable the speaker is.

_____ D. How educated the speaker is.

11. The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) demonstrates that when the receiver is unable to critically examine the message through elaboration, he or she is more likely to:

_____ A. Accept the message of a high-credibility source.

_____ B. Mistrust and reject the message of a low-credibility source.

_____ C. Revert to peripheral cues like “experts are to be trusted.”

_____ D. None of the above.

12. Although audiences are impressed with the reputation or credentials (ethos) of a speaker they know, they can change their minds either positively or negatively during the speech. This is called:

_____ A. Initial ethos.

_____ B. Terminal ethos.

_____ C. Capricious ethos.

_____ D. Derived ethos.

13. A. H. Maslow constructed a “pyramid of needs” that he divided into deficit needs and being needs. Which of the following did he include in the being needs?

_____ A. Air, food, water, and sex.

_____ B. Shelter and order.

_____ C. Shopping and consumer goods.

_____ D. Self-actualization.

14. A. H. Maslow called the first four levels of needs “instinctoid” needs because they were instinct-like. Which of the following belong there?

_____ A. Esteem needs.

_____ B. Belonging needs.

_____ C. Safety needs.

_____ D. Tribal needs.

15. The pyramid of needs exposed drives or basic needs that people must satisfy before they can move up to the next level. Persuaders exploit these needs to accomplish which of the following?

_____ A. Sell products that promise sexual prowess.

_____ B. Get votes using threat appeals.

_____ C. Enlist members to join exclusive clubs.

_____ D. None of the above.

16. Vance Packard wrote about the hidden persuaders, which explained underlying needs and desires of consumers. He coined which phrase?

_____ A. The Great Gatsby.

_____ B. The rich and famous.

_____ C. Conspicuous consumption.

_____ D. Robber Barons.

17. A learned predisposition to respond consistently in a favorable or unfavorable manner to a given object is the definition for which of the following?

_____ A. Beliefs.

_____ B. Attitudes.

_____ C. Opinions.

_____ D. Prejudices.

18. Milton Rokeach studied beliefs and divided them into four categories. Which one of these did he say was most resistant to change?

_____ A. Shared beliefs.

_____ B. Authority beliefs.

_____ C. Primitive beliefs.

_____ D. Sophisticated beliefs.

19. Attitudes are important to persuasion because they are believed to do which one of the following?

_____ A. Reflect parental training.

_____ B. Predict behavior.

_____ C. Occupy pollsters.

_____ D. Generate song lyrics.

20. The mere exposure theory states that repeated exposure to an unfamiliar stimulus has the following effect:

_____ A. A negative impact.

_____ B. A positive impact.

_____ C. A neutral impact.

_____ D. An unpredictable impact.

21. Cognitive dissonance theory addresses the need that individuals have to:

_____ A. Explain contradictions they recognize in behavior and beliefs.

_____ B. Experience consonance and harmony in life.

_____ C. Develop strategies to deal with disturbing decisions or thoughts.

_____ D. None of the above.

22. There are four paradigms to study cognitive dissonance. The free-choice paradigm deals with:

_____ A. Information inconsistent with held beliefs.

_____ B. Induced compliance to act.

_____ C. Earned appreciation for effort.

_____ D. Doubts after a decision.

23. Gerald Miller used which of the following strategies to study attitude change?

_____ A. Role playing.

_____ B. Reluctant self-persuasion.

_____ C. Father–son confrontations.

_____ D. Counterattitudinal advocacy.

24. Martin Fishbein and Isaac Ajzen’s theory of reasoned action addresses which one of these options?

_____ A. The study of philosophical belief that justifies action.

_____ B. The test of an individual’s deviance.

_____ C. The deliberative process the individual uses to weigh benefits and risks.

_____ D. The study of conformity.

25. Social judgment theory focuses upon a continuum that indicates which of the following?

_____ A. A contrast point.

_____ B. A latitude of rejection.

_____ C. A latitude of acceptance.

_____ D. An anchor point.

26. Expectancy violation theory deals with what people expect in normal interactions. Which of the following is included in the framework of this theory?

_____ A. Language expectancy.

_____ B. Nonverbal expectancy.

_____ C. Reinforcement expectancy.

_____ D. Social expectancy.

27. The elaboration likelihood model is a theory that identifies how receivers process messages. Which two routes are included in this theory?

_____ A. The cerebral route.

_____ B. The peripheral route.

_____ C. The central processing route.

_____ D. The delayed route.

or Questions

1. Social science research using polls, statistics, and market research did not begin until the 1950s.

2. Demographics are concerned with values, attitudes, and lifestyles of audiences or consumers.

3. Psychographics create profiles of groups like veterans, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and Generation Nexters.

4. Marketing researchers attempt to define niche markets for products.

5. Audience analysis has been going on since the ancient Greeks or earlier.

6. “There is a sucker born every minute” supports the powerful effects stimulus-response conditioning theory of communication.

7. Interpersonal communication like dyadic units lack instant feedback.

8. Small-group communication involves at least 3 people and a maximum of 25 with a common goal and awareness of each participant.

9. Mass communication uses mediated messages that are sent to a large, anonymous, and heterogeneous group.

10. The Internet now allows massive audiences to respond to messages more instantly through blogs and social networks, whereas before the year 2000, feedback was delayed in mass communication.

11. MBWA means “management by walking around,” according to James Anderson.

12. Mass communication is less potent than interpersonal communication in shaping our understanding of ourselves and our world.

13. Televised presidential debates have been a tradition in the United States since 1950.

14. Carl Hovland brought philosophical questions to his Yale laboratories in the 1950s to apply social science methods to his inquiries into the nature of communication and attitudes.

15. Although logos and ethos are powerful for convincing audiences that an argument is , Aristotle believed that pathos was the most influential means of winning adherence to a message.

16. Meta-analysis means the combined study of many research projects or findings.

17. The ELM theory stated that when listeners do not know that much about a subject, they are more likely to be influenced by the speaker or source of the message.

18. Terminal ethos is calculated from initial impressions, derived ethos during the speech, and after the presentation with the passage of time.

19. Lower-status speakers produce the most attitude change.

20. Television audiences who only heard the 1960 debate between Kennedy and Nixon believed Nixon won, but those who saw the debates believed Kennedy won.

21. Vance Packard created the pyramid of needs model.

22. Vance Packard’s hidden persuaders were rejected as invalid persuasion strategies.

23. Ponce de Leon was seeking medicinal herbs when he discovered Florida.

24. “Attitudes are to persuasion research what Elvis Presley is to rock-and-roll,” Seiter and Gass claimed.

25. Beliefs focus upon the divine but not material objects.

26. Some beliefs are fairly inconsequential in their impact on other beliefs.

27. Rokeach said our belief structure is similar to an onion, with an outer, middle, and core structure.

28. Persuasion targets attitudes, beliefs, and values because the source hopes to win the confidence and adherence of the receiver of the message.

29. Attitudes are innate, not acquired or learned.

30. Recent research shows a moderate to strong correlation between attitudes and behavior.

31. The mere exposure theory backs up the old adage that “familiarity breeds contempt.”

32. Mere exposure is more effective when it takes place without conscious awareness.

33. Dissonance is the uneasiness we feel when either cognition or behaviors are inconsistent.

34. Most people experience some doubts after making a decision, and this phenomenon is known as the free-choice paradigm in cognitive dissonance.

35. “Hell week” in fraternities supports the principles from the effort justification paradigm.

36. Role playing is one method used to persuade others to empathize or understand another’s position.

37. Counterattitudinal advocacy involves self-persuasion.

38. Subjective norms, or what others think about your behavior or choices, are inconsequential in making hard decisions.

39. Social judgment theory addresses a continuum of positions that persuaders would like to know to tailor their messages to avoid the receiver’s latitude of rejection.

40. Expectancy violation theories focus upon socially sanctioned behaviors in language, nonverbal communication, and social role definitions that are not followed.

Essay Questions

Please answer all parts of each question and be specific, offering examples or other evidence to support your answers.

1. Define audience demographics and psychographics. Give examples of each and discuss what they have to do with persuasion.
2. Compare and contrast interpersonal, small-group, and mass communication. How are they similar and how are they different?
3. Define what source credibility is, explain the various stages of ethos before, during, and after a presentation, and explain the significance of this concept to persuasion.
4. Explain A. H. Maslow’s pyramid of needs and give examples of persuasive messages that are intended to address each of these five levels of needs. Your examples may be from advertising, political sources, or other any other fields.
5. Explain Vance Packard’s eight hidden persuaders and offer examples of products or services that would appeal to these human desires.
6. Explain the four categories of beliefs defined by Milton Rokeach.
7. Define what attitudes are, how they are acquired, and what role they play in facilitating or obstructing persuasive messages.
8. Explain mere exposure theory and offer an example of either a product or a political campaign that used this strategy to reach intended audiences or consumers.
9. Explain Leon Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory. Give an example of cognitive dissonance and how the person attempted to reduce the dissonance.
10. Explain the four paradigms used to study cognitive dissonance. Give an example of each paradigm.
11. Explain the behavioral strategies that Gerald Miller used to analyze the impact of persuasion on audiences or the resistance to persuasion attempts.
12. Explain the theory of reasoned action, which has two parts. Discuss both parts of the theory.
13. Explain social judgment theory and offer a topic where the receiver’s anchor point is in a position of total support or acceptance. What should the speaker attempt to do to change his or her position to one of opposition?
14. Discuss the elaboration likelihood model and the dual routes that a receiver may use to process a message.
15. Explain the role that social scientists have played in extending knowledge in the field of communication. Explain one researcher’s contribution and discuss how this was a breakthrough for other scholars.