Deck 1: An Invitation to Social Psychology

Question 1

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

Answer 1

the characteristics of a situation

Question 2

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

Answer 2

his disposition

Question 3

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

Answer 3

channel factors

Question 4

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)

Question 5

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 6

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

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

Question 7

The classic Milgram study showed that about ________ percent of participants delivered ________ to the "learner."

A) 1; a 330-volt shock or higher (i.e., after the learner let out an agonized scream)
B) 10; no shocks
C) 20; a 450-volt shock (highest possible)
D) 60; a 450-volt shock (highest possible)

Question 8

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 9

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."

Question 10

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) channel factors; common
D) channel factors; uncommon

Question 11

What do the results of the "Milgram Experiment" and Darley and Batson's "Good Samaritan" study have in common?

A) They both highlight the power of the situation in determining behavior.
B) They both highlight how people respond differently to the same situation.
C) They both highlight cultural differences in behavior.
D) They both highlight universality in behavior across cultures.

Question 12

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 other's behaviors
C) evaluating the accuracy of folk theories about how situations influence behavior
D) understanding how personality traits predispose people to respond to major events in their lives

Question 13

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 14

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 15

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 salvation 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 salvation 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 orientations did not predict helping behavior; only being rushed or not predicted helping.

Question 16

Marco, a physics major, and Tim, a social work major, always take the bus together to school. Today the bus was delayed. Tim is going to be late for a midterm. Marco does not have class for a few hours. While walking from the bus stop, Marco and Tim pass a woman crying on a bench. According to Darley and Batson's "Good Samaritan" study, how are Marco and Tim likely to behave?

A) Marco is more likely to help the women given that he does not have to rush to a midterm.
B) Tim is more likely to help the women because he will feel especially heroic helping despite being in a rush.
C) As a social work major, Tim is more likely to help the woman.
D) As a physics major, Marco is more likely to help the woman.

Question 17

"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 18

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) tested using the scientific method.

Question 19

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 hold an authority figure responsible for his or her actions
D) when people are used to hurting other people

Question 20

The president of a fraternity wants to increase the number of fraternity members who volunteer for nonprofit organizations in the community. Which of the following strategies would BEST fit with Kurt Lewin's concept of channel factors?

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

Question 21

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 22

Imagine the following scenario: In a research study of theory of mind, children are shown a candy box with the lid closed. The researcher asks them to predict what is in the box. Naturally, the children say, "Candy." Next, the researcher shows the children that, in reality, there are pencils in the box. Finally, the researcher asks the children to predict what a friend will say is in the box. ________ four-year-olds would most likely tend to say ________.

A) Nonautistic; "Pencils"
B) Nonautistic; "Candy"
C) Autistic; "Candy"
D) Autistic; "Popcorn"

Question 23

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 24

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 25

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

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

Question 26

Maisie, a junior in high school, is studying for her SAT exam. Although she is tired after a long day of school, she sits down with her study guide and slowly works through five new math problems. Maisie is likely utilizing

A) controlled processing.
B) automatic processing.
C) an independent mind-set.
D) an interdependent mind-set.

Question 27

You are driving home from school and suddenly realize that you have not noticed anything you have driven past for the last few minutes. This experience of driving without paying attention to your route is an example of ________ processing.

A) automatic
B) explicit
C) biased
D) controlled

Question 28

________ 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 29

The mind processes information in two different ways in 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

A key difference between automatic processes and controlled processes is that automatic processes

A) are objectively more accurate.
B) run only serially.
C) do not influence behavior.
D) can operate in parallel.

Question 31

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 32

________ molds 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 33

Judy is always complimenting people with whom she works. 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 34

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

A) social taboos
B) belief in the supernatural
C) wariness around spiders
D) facial expressions

Question 35

A stereotype is best characterized as a type of

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

Question 36

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 37

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

A) people will walk more slowly after hearing words related to the elderly (for example, "cane" and "Florida") than words unrelated to the elderly.
B) when people encounter novel stimuli with their arms extended away from their bodies, their attitudes toward these stimuli tend to be more favorable than when their arms are 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 38

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

A) emotional reaction is probably controlled by careful, systematic thought.
B) 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 39

Which of the following statements is true of schemas?

A) They are exactly the same across many different kinds of situations.
B) They guide our expectations in only a few situations.
C) They do not influence our judgments.
D) They are elaborate collections of systematized knowledge.

Question 40

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 41

What is a channel factor? How is this concept relevant to health-care usage?

Question 42

Which of the following studies takes a social neuroscience approach?

A) measuring changes in participants' heart rates in response to receiving negative feedback from a romantic partner
B) measuring changes in participants' heart rates in response to receiving an electric shock
C) measuring changes in participants' brain activations in response to receiving negative feedback from a romantic partner
D) measuring changes in participants' brain activations in response to receiving an electric shock

Question 43

Why might Social Darwinism be 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 44

Define social psychology and explain how this field differs from the fields of personality psychology and sociology.

Question 45

Now that you know what social psychology is, generate three social psychological research questions to which you would like the answers.

Question 46

Pat has listed ten things that describe 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 a(n) ________ culture.

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

Question 47

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 tend not to base their self-worth on personal status
C) because people in Japan are less materialistic than Americans
D) because people in Japan prefer smaller, more intimate cars

Question 48

Tamara just bought a brand new purse. According to research on culture and social class in the United States, how is Tamara likely to respond when her best friend buys the same purse?

A) If Tamara is from the upper class, she is likely happy to share the similarity with her best friend.
B) If Tamara is from the middle class, she is likely happy to share the similarity with her best friend.
C) If Tamara is from the working class, she is likely disappointed that she is no longer unique.
D) If Tamara is from the middle class, she is likely disappointed that she is no longer unique.

Question 49

In an independent 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 50

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) People will inevitably do what they are biologically predisposed to do.

Question 51

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) radioactive isotopes
C) blood flow
D) neurotransmitter levels

Question 52

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 53

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. What cultural difference does this highlight?

A) Individualistic cultures place a higher value on self-esteem than collectivistic cultures.
B) Individualistic cultures emphasize individual 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 54

Many believe that the atrocities committed by the Nazis during World War II or by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison were the work of bad seeds. Others believe that almost anyone is vulnerable to these kinds of antisocial behaviors given the right situational circumstances. Take a stance one way or the other, and present two pieces of social psychological research that support your perspective.

Question 55

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 56

The propensity to show facial expressions and the tendency to live in groups are related in that they both

A) strongly vary across cultures.
B) are human universals.
C) appear only in humans.
D) are signs of the naturalistic fallacy.

Question 57

Describe the benefits of a social psychological approach to understanding why people behave the way they do. That is, how does social psychology go beyond basic human intuition? Why is this important?

Question 58

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

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

Question 59

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

A) there are also 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 60

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 61

Compare and contrast the evolutionary and cultural perspectives on human behavior.

Question 62

What are schemas? Describe one advantage of using schemas as well as one disadvantage.

Question 63

Describe the emerging field of social neuroscience. What tools are used by social neuroscientists? Describe one interesting finding coming from this field.

Question 64

Summarize the differences between independent and interdependent cultures.

Question 65

Describe automatic and controlled processing and give one example of each.

Question 66

While you are having dinner at a restaurant, your waiter is rude and makes snide comments. What would the fundamental attribution error predict about the cause to which you will attribute the waiter's behavior?

Question 67

What is the naturalistic fallacy? Explain how this phenomenon is relevant to racism.

Question 68

Describe Kurt Lewin's idea of the field of forces. Compare the forces that act on the physical world and those that act on the psychological world.

Question 69

What is a construal? Describe two different ways in which a person might construe the same situation.

Question 70

Describe two aspects of behavior that appear to be universal-that is, common across many different cultures. Why, according to the evolutionary perspective, would different cultures manifest these commonalities?