Deck 11: Social Psychology

Question 1

One of the fundamental human motivations is the desire to have a true view of reality. This motivation is called __________.

A) accuracy
B) relationship maintenance
C) favorable self-concept
D) obedience and compliance

Answer 1

accuracy

Question 2

The electric company, in an effort to promote energy conservation, sends out monthly bills that compare each person's energy consumption with that of their neighbors. The hope is that people will reduce their consumption to be "more like their neighbors." This is an example of the use of __________ to change behavior.

A) social roles
B) social norms
C) peer pressure
D) virtual norms

Answer 2

social norms

Question 3

Why did the Zimbardo prison study have to be stopped before the desired end date?

A) The participants took on the roles they were given so seriously, it was apparent that harm was being done to those in the prisoner role.
B) The participants who played the guards were unable to maintain control over the prison population.
C) The participants were unable to keep their commitments due to school work.
D) The participants in the study were unable to switch roles from student to prisoner and prison guard.

Answer 3

The participants took on the roles they were given so seriously, it was apparent that harm was being done to those in the prisoner role.

Question 4

The Zimbardo prison study was criticized for being __________.

A) poorly planned
B) unethical
C) stopped early
D) conducted with college students

Question 5

When people feel anonymous and lack personal accountability, they may abandon their normal restraints and inhibitions. This is known as __________.

A) group polarization
B) social loafing
C) deindividuation
D) group think

Question 6

In Milgram's study, it was found that __________.

A) men were more likely to obey than women
B) men and women were unwilling to obey
C) women were more likely to obey than men
D) women and men were equally likely to obey

Question 7

Harley answered the door and was met by the cutest little kid, asking for donations for his basketball team. Harley doesn't really like basketball but gave the kid some money anyway. He __________ the request.

A) conformed to
B) obeyed
C) complied with
D) low balled

Question 8

Kelsey is a little salesperson in training. She asks her mom if she can ride her bike down to the end of the block, and knows that if her mom says yes, she will be more likely to let Kelsey ride her bike around the block to her friends' house later. What technique is Kelsey using on her mom?

A) The door-in-the-face technique
B) The foot-in-the-door technique
C) The sleeper effect method
D) The supersales technique

Question 9

When we use social information to form impressions of other people, we are engaging in __________.

A) prejudice
B) discrimination
C) stereotyping
D) person perception

Question 10

Riley walks into the room and immediately changes the topic of conversation to his amazing good looks and athletic ability. You immediately assume he is an egotistical jerk. You have just practiced __________.

A) categorization
B) discrimination
C) prejudice
D) person perception

Question 11

You have just been introduced to your new roommate. Over the next several weeks, the two of you visit and share a lot of information about yourselves. You picture your roommate as warm, sensitive, and a hard worker. You have engaged in __________.

A) classification
B) prejudice
C) rationalization
D) impression formation

Question 12

Causal explanations for behavior are known as __________.

A) impressions
B) perceptions
C) attributions
D) excuses

Question 13

A student arrives late to class and is noisy in sitting down and getting out his books. You assume that he is irresponsible and rude. You have assigned __________ to his behavior.

A) an internal attribution
B) an external attribution
C) a self-serving bias
D) a fundamental attribution error

Question 14

A student arrives late to class and is noisy in sitting down and getting out his books. You assume that he rode the train to school and it was late again. You have assigned __________ to his behavior.

A) an internal attribution
B) an external attribution
C) a self-serving bias
D) a fundamental attribution error

Question 15

According to Harold Kelley, if people in a situation demonstrate consensus in their responses, you are more likely to assume that their behavior is due to a(n) __________.

A) internal attribution
B) external attribution
C) self-serving bias
D) attribution error

Question 16

The tendency toward making internal attributions, and ignoring external situational factors, when explaining people's behavior is called the __________.

A) fundamental attribution error
B) self-serving bias
C) cognitive dissonance
D) situation ignorance

Question 17

Griselda just received a perfect score on her last exam. She immediately attributes her score to her hard work and dedication to the class. Her attribution is most likely __________.

A) distinctive
B) self-serving
C) an external attribution
D) faulty thinking

Question 18

Manheim just received a failing grade on his exam. He immediately attributes his failing grade to the teacher being too hard and asking insane questions. His attribution is most likely __________.

A) self-serving
B) accurate
C) biased
D) prejudiced

Question 19

An individual's evaluation of a person, behavior, idea, or issue is called a(n) __________.

A) belief
B) judgment
C) attitude
D) cognition

Question 20

Attitudes are made up of three important elements: __________.

A) belief, attribution, and thought
B) attribution, bias, and decision
C) affect, behavior, and cognition
D) thought, idea, and belief

Question 21

Attitudes are __________.

A) innate
B) learned
C) stable over time
D) almost always biased

Question 22

Attitudes that are __________ are more likely to influence behavior.

A) flexible
B) stable and strong
C) biased
D) innate

Question 23

Your school produces a quick film about the dangers of alcohol poisoning. The video includes members of your student government telling stories about their experiences with friends getting sick or dying from consuming too much alcohol. Your school is using __________ to get you to change your attitude of acceptance around alcohol consumption.

A) cognitive dissonance
B) attribution
C) persuasion
D) bribery

Question 24

__________ is an uncomfortable psychological state that occurs when your attitudes and behaviors don't align.

A) Persuasion
B) Inconsistency
C) Cognitive dissonance
D) Prejudice

Question 25

Sumi babysits for her mother's friend, Kate, and is paid $5 for her efforts. Taking care of Kate's kids is hard work because the kids are tired and cry most of the time. When Sumi arrives home, she reports to her mother that the kids were great and it was well worth her time to babysit them. It is likely that Sumi is experiencing __________.

A) the fundamental attribution error
B) cognitive dissonance
C) persuasion
D) prejudice

Question 26

Jack is looking for a good support group to help him get through a tough time. If Jack wants the group to have good cohesion, what should he look for?

A) A small group with members who share a lot in common
B) A large group where he can have some level of anonymity
C) A large group that values competition amongst its members
D) A small group that has varied goals for the support they provide

Question 27

Moki has just joined a fraternity, and he is in the process of learning its rules and norms. In what phase of group membership is Moki?

A) Investigation phase
B) Socialization phase
C) Maintenance phase
D) Resocialization phase

Question 28

When members of a group are fully participating in the group, they are in the __________ phase of group membership.

A) remembrance
B) socialization
C) investigation
D) maintenance

Question 29

Cults rely on __________ to entice members into their organizations.

A) force
B) influence tactics
C) threats
D) conversion tactics

Question 30

__________ refers to changes that involve a transformation from one belief system to another.

A) Initiation
B) Coercion
C) Conversion
D) Reconstruction

Question 31

__________ are shared goals that can only be achieved when people work together.

A) Superordinate goals
B) Contact goals
C) Consciousness goals
D) Biased goals

Question 32

Keim feels very positive about himself and his body. However, Ernst begins telling him that he is fat and stupid. Keim knocks Ernst to the ground. Which of the following best explains Keim's aggression?

A) The frustration-aggression hypothesis
B) The threatened egotism theory
C) The desensitization theory
D) The testosterone hypothesis

Question 33

Which of the following has been shown to be successful at reducing aggression in people?

A) Using punching bags to diffuse anger
B) "Scared straight" programs
C) Keep-calm "boot camps"
D) Counseling and interpersonal skills training

Question 34

There are steps involved in making the decision to help others. After noticing the situation and defining it as an emergency, what must be done?

A) Determine if you have the skills to help
B) Move away to observe
C) Get help from others
D) Take responsibility

Question 35

Which of the following words describes people who are more likely to help others when there are incentives and rewards?

A) Altruists
B) Egotists
C) Individualists
D) Collectivists

Question 36

People from collectivist cultures are __________ likely to help a stranger in need when compared to people from individualist cultures.

A) extremely
B) more
C) equally
D) less

Question 37

In the classic study by Festinger and Carlsmith, they researched __________.

A) romantic and companionate love
B) prejudice
C) cognitive dissonance
D) stereotypes

Question 38

Festinger and Carlsmith asked their participants to tell future participants that the study was exciting when, actually, it was very boring. Participants were then given $1 or $20 for their participation in the study. They were later asked for their real opinion of the study. What was the independent variable in this study?

A) The amount of money they received
B) Whether the tasks were moderately or extremely boring
C) How they really felt about the study
D) Whether they agreed or refused to lie to future participants

Question 39

Festinger and Carlsmith asked their participants to tell future participants that the study was exciting when, actually, it was very boring. Participants were then given $1 or $20 for their participation in the study. They were later asked for their real opinion of the study. What was the dependent variable in this study?

A) The amount of money they received
B) Whether the tasks were moderately or extremely boring
C) How they really felt about the study
D) Whether they agreed or refused to lie to future participants

Question 40

The Solomon Asch experiment is a classic in psychological research. Describe the study and what was found. Some have argued that the results are not terribly valuable because conformity is being assessed on a relatively innocuous task. What kind of situation might you use to test conformity that would be immune to this criticism? Can you think of a way to test conformity in the real world, in a way that would be both useful and ethical?

Question 41

Describe the study on obedience conducted by Stanley Milgram. Why do you think so many people were willing to obey the authority figure? Discuss the ethical dilemmas that resulted from Milgram's obedience research.

Question 42

How do advertisers and/or salespersons use the principles of compliance discussed in your textbook? Pick a television commercial and use it as an example of the components of compliance.

Question 43

You are sitting in class, and a student arrives 20 minutes late. As they come in, they breathe a heavy sigh and make a lot of noise while sitting down. Provide an internal and an external attribution for this behavior.

Question 44

Making reference to several group-related concepts covered in your textbook, discuss how membership in a group can serve both positive and negative functions. Can you cite an example of a group to which you've belonged that demonstrates some of these concepts?

Question 45

Describe what is meant by stereotypes and prejudices. Do you hold any stereotypes or prejudices? Where do you think your stereotypes or prejudices came from, and what factors may be involved in maintaining these beliefs?

Question 46

Psychologists have identified some techniques for reducing prejudice. Comment on the techniques mentioned in your textbook and discuss which technique you think will work the best and why.

Question 47

Your textbook notes different models for explaining how and why aggressive behaviors occur. Briefly describe the frustration-aggression hypothesis, the threatened-egotism model, and the general aggression model. Then make a case for why one of them is a more valid theory than the others.

Question 48

Describe the three different theories of altruism presented in your textbook. Can you think of an example of how each one of them may have occurred either to you or to someone you know?

Question 49

Using Sternberg's triangular theory of love, describe two relationships in your life (e.g., your parents' or your current love relationship) and how these relationships fit into one or more of Sternberg's forms of love.