A note about this study guide: An earlier version contained a mistake, a question that should not have appeared (because we didn’t cover the relevant material). That question has been lined out below. It can safely be ignored.

Resistance to persuasion

1. (a) What is refusal-skill training? How is refusal-skill training meant to create resistance to persuasion? (b) Is it possible to teach refusal skills effectively? What are the most important program elements in teaching refusal skills? (c) What effect do refusal-skill training programs have on substance use/misuse?

2. (a) Describe the general idea of inoculation as a means of creating resistance to persuasion. Describe the biological (biomedical) metaphor for inoculation against persuasion. Identify two general ways persons might be made resistant to a disease virus. Describe supportive medical treatments; describe how inoculation against disease works. (b) Describe supportive treatments for inducing resistance to persuasion. Describe refutational (inoculation) treatments for inducing resistance to persuasion. (c) Do supportive treatments create resistance to persuasion? Do refutational treatments create resistance to persuasion? Which kind of treatment, supportive or refutational, is more effective in creating resistance to persuasion? (d) Do refutational treatments create resistance only to the particular attack argument that is refuted, or does the resistance generalize to other attack arguments? (e) How effective is the combination of supportive and refutational treatments in conferring resistance to persuasion? Explain how the combination of supportive and refutational treatments is equivalent to a refutational two-sided message. (f) Describe how inoculation and refusal-skill training represent different ways of inducing resistance to persuasion.

3. (a) Can warning a person of an impending counterattitudinal message create resistance to persuasion? (b) Explain the mechanism by which warning confers resistance to persuasion. Identify three factors that influence the effectiveness of warnings at creating resistance. (c) How is the effectiveness of warnings influenced by the receiver's degree of involvement (personal relevance of the topic)? (d) How is the effectiveness of warnings influenced by distraction? (e) How is the effectiveness of warnings influenced by the length of the time interval between the warning and the message?