Practice Quiz on Schemas and Attitudes

From our text, what is an example of a schema influencing attention?

• Paying more attention to information that contradicts our expectations.

• Focusing on details that are irrelevant to a situation.

• Directing focus toward information consistent with our schemas.

• Ignoring information that supports our schemas.

What is schema-congruent memory?

• Remembering information that contradicts our schema.

• Forgetting information that does not align with our schema.

• Better remembering information that is consistent with our preexisting schemas.

• Remembering only information that conflicts with our schema.

What are counterfactuals, when are we most likely to engage in them, and what is emotional amplification?

• Thoughts about future events, typically when we are satisfied with outcomes, leading to emotional reduction.

• Thoughts about what could have been, especially when the outcome is close, often intensifying emotions.

• Thoughts about present events, leading to emotional dampening.

• Thoughts about hypothetical future events, leading to emotional calm.

How might introspection make it less likely that our attitudes cause our behavior?

• By making us more certain about our attitudes.

• By making us more aware of external influences on our behavior.

• By making us question and overanalyze our attitudes, leading to less consistent behavior.

• By reinforcing our existing beliefs and attitudes.

Self-perception has been proposed as an alternative to cognitive dissonance. When is self-perception the likely cause of people’s beliefs about their behavior? When is dissonance the more likely cause?

• Self-perception occurs when there is no conflict between attitudes and behaviors, dissonance occurs when there is a conflict.

• Self-perception occurs when behaviors are inconsistent with attitudes, dissonance occurs when attitudes align with behaviors.

• Self-perception occurs with weak attitudes, dissonance occurs with strong, conflicting attitudes and behaviors.

• Self-perception only occurs after a person experiences cognitive dissonance.

How do attitudes influence behaviors?

• Attitudes always directly lead to behavior without any external influences.

• Attitudes can shape how we respond to situations, products, or people.

• Attitudes have no influence on behavior.

• Attitudes are always fixed and do not change based on behavior.

What factors can weaken the relationship between attitudes and behaviors?

• A strong emotional connection to the behavior.

• High personal involvement in the behavior.

• External pressures, social norms, and lack of control.

• A person’s ability to focus on the behavior.

What is the role of social norms in predicting behavior?

• Social norms are irrelevant to predicting behavior.

• Social norms provide guidelines for acceptable behavior in a group.

• Social norms make it more likely for individuals to act against their preferences.

• Social norms only apply to public behavior, not private behavior.

What is cognitive dissonance, and how does it motivate people to change their attitudes or behaviors?

• Cognitive dissonance is the harmony between attitudes and behaviors, motivating us to maintain consistency.

• Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort caused by conflicting beliefs or behaviors, motivating us to resolve the conflict.

• Cognitive dissonance occurs only when people have extreme attitudes and behaviors.

• Cognitive dissonance helps people ignore conflicts between their attitudes and behaviors.

What are some common strategies people use to reduce cognitive dissonance?

• Ignoring the conflict and pretending it doesn’t exist.

• Changing one’s behavior, changing one’s beliefs, or minimizing the importance of the conflict.

• Escaping the situation completely.

• Denying the existence of any conflicts.