Name: __________________________ Date: _____________


1.
As a result of the anti-Semitic propaganda campaigns engineered by Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels and journalist Julius Streicher in Nazi Germany, most Germans
A.
were persuaded to feel deep hatred for the Jews.
B.
were left utterly unaffected and kept their original views.
C.
became wholeheartedly sympathetic to anti-Semitic measures.
D.
were uncertain or intimidated enough to permit the Holocaust.


2.
The text states that a psychology of religion that tells us why a theist believes in God and an atheist disbelieves reveals nothing about
A.
how the beliefs could be changed.
B.
the functions of the beliefs.
C.
the source of the beliefs.
D.
the accuracy of the beliefs.


3.
In many cults, new converts are quickly made active members of the team and required to participate in disciplined rituals. This utilizes the principle that
A.
compliance breeds acceptance.
B.
coercion breeds acceptance.
C.
credible communicators are more persuasive.
D.
simple messages are more effective with involved audiences.


4.
Cults like the Unification Church and Jim Jones's People's Temple typically recruit and retain members by exploiting
A.
the sleeper effect.
B.
the foot-in-the-door phenomenon.
C.
the recency effect.
D.
attitude inoculation.


5.
Successful cults nearly always have
A.
a strong belief in the supernatural.
B.
a strong work ethic.
C.
a charismatic leader.
D.
a lot of money.


6.
Singer (1979) noted that which category of youths are most vulnerable to cult recruitment because they are most trusting?
A.
those living in abject poverty
B.
lower-class youths
C.
middle-class youths
D.
upper-class youths


7.
People most vulnerable to cults are most often
A.
under age 25.
B.
facing a personal crisis.
C.
middle class.
D.
All of the above.


8.
Isolating members with other cultists and cutting them off from their previous social support system results in what Stark and Bainbridge (1980) call
A.
a social implosion.
B.
the door-in-the-face effect.
C.
folie à deux.
D.
attitude indoctrination.


9.
The success of cults can be explained by their effective use of
A.
escalating behavioral commitments.
B.
persuasion principles.
C.
isolating group members.
D.
All of the above.


10.
The analysis of cult indoctrination illustrates
A.
the immorality of cults.
B.
the inherent destructiveness of persuasion tactics.
C.
the blurry line between education and indoctrination.
D.
the average person's invulnerability to indoctrination.


11.
Charles Kiesler recommended that one way to stimulate people so they become more committed to their positions is to
A.
mildly attack their position.
B.
strongly attack their position.
C.
mildly support their position.
D.
strongly support their position.


12.
Exposing people to weak attacks on their attitudes that stimulate thinking in support of the initial attitude is known as
A.
central route persuasion.
B.
attitude inoculation.
C.
psychological reactance.
D.
the boomerang effect.


13.
The text indicates that inoculation procedures have been successful in
A.
increasing drivers' use of seat belts.
B.
reducing children's aggression.
C.
reducing teenage smoking rates.
D.
increasing adults' charitable contributions.


14.
Which of the following statements about the effects of advertising on children is TRUE?
A.
Even young children have little trouble distinguishing commercials from television programs.
B.
Children are very discriminating about which ads to trust.
C.
Children seldom desire or make demands for products they have seen advertised.
D.
None of the above.


15.
Research on attitude inoculation suggests that religious educators are wise to avoid
A.
the two-step flow of communication.
B.
forewarning followers that outsiders will question their beliefs.
C.
using charismatic leaders to attract new converts.
D.
creating a “germ-free ideological environment” in their churches and schools


16.
Inoculation research suggests that
A.
ineffective persuasion can inoculate people against later persuasive appeals.
B.
children are helpless victims of television advertising.
C.
the best way to inoculate attitudes is to mount an all-out strong attack on the attitude.
D.
None of the above.


17.
Inoculation research indicates that one can build up resistance to persuasion by
A.
listening only to emotional appeals.
B.
being an active listener and a critical thinker.
C.
listening only to logical appeals.
D.
seeking social support for one's beliefs.


18.
Using persuasion principles as a way of explaining cult indoctrination is a hindsight analysis.


19.
Cults typically separate new members from their previous social support system.


20.
Cults illustrate the unlimited power of increasing behavioral commitments, persuasion principles, and group isolation.


21.
One way to resist unwanted persuasion is to make a public commitment to your position before it is strongly attacked.


22.
Exposing people to weak arguments against their attitudes has little effect on their subsequent resistance to stronger attacks.


Answer Key

1. D
2. D
3. A
4. B
5. C
6. C
7. D
8. A
9. D
10. C
11. A
12. B
13. C
14. D
15. D
16. A
17. B
18. True
19. True
20. False
21. True
22. False