Deck 1: An Invitation to Social Psychology

Question 1

Which of the following phenomena best illustrates the relationship between social influence and behavior?

A) acting more cooperative when you are in a good mood (as opposed to a bad mood)
B) preferring to drive with the car radio on (as opposed to off)
C) cycling faster when people are watching you (as opposed to when you are alone)
D) getting into more arguments when the temperature is above 80 degrees (as opposed to under 80 degrees)

Answer 1

cycling faster when people are watching you (as opposed to when you are alone)

Question 2

Which of the following scenarios is LEAST consistent with the fundamental attribution error?

A) When someone swerves into your lane while driving, you think to yourself, "This person is a terrible driver!"
B) When someone at a party smiles at you, you think to yourself, "This person smiles at everyone."
C) When you slip and fall down at a shopping mall, you think to yourself, "I was born clumsy!"
D) When someone talks loudly to his or her friend on the bus, you think to yourself, "This person might be talking to someone who has a hearing problem."

Answer 2

When someone talks loudly to his or her friend on the bus, you think to yourself, "This person might be talking to someone who has a hearing problem."

Question 3

Research on ______________ suggests it is ______________ for people to assume that dispositions are the underlying causes of most behaviors.

A) the fundamental attribution error; common
B) the fundamental attribution error; uncommon
C) obedience to authority; common
D) obedience to authority; uncommon

Answer 3

the fundamental attribution error; common

Question 4

Jacquie and Karen are both interested in the topic of divorce.Jacquie is a social psychologist and Karen is a sociologist.Compared to Karen, which of the following questions is Jacquie most likely to ask?

A) Do different divorce laws influence divorce rates?
B) Are divorce rates higher among people who are more educated?
C) Why does infidelity lead to divorce?
D) Is divorce more prevalent in Northern states relative to Southern states?

Question 5

Social psychologists differ from personality psychologists because social psychologists tend to

A) rely primarily on correlational research.
B) argue that genetics do not exert causal effects on social behavior.
C) examine the influence of situations on behaviors.
D) stress individual differences in behavior.

Question 6

Sandra thinks that smiling a lot during a job interview increases a person's chances of getting a job offer.The main difference between Sandra's folk theory and social psychological theories is that social psychological theories are

A) always more complicated.
B) almost always counterintuitive.
C) based on logic.
D) put to the test.

Question 7

____________ psychology stresses the fact that objects are perceived by active, usually unconscious, interpretations of what the object represents as a whole.

A) Behavioral
B) Gestalt
C) Cognitive
D) Personality

Question 8

Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of the goals of social psychology?

A) understanding how people in different cultures think, feel, and behave
B) understanding how people control each others' behaviors
C) evaluating the accuracy of folk theories about how situations influence behavior
D) understanding how personality traits predispose people to respond to social situations

Question 9

The "Good Samaritan" study conducted by Darley and Batson (1973)examined helping behavior in seminary students at Princeton University.These students were either rushed or not rushed to get to an appointment.Results of this study showed that

A) participants who viewed religion as a means toward personal gain were less likely to help someone than participants who viewed religion as a means toward moral and spiritual values.
B) when rushed, only participants who viewed religion as a means toward personal gains were less likely to help someone.
C) when rushed, only participants who viewed religion as a means toward moral and spiritual values were less likely to help someone.
D) the nature of participants' religious orientation did not predict helping behavior; only being rushed or not predicted helping.

Question 10

Which of the following Supreme Court rulings was heavily influenced by social psychological research?

A) Roe v.Wade
B) Brown v.Board of Education
C) Marbury v.Madison
D) Miranda v.Arizona

Question 11

Social psychology can be defined as the ____________ study of the ____________ of individuals in social situations.

A) intuitive; behaviors
B) scientific; behaviors
C) scientific; feelings, thoughts, and behaviors
D) behavioral; thoughts and feelings

Question 12

The president of a fraternity wants to increase the number of fraternity members who volunteer for nonprofit organizations in the community.Kurt Lewin's concept of channel factors suggests the president should

A) induce guilt among members who are not currently volunteering.
B) provide information about when and how members might volunteer.
C) offer a prize to the member who volunteers the most hours.
D) ask members to publicly commit to a particular volunteering opportunity.

Question 13

Your waiter seems to be doing everything wrong.He has forgotten to take your drink order.He delivers someone else's food to your table.He does not come out and say it, but his facial expressions seem to say he'd rather be someplace else.If you assume his behavior is caused primarily by ____________, your assumption is consistent with the fundamental attribution error.

A) channel factors
B) situational factors he can control
C) his disposition
D) situational factors beyond his control

Question 14

Which of the following concepts is most relevant to people who want to get someone to act on his or her intentions?

A) channel factors
B) the fundamental attribution error
C) tension systems
D) naturalistic fallacy

Question 15

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder" and "out of sight, out of mind" are both common sayings.A(n)____________ is most likely to conduct an experiment to identify the conditions or situations under which each of these assertions is accurate.

A) personality psychologist
B) social psychologist
C) sociologist
D) anthropologist

Question 16

The term construal refers to

A) an expectation about how group members should behave.
B) a personal interpretation about situations and other people's behaviors.
C) perceiving situations by means of an automatic registering device.
D) generalized knowledge about the physical and social world.

Question 17

Kurt Lewin's concept, the field of forces, emphasizes that ____________ underlie(s)much of human behavior.

A) genetics
B) physical stimulation
C) the characteristics of a situation
D) natural selection

Question 18

According to social psychologists, which of the following conditions is most likely to make someone do what an authority figure says to do-even if it involves hurting someone?

A) when people know ahead of time that an authority figure will be ordering them around
B) when people have been raised in abusive families
C) when people can blame an authority figure for their actions
D) when people are used to hurting other people

Question 19

The classic Milgram study showed that about

A) 1 percent of participants delivered a 330-volt shock to the "learner."
B) 10 percent of participants delivered no shocks to the "learner."
C) 20 percent of participants delivered a 450-volt shock to the "learner."
D) 60 percent of participants delivered a 450-volt shock to the "learner."

Question 20

Kurt Lewin, the founder of modern social psychology, argued that the effects of psychological forces can be understood in the same way that ____________ are understood.

A) physical forces
B) attribute forces
C) personality forces
D) armed forces

Question 21

According to evolutionary theory, males put ____________ investment in their offspring than females because males ____________.

A) less; have more opportunities to produce offspring.
B) more; have fewer opportunities to produce offspring.
C) less; are more likely to die before their offspring reach maturity.
D) more; are less likely to die before their offspring each maturity.

Question 22

Why is Social Darwinism a distorted application of Darwin's theory?

A) It assumes that some groups of people are more deserving of survival than others.
B) It assumes that many characteristics that people share are the result of natural selection.
C) It assumes that some groups of people are stronger than others.
D) It assumes that many human behaviors and institutions are universal.

Question 23

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates how a construal can be changed by a life event?

A) Lisa got a "B" on her paper and jumped for joy.When she learned that her friends got a better grade, she cried over her "B."
B) Lisa got a "B" on her paper and felt confused.She decided to ask her teacher why she did not receive a higher grade.
C) Lisa worked on her paper for ten days.She cried when she found out she got a "B."
D) Lisa cried when she got a "B" on her paper, even though she knew the paper was not all that great.

Question 24

Which of the following practices do people share with animals, especially higher primates?

A) facial expressions
B) group living
C) wariness around spiders
D) Both a and b are correct.

Question 25

____________ operates to mold animals and plants so that traits that enhance the probability of survival are passed on to subsequent generations.

A) Social Darwinism
B) Naturalistic fallacy
C) Natural selection
D) Connectionism

Question 26

Studies that show that unprejudiced people can still show negative implicit attitudes toward people of different races highlight the importance of distinguishing between

A) conscious and unconscious processing.
B) unconscious and automatic processing.
C) conscious and explicit processing.
D) stereotypes and schemas.

Question 27

The naturalistic fallacy refers to the claim that

A) things should be different from the way they are now.
B) people can overcome many things they are predisposed to do.
C) the process of evolution can select for disadvantageous characteristics.
D) the way things are is the way they should be.

Question 28

Judy is always complimenting people she works with.Bob, one of Judy's best friends, thinks that Judy is genuinely thoughtful and friendly.Sarah, who does not know Judy well, thinks that Sarah is shallow and fake.This example suggests how friendship influences

A) behaviors.
B) personality.
C) construals.
D) folk theories.

Question 29

The mind processes information in two different ways when you encounter a social situation.Automatic processing is often based on _________________, whereas controlled processing is often based on ____________.

A) careful thought; emotional factors.
B) emotional factors; careful thought.
C) dispositional factors; situational factors
D) situational factors; dispositional factors.

Question 30

According to research discussed in the textbook, which of the following methods is most clearly suited for testing whether construals exert a causal effect on game performance?

A) manipulating the name of a game
B) manipulating room temperature during the game
C) manipulating moods after a game has been played
D) manipulating the age of study participants

Question 31

A stereotype is best characterized as a type of ____________.

A) schema.
B) channel factor.
C) attribution.
D) theory of mind.

Question 32

While boarding a plane, Doug feels fear when he notices another passenger sitting in his seat looking agitated and sweating profusely.In this situation,

A) his emotional reaction is probably controlled by careful, systematic thought.
B) his emotional reaction probably occurs before careful, systematic thought takes over.
C) careful, systematic thought is probably controlled by his emotional reaction.
D) careful, systematic thought probably occurs before his emotional reaction takes over.

Question 33

One of the most commonly used social neuroscience techniques is known as functional magnetic resonance imaging.This technique detects ____________ to determine which parts of the brain are active during certain activities.

A) electrical activity
B) radio active isotopes
C) blood flow
D) neurotransmitter levels

Question 34

Research conducted by Bargh, Chen, and Burrows (1996)illustrates how seemingly trivial aspects of a situation can influence behavior in ways that people are not aware of.These researchers showed that

A) people will walk more slowly after hearing words related to the elderly (for example, "cane," "Florida")than words unrelated to the elderly.
B) when people encounter novel stimuli with their arm extended away from their body, their attitudes toward these stimuli tend to be more favorable than when their arm is flexed (bent back toward the shoulder).
C) people are more cooperative when they play "The Wall Street Game" than the "Community Game."
D) people process different facial features in parallel.

Question 35

The text describes a study in which children were shown a candy box with the lid closed.The researcher asked them to predict what was in the box.Naturally, the children said, "Candy." Next, the researcher showed the children that, in reality, there were pencils in the box.Finally, the researcher asked the children to predict what a friend will say is in the box.____________ tend to say ____________.

A) Normal 4-year-olds; "pencils."
B) Normal 4-year-olds; "candy."
C) Autistic 4-year-olds; "candy."
D) Autistic 4-year-olds; nothing, because they have not acquired language.

Question 36

Pro-affirmative action advocates try to activate schemas related to ____________, whereas anti-affirmative action advocates try to activate schemas related to ____________.

A) fairness; diversity.
B) diversity; fairness.
C) African Americans; Caucasians.
D) Caucasians; African Americans.

Question 37

Professor Hansen expects that students will sit quietly and take notes during his large lecture course.Thus, a student who talks in class and never opens a notebook violates Professor Hansen's ____________ about students.

A) theory of mind
B) automaticity
C) construal
D) schema

Question 38

Schemas are important because they

A) are elaborate stores of systematized knowledge.
B) guide our expectations for a wide range of situations.
C) influence our judgments.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 39

The main difference between unconscious processes and controlled processes is that unconscious processes

A) are more accurate.
B) run only serially.
C) are more likely to influence behavior.
D) can operate in parallel.

Question 40

You are driving home from school, and suddenly you realize that you haven't noticed anything you've driven past for the last few minutes.Which type of unconscious processing is this?

A) Explicit processing.
B) Generating beliefs without being aware of the cognitive processes involved.
C) Schema-based processing.
D) Skill acquisition.

Question 41

Conscious processes are generally fast and can operate in parallel.

Question 42

The claim that the way things are is the way they should be is known as the naturalistic fallacy.

Question 43

Pat has listed ten things that describes who he is.The first three are, "I am a son," "I am fun when I am with my friends," and "I am a manager." Pat is most likely part of an __________________ culture.

A) evolutionary
B) independent
C) interdependent
D) universal

Question 44

Personal uniqueness is an important aspect of self-definition among people living in interdependent cultures.

Question 45

Social psychologists test intuitions by crafting experiments that isolate the causes of behavior in social situations.

Question 46

In the United States, a large luxury sedan is marketed by the slogan, "Feel good about yourself.Drive a Lexmark." According to broad generalizations surrounding the individualist-collectivist distinction, why might this slogan be less successful in Japan?

A) because people in Japan already have extremely high levels of self-esteem
B) because people in Japan do not have a strong need to feel good about themselves
C) because people in Japan are less materialistic than Americans
D) because people in Japan prefer smaller, more intimate cars

Question 47

Which statement is most consistent with the beliefs of an individualist culture?

A) Eat, drink, and be merry.
B) Live by the sword, die by the sword.
C) Different strokes for different folks.
D) The nail that stands out gets pounded down.

Question 48

Which of the following statements is NOT consistent with the evolutionary perspective?

A) People share many practices and institutions with animals, especially higher primates.
B) Behavioral propensities are subject to selection pressures.
C) Physical characteristics are subject to selection pressures.
D) What we are biologically predisposed to do is what we inevitably will do.

Question 49

What advantage do social neuroscience techniques (such as functional magnetic resonance imaging)have over other research methods used in social psychology?

A) Neuroscience techniques distinguish between proximal and distal causes of behavior.
B) Neuroscience techniques correlate social behavior with regions of brain activity.
C) Neuroscience techniques distinguish between cultural and evolutionary causes of behavior.
D) Neuroscience techniques correlate individual behavior with evolutionary causes.

Question 50

Which of the following is a fundamental difference between individualist and collectivist cultures?

A) Independent cultures tend to value status and success, whereas collectivist cultures do not.
B) Independent cultures have few social norms, whereas collectivist cultures do.
C) Independent cultures tend to view relationships with other people as voluntary, whereas collectivists do not.
D) Independent cultures tend to emphasize hierarchical relationships with others, whereas collectivist cultures do not.

Question 51

A reader for American schoolchildren from the 1930s shows a little boy running, whereas a reader for Chinese children from the same time period shows a boy with his brother.According to the textbook, what cultural difference does this highlight?

A) Individualistic cultures place a higher value on self-esteem than collectivistic cultures.
B) Individualistic cultures emphasize action, whereas collectivistic cultures emphasize relationships.
C) Individualistic cultures emphasize active relationships, whereas collectivistic cultures emphasize passive relationships.
D) This example does not relate to any consistent cultural difference.

Question 52

Schemas are stores of generalized knowledge about the physical and social world.

Question 53

Channel factors can appear to be unimportant on the surface but have significant consequences for behavior.

Question 54

The theory of parental investment predicts that males will invest large quantities of energy after copulation in the rearing of offspring.

Question 55

Theory of mind is important for group living because it

A) is necessary for language acquisition.
B) can treat autism.
C) can prevent misunderstandings that could lead to aggression or death.
D) decreases selection pressures.

Question 56

Societies may differ from each other in many ways, but it is important to recognize that

A) there are still regional and subcultural differences within any large society.
B) people living within the same society tend to think and behave similarly.
C) there are few individual differences within a society.
D) broad generalizations about psychological differences between societies rarely are supported by research findings.

Question 57

In an individualist culture, a person's sense of self tends to be based largely on

A) personal achievements.
B) bringing credit to his or her family.
C) political or religious values.
D) group membership.

Question 58

In the Milgram experiment, over 60 percent of the participants delivered the highest shock possible to the "learner."

Question 59

The evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin assumed that natural selection is important for physical characteristics but NOT for behavioral propensities.

Question 60

People tend to believe that behaviors are caused by situational factors as opposed to dispositional factors.