Living in a Social World
Psy 324: Advanced Social Psychology
Spring, 2000

Questionnaire on Attitudes, Persuasion, and Interpersonal Attraction Web Links (Chapters 6 & 7, & 8)

Instructions: Answer the following questions about the Web Links for Chapters 6, 7 & 8 . Your comments need not be long and complex, but they should be clearly written and reflect some careful analysis on your part. When you are satisfied with your responses, click on the "SEND" button below, then "CLEAR" your responses.

Tip:  compose your answers in a word processor and save them on a floppy or your hard drive.  When you have written all of your answers, go to the online questionnaire and copy & paste your answers into the appropriate boxes.

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1.  The Social Influence at Work site explores a number of principles of persuasion that were also discussed in our text (for example, the distinction between central and peripheral processing).  However, the site also examines some useful ideas that were not brought out in the book.  Explore the Social Influence site, and then choose a concept or principle that you find particularly useful or important to everyday life that was not also covered in our text.  Identify the concept clearly, then explain why you think it is a useful and important addition to the ideas we have already covered.

 

2.  One of the noteworthy features of the World Wide Web is that it provides unparalleled opportunities for attempts to change attitudes and influence behavior. These opportunities are available to businesses and commercial concerns, as well as to organizations and individuals with motivations other than making money.  Campaign 2000 is the second Presidential Campaign in which extensive use is being made of the Web.  Spend some time exploring both Gore's and Bush's websites, looking for qualities of overall persuasive impact (note, this is regardless of your own views -- beware of biased processing).

    On the whole, do you feel one incorporates the persuasive potential of the World Wide Web better than the other?  If so, which one? Explain and defend your answer.  If neither is better than the other,  how would you assess their joint level of incorporating the persuasive potential of the medium?  Explain.


3.  Work through the tutorial on Social Psychological Factors Underlying the Impact of Advertising, and also read through News Analysis on Tobacco Companies and the humor analysis on Infomercials. Identify and clearly (yet succinctly) explain one principle of persuasion that connects the tutorial to Tobacco Company analysis and one principle that connects the tutorial to the Infomercial humor analysis.





4.  Explore the tutorial on Physical Attraction, and then examine the humor analyses that are listed on our links page under attraction.  Pick two of the humor analyses and explain how each one deals with concepts and principles that are either related to those covered in the tutorial or with concepts and principles that are distinct and non-overlapping from those in the tutorial.  Be sure to clearly identify the concepts you are discussing, and to make it clear which humor analysis you are referring to in your analysis.

 

 


 

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Social Psychology / Miami University (Ohio USA). Last revised: . This document has been accessed times since 1 Jan 2000. Comments & Questions to R. Sherman