Module 4

You will post your answers to the module’s questions (see below) to the discussion board by Thursday (2/26)

Guidelines for posts:

For your own original posts, you will need to write at least 250 words per question. You should make sure to cite your reading/videos for the module. You will maximize the points you earn by completely answering the questions and by promoting discussion with your fellow classmates.

Suggestions for posts:

Ask each other questions

Pose solutions to real world challenges of the topic

Present your interpretation of a reading and ask others for theirs

Point out what you found most interesting or challenging about the material- did it change your mind? or challenge your beliefs?

1. A local university made national headlines after the death of a football player at practice. The student died after enduring hours of a punishing weight lifting routine with little water or rest. Witnesses say the student wanted to stop but did not because the coach told him to keep going. His fellow players also seemed to want to help but instead maintained the difficulty of the workout based on the coachs direction. Why did the football players, including the victim, yield to the coach? In your answer, use both Milgrams experiment and the concept of obedience to authority to explain their yielding behavior?

2. In your own life, in what ways are you a conformist? What about a non-conformist? What circumstances have rendered you personally to be more versus less likely to conform with others in the past? Are your answers to these questions different depending on whether were talking about informational versus normative social influence?

3. What is one specific lesson you can take away from course material on attitudes and persuasion in trying to be more effective about resisting the persuasive efforts of others? How could you implement this idea in your day to day life?

4. Think about a time when you tried to convince someone to change an attitude but were unsuccessful. In light of what you now know about attitudes and persuasion, what might you try differently if you had it to do all over again? Was your approach appropriate given the cognitively based, affectively based, or behaviorally based nature of the attitude in question? How might you capitalize on research regarding the Yale Attitude Change approach or the elaboration likelihood model in order to be more successful if you had another chance at persuading this friend?

PLEASE MAKE EACH RESPONSE AT LEAST 250 WORDS EACH!!!