Deck 4: Social Perception: How We Come to Understand Other People

Question 1

All of the following are nonverbal behaviors except

A) spoken words.
B) tone of voice.
C) facial expressions.
D) touch.

Answer 1

spoken words.

Question 2

Sheila fancies herself an outgoing extrovert. She smiles a lot and gestures dramatically as she talks. This example best illustrates the use of nonverbal behavior to

A) convey attitudes.
B) facilitate verbal communication.
C) communicate personality traits.
D) express emotions.

Answer 2

communicate personality traits.

Question 3

According to the authors, it's not easy to understand and explain other people's behaviors because

A) other people intentionally hide their motivations and intentions.
B) social behavior is often random.
C) we have access only to observable behaviors.
D) we are hopelessly biased by our own motivations.

Answer 3

we have access only to observable behaviors.

Question 4

According to the authors of your text, people use social perception in order to figure people out as part of social survival, and also because it

A) is a skill in high demand by employers.
B) makes us more likely to win if we are ever on a reality TV show.
C) helps us empathize with people in distant countries.
D) is enjoyable, and a form of entertainment.

Question 5

Darwin believed that emotional expressions began as ________ that came to have evolutionary value because they ________.

A) physiological reactions; convey emotional states to other members of the species
B) physiological reactions; increased the efficiency of bodily reactions
C) communication devices; increased the efficiency of bodily reactions
D) random mutations; convey expectations to other members of the species

Question 6

Emre has a baby face. Noam just met him. What is Noam likely to think about Emre?

A) "He's a very warm and naïve person."
B) "He's a very outgoing and stubborn person."
C) "He's a very mature and responsible person."
D) "He's a very independent and talkative person."

Question 7

According to the authors of your text, how people communicate-intentionally or unintentionally-without words is the definition of

A) gestures.
B) automatic communication.
C) nonverbal communication.
D) social perception.

Question 8

Jessica smiles to convey that she is happy. Jessica's smile is a way of ________ the emotion of happiness.

A) encoding
B) decoding
C) verbalizing
D) perceiving

Question 9

All we can see is other people's appearance and behavior, but we are most interested in trying to infer from this

A) why people behave the way they do.
B) when people will change their behavior.
C) whether people are happy or unhappy.
D) what people will do when they are alone.

Question 10

The authors of your text report a story of a homeless man who spent his only quarter to find out why a couple (whose love letters he'd read) had broken up. This story demonstrates

A) that homeless people make irrational decisions.
B) that people tend to be very nosey.
C) the idea that people are fascinated with the human condition.
D) the need people have for belonging.

Question 11

Larry sees a group of people weeping, with frowns on their faces and their eyes turned down. Larry ________ their expressions to understand that they are feeling sadness.

A) encodes
B) decodes
C) recodes
D) misinterprets

Question 12

Professor Axelrod is interested in the effects of physical attractiveness on how others interpret the appearance and behaviors of attractive versus unattractive people. Professor Axelrod is most likely to be interested in

A) attribution theory.
B) lie detection.
C) social perception.
D) social encoding.

Question 13

________ is defined as how we form impressions of and make inferences about other people.

A) Attribution theory
B) Social perception
C) Social inference
D) Social encoding

Question 14

The basic type of information people use about others to form impressions and understand them is

A) intuition.
B) nonverbal behavior.
C) rational judgment.
D) reading their blogs.

Question 15

Nonverbal behavior is used for all of the following except

A) communicating one's personality traits.
B) conveying attitudes.
C) writing letters.
D) facilitating verbal communication.

Question 16

According to your textbook authors, the popularity of "reality" television is largely due to the fact that we

A) have an obsession with deviant behavior because it seems so "unreal" to us.
B) promote our own self-esteem by viewing ourselves as superior to the "losers" on those programs.
C) now perceive sitcoms as childish in comparison.
D) are fascinated with trying to figure other people out so we can better understand our social world.

Question 17

On your birthday, you arrive home and are overjoyed to find a large bouquet of flowers from your best friend. Your eyes grow wide and a broad smile crosses your face. You laugh in delight. This example best illustrates the use of nonverbal behavior to

A) convey attitudes.
B) communicate one's personality traits.
C) facilitate verbal communication.
D) express emotions.

Question 18

Eva and her roommate haven't been getting along lately. Every time Eva enters the room, her roommate looks away and turns her body so that her back is to Eva. This example best illustrates the use of nonverbal behavior to

A) communicate personality traits.
B) express rational cognitions.
C) convey attitudes.
D) facilitate verbal communication.

Question 19

Express is to ________ as interpret is to ________.

A) encode; decode
B) decode; encode
C) encode; emit
D) emit; encode

Question 20

When people communicate using nonverbal behavior, they typically use

A) their eyes.
B) their hands.
C) their tone of voice.
D) multiple channels.

Question 21

Which of the following facial expressions does not belong?

A) anger
B) surprise
C) desire
D) happy

Question 22

According to research conducted by Susskind and his colleagues (2008) presented by the authors of your text, the expression of fear involves facial movements which

A) decrease visual input.
B) increase sensory input.
C) lower arousal.
D) enhance hearing.

Question 23

Based on the information in your text about research by Becker and his colleagues (2007) on decoding emotions, complete the analogy: men: ________:: ________: happiness.

A) sadness; children
B) disgust; elderly
C) anger; women
D) surprise; women

Question 24

All of the following are among the six universally recognized facial expressions reported by Ekman except

A) sadness.
B) fear.
C) anger.
D) guilt.

Question 25

Recent research suggests that the expression for the emotion of contempt may be

A) only found in Western cultures.
B) easily confused with anger.
C) only decoded by adults.
D) another universal emotion.

Question 26

According to research conducted by Susskind and his colleagues (2008) presented by the authors of your text, when people make the facial expression of disgust, it involves

A) decreasing input from the senses.
B) increasing sensory input.
C) heightened arousal.
D) sensitized taste and smell.

Question 27

Based on evidence presented by the authors of your text, the facial expression for disgust is adaptive because it

A) allows people to taste more sensitively.
B) decreases the intensity of disgusting sensations.
C) increases the chances people will detect poisons or pathogens in food.
D) actually decreases the likelihood someone will become ill from eating spoiled food.

Question 28

Based on research by Becker and his colleagues (2007) presented by the authors of your text, which man's expression would be the fastest to decode?

A) surprise
B) anger
C) happiness
D) disgust

Question 29

Contemporary researchers have collected evidence that naturalist Charles Darwin (1872) was correct when he asserted that facial expressions are ________ specific.

A) culture
B) location
C) species
D) feeling

Question 30

Nora has been blind since birth, and has never seen a smile, frown, or furrowed brow. At age three, how capable would she be of expressing emotions using the facial expressions of sighted people?

A) Incapable of properly using facial expressions, she would require special training.
B) She would be capable of expressing only negative emotions such as anger or sadness.
C) She would be able to express all six basic emotions just as well as sighted people.
D) It depends on what culture she is being reared in.

Question 31

Darwin believed that nonverbal communications were once-useful physiological reactions. Which face could Wghn, an early human, make that looks like the vomiting in order to communicate to his group, "Don't eat that!"

A) a happy face
B) an angry face
C) a surprise face
D) a disgust face

Question 32

Ekman and Friesen (1971) collected convincing evidence that facial expressions are universal. In their research, they studied

A) blind people who smile, even though they have never seen a smile.
B) a preliterate tribe in an isolated part of New Guinea.
C) infants before they learned to talk.
D) facial expressions on five different continents.

Question 33

The six major facial expressions discussed in the text are widely considered to be

A) universal.
B) culture specific.
C) developmentally determined.
D) primate specific.

Question 34

Imagine traveling to a country where you don't speak the native language. You just had a great meal. You don't want to be misunderstood, so how can you communicate to your host that the meal was great, and that you're happy?

A) smile
B) give a "thumbs up" sign
C) give the "ok" sign
D) frown

Question 35

Ekman and his colleagues have identified ________ universal facial expressions in their research.

A) three
B) six
C) nine
D) twelve

Question 36

Recall that Ekman and Friesen (1971) have demonstrated that Fore tribespeople from a preliterate culture in New Guinea were able to decode facial expressions of Westerners and encode emotion easily interpretable by Westerners. Their findings suggest that Darwin was

A) right-facial expressions are species specific.
B) wrong-facial expressions are culture specific.
C) right-facial expressions are culture specific.
D) wrong-facial expressions are universal among humans.

Question 37

According to research conducted by Susskind and his colleagues (2008) presented by the authors of your text, the emotions of ________ and ________ involve opposite facial muscle movements.

A) fear; disgust
B) happiness; sadness
C) anger; surprise
D) pride; shame

Question 38

Based on research by Becker and his colleagues (2007) about decoding emotions presented by the authors of your text, which person's expression would be the easiest to decode?

A) Ann's expression of anger
B) Jake's expression of happiness
C) Robert's expression of disgust
D) Amanda's expression of happiness

Question 39

Lars has been blind since birth. Which negative emotion is he unlikely to be able to express on his face?

A) anger
B) fear
C) sadness
D) frustration

Question 40

Harry is an American, and he just missed the lyrics in a karaoke contest at his local bar. Which of the following is he least likely to express?

A) shame
B) pride
C) disgust
D) fear

Question 41

Chantelle's family is hosting a Japanese exchange student, Yukiko, at their home for a year. Chantelle notices that Yukiko hides her smile behind her hands. After reading Chapter 4 (Social Perception), Chantelle learns that Yukiko hides her smile because

A) Japanese norms discourage men and women from smiling.
B) she wants to conform to American display rules.
C) Japanese norms discourage Japanese women from showing broad smiles.
D) in Japan, smiles signal feelings of superiority.

Question 42

Ingrid has had a few interactions with Chinese students at her college and thinks that they are "hard to read" because they do not use facial expressions "clearly" as compared to Americans she interacts with. Such experiences illustrate

A) women's inability to decode emotions.
B) women's inability to encode emotions.
C) differences in display rules.
D) the use of emblems.

Question 43

An implicit personality theory is a type of

A) schema.
B) norm.
C) self-construal.
D) role.

Question 44

Your sister comes in and announces that she has just gotten engaged to the man she has been dating for the past two months. You feel a mix of surprise, happiness, and concern, and this shows on your face. The expression your face displays is known as a(n)

A) affect blend.
B) emotional mix.
C) confusing facial display.
D) contradictory facial expression.

Question 45

Zeinab won't make eye contact with you. In American culture, this lack of eye contact is interpreted as a sign of

A) deception.
B) unhappiness.
C) sadness.
D) happiness.

Question 46

Milo, a Canadian, just won his race. He is likely to show pride, but it is a more complicated emotion to express than the universal expressions and includes body movement in addition to facial expression. What is Milo going to need to include in order to express pride?

A) head tilted back, arms up
B) head down, shoulders slumped
C) shoulders raised, hands behind his back
D) hand in his pockets, eyes down

Question 47

According to the authors of your text, individuals from a(n) ________ culture would be less likely to express feelings of shame in public.

A) collectivist
B) third-world
C) individualist
D) Eastern

Question 48

On a visit to Australia, then-president George H.W. Bush offended the Australians when he flashed the two-fingered "peace sign" to a crowd. This is an example of how the use of ________, which vary from culture to culture, may lead to confusion or conflict if used outside of the user's culture.

A) emblems
B) display rules
C) political gaffe
D) paralanguage

Question 49

Based on information from the authors of your text, who would be more likely to express a feeling of shame publicly?

A) Ken, from an individualist culture
B) Tran, a man from a collectivist culture
C) Lisa, from an individualist culture
D) Nanami, a woman who grew up in both individualist and collectivist cultures

Question 50

All but which of the following can interfere with people's ability to decode others' facial expressions?

A) some facial expressions are affect blends
B) people sometimes try to hide their emotions
C) there are cultural differences when emotions are displayed
D) nonverbal behavior is often multichannel

Question 51

Although certain facial expressions are easily encoded and decoded across members of the human species, display rules

A) signal that culture is important, too.
B) dictate whether to encode or decode a given expression.
C) dictate that we should hide our embarrassment.
D) signal whether we should pay attention to verbal or nonverbal behaviors.

Question 52

In Korea and Egypt, men can be seen holding hands and walking closely with other men. This behavior indicates that the men are

A) coworkers.
B) strangers.
C) friends.
D) relatives.

Question 53

Sarah, a student at an American university, has just arrived in Bolivia for a study year abroad. When meeting her host parents, she notices that they stand very close to her as they speak. She feels uncomfortable until she realizes that

A) they have different cultural norms concerning the use of space.
B) she is just nervous about her trip.
C) their emblem use differs from her own.
D) social roles are different in Latin America.

Question 54

________ are culture-specific norms that dictate what kinds of emotional expression is allowed.

A) Nonverbal rules
B) Expressive norms
C) Display rules
D) Encoding rules

Question 55

Judy forms a circle with her thumb and forefinger to communicate to her sister that everything is okay. Although in America this is a common gesture, it may be interpreted differently elsewhere in the world. What kind of gesture is this?

A) display rule
B) emblem
C) hand-purse
D) universal

Question 56

The "hand purse" gesture means "good" or "slow down" in some cultures. In American culture, it doesn't have a clear meaning; therefore, it is a(n)

A) display rule.
B) decoded display.
C) encoded display.
D) emblem.

Question 57

Who displays fewer emotions in general?

A) Logan, from Canada
B) Oliver, from Great Britain
C) Michael, from the United States
D) Itsuki, from Japan

Question 58

Drake is traveling with family when a shop owner asks a question that he doesn't understand. Drake shakes his head, but then the shop owner rings up the sale and holds out his hand for money. The shaking seems to have indicated "yes" rather than "no." Drake is traveling in

A) Ireland.
B) Mexico.
C) India.
D) America.

Question 59

Peter's expression when Jan saw him at lunch was difficult to decode. One part of his face registered one emotion and another part of his face registered a different emotion. Therefore, Peter was demonstrating a(n)

A) ambivalence display.
B) dissembling.
C) deceptive display.
D) affect blend.

Question 60

Students in the United States seldom applaud after a lecture, whereas students in Europe often applaud or rap their knuckles on their desks. This cultural difference reflects the power of ________ to influence nonverbal communication.

A) display rules
B) emblems
C) encoding
D) politeness norms

Question 61

An implicit personality theory is a(n)

A) belief about the relative importance of the conscious and unconscious in determining people's behavior.
B) unconsciously held belief about what one's own traits are.
C) framework for understanding others' unconscious motivations.
D) schema about which traits tend to co-occur in people.

Question 62

Imagine you are asked to describe your friend for a dating site using a few words. Which of the following words will automatically get potential dates to think of your friend as generous and helpful?

A) competent
B) warm
C) intelligent
D) ambitious

Question 63

Amber and Jack are very physically attractive. In the U.S. most people would think they are also

A) kind and intelligent
B) unhelpful and ambitious
C) sophisticated and worldly
D) selfish and conceited

Question 64

How are implicit personality theories developed?

A) They are instinctual.
B) They are universal and therefore "hardwired" in the brain.
C) over time and with experience
D) using information from authority figures

Question 65

The processes of decoding nonverbal communications and using implicit personality theories are both examples of ________ processes.

A) controlled
B) automatic
C) heuristic
D) motivated

Question 66

Which of the following is out of place in this list?

A) generous
B) trustworthy
C) cold
D) helpful

Question 67

What would be the most accurate description of the "shi gú" type, a common implicit personality theory in China?

A) someone worldly, devoted to the family, and somewhat reserved
B) someone who is creative, intense, and unconventional
C) someone talkative, attractive, and slightly dim-witted
D) someone intelligent, snobby, and quiet

Question 68

Political commentator and humorist Molly Ivens made "Bubba" famous. Bubba is a loud, beer-drinking, swaggering man, simple in his tastes and thinking. This constellation of "Bubba traits" represents a(n)

A) personality type.
B) subjective inference.
C) implicit personality theory.
D) causal attribution.

Question 69

Seeing pictures of physically attractive celebrities and models, many people in the U.S. assume that these people are also intelligent, kind, or wealthy. Such assumptions illustrate the implicit personality theory held widely as a culture that

A) what is beautiful is good.
B) beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
C) beauty is only skin deep.
D) one should beware of that which is too beautiful.

Question 70

Recall that Hoffman, Lau, and Johnson (1986) provided native English speakers and Chinese-English bilinguals with descriptions of people who fit either an "artistic" type or a "shi gú" type. Their findings revealed that

A) bilingual speakers' impressions were determined by the language in which they read the story.
B) Chinese speakers' impressions were consistent with the shi gú type, while English speakers interpreted the same story as consistent with an artistic type.
C) English speakers could only make sense of the artistic stories, while Chinese speakers could only make sense of shi gú stories.
D) there were no differences between the language groups in their ratings of the stories.

Question 71

Imagine you are asked to describe your friend for a dating site using a few words. Which of the following words will automatically get potential dates to think of your friend as powerful and dominant?

A) competent
B) warm
C) intelligent
D) ambitious

Question 72

Hsin and Li Mei are Chinese and considered to be "shi gú" type people. This means they are

A) socially skilled.
B) independent.
C) artistic.
D) healthy.

Question 73

Although Westerners have an expression for a "bohemian" or "artistic" type, Chinese do not. This suggests that

A) Chinese have no concepts for "creative," "temperamental," or "unconventional."
B) the Cultural Revolution discouraged pursuit of the arts in China.
C) contents of implicit personality theories are culture specific.
D) Westerners are more likely than those in the East to "fill in the blanks" when forming impressions of others.

Question 74

Recall that Hoffman, Lau, and Johnson (1986) provided native English speakers and Chinese-English bilinguals with descriptions of people who fit either an "artistic" type or a "shi gú" type. English speakers filled in gaps in the descriptions with inferences about the artistic type, but not about the shi gú type. In contrast, bilinguals who read the descriptions in English filled in blanks for the artistic type, but not the shi gú type, and bilinguals who read the descriptions in Chinese filled in the blanks for the shi gú type, but not the artistic type. These results suggest that

A) not all cultures use implicit personality theories.
B) language and culture shape our implicit personality theories.
C) English speakers rely more on implicit personality theories than do Chinese speakers.
D) Westerners are cognitive misers, whereas Easterners are not.

Question 75

Results from cross-cultural studies of impression formation indicate that

A) the language we use influences the implicit personality theories we use and thus the impressions we form.
B) language has little impact on impression formation because nonverbal influences are so powerful.
C) implicit personality theories are surprisingly similar across cultures.
D) there is little relationship between language and implicit personality theories.

Question 76

"Computer nerds" are widely held to be socially awkward, introverted, unpopular, and obsessed with anything related to technology. This description represents a(n)

A) personality heuristic.
B) implicit personality theory.
C) subjective inference.
D) idiosyncratic schema.

Question 77

Implicit personality theories are strongly influenced by and tied to

A) idiosyncratic beliefs.
B) instincts.
C) cross-cultural universals.
D) culture.

Question 78

What do the following have in common: A can-do attitude, powerful, and dominant?

A) a warm person
B) a cold person
C) a competent person
D) an incompetent person

Question 79

Many of us think serial killers are creepy looking guys who are barely verbal, dress in dark, dirty clothes, and basically advertise that they are dangerous. These qualities constitute our ________ about serial killers.

A) covariation model
B) implicit personality theory
C) self-construal
D) causal attribution

Question 80

When we make inferences about someone's personality based on what we already know about some characteristics, we are using a(n)

A) implicit personality theory.
B) blank filling procedure.
C) implicit heuristic.
D) inferential statistic.