Deck 16: Extension B: Social Thinking and Social Influence

Question 1

According to the _____, once you have publicly committed oneself to a belief, there is a strong need to maintain consistency and to even convince others so there will be added proof that you were correct in your belief.

A)frustration-aggression hypothesis
B)fundamental attribution theory
C)theory of alternative actions
D)cognitive dissonance theory

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Sarah has just gotten into a sorority that she has always wanted to be in.However, she just saw one of the members bring a copy of the upcoming biology exam to the president that she obtained from the instructor's student worker.Sarah is upset that her "sorority" is engaging in unethical behavior.However, she decides to keep quiet so her loyalty will allow her to effect a change and eliminate this unethical behavior by working within the organization.Sarah has resolved her cognitive dissonance by

A)adding consonant thoughts.
B)decreasing her amount of perceived choice.
C)changing her attitude.
D)changing her behavior.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Jason had promised to help his elderly next door neighbor move some heavy furniture next Friday.When Friday came, Jason really wanted to go with his friends to the beach, but he did promise the neighbor.He decides to help the neighbor because the "old guy" always had been nice to him and deserves his help and, besides, he tells great stories.Jason was able to find "this helping behavior" meaningful by

A)resolving the actor-observer bias.
B)resolving his cognitive dissonance.
C)obeying his conscience.
D)utilizing individuating information about the "old guy."

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In Festinger's classic experiment, the college students who originally said the task was boring but changed their attitude about the boring task and said "it was interesting" were the ones that

A)had scored high in ethnocentrism.
B)had succumbed to groupthink.
C)were paid $20.
D)were paid $1.

Question 5

College students are more likely to think their courses will be good AFTER they have registered than they did before making a commitment.Emphasizing the positive aspects of what we choose, while downgrading other alternatives illustrates the effects of

A)group pressure.
B)attributional errors.
C)cognitive dissonance.
D)selective perception.

Question 6

_____ is the degree to which a person's actions are explained by rewards or other circumstances.

A)Attribution
B)Justification
C)Compliance
D)Persuasion

Question 7

Even though Mattie wants her daughter Katie to use correct grammar when speaking, she does not correct Katie's grammar because she does not want to interrupt Katie as she relates winning both the English and math awards at her elementary school.Thus, Mattie is able to resolve her cognitive dissonance concerning Katie's grammar by

A)changing the importance of the dissonant thoughts.
B)reducing her amount of perceived choice.
C)changing her attitude.
D)changing her behavior.

Question 8

Celia, who is a college student, has always thought of herself as an environmental activist.Recently, she "inherited" a gas-guzzling car from her parents, which she has been driving around campus.To reduce the cognitive dissonance that she feels from these clashing images of herself, the environmental activist and the gas-guzzling car owner, she might _____ by saying that "cars are not really a major environmental problem."

A)change her attitude
B)change her behavior
C)add consonant thoughts
D)reduce the amount of her perceived choice

Question 9

According to the _____, once our minds are made up, we will reject any new information that contradicts the ideas we already hold.

A)frustration-aggression hypothesis
B)fundamental attribution theory
C)theory of alternative actions
D)cognitive dissonance theory

Question 10

After dating Miguel for several months, Tia could list many of his outstanding qualities.However, Tia was beginning to note that Miguel was very "tight" with his money and also seemed very stubborn regarding certain issues.When she was talking with a friend, Tia was heard to state that she admired Miguel for being frugal and for having integrity regarding his beliefs.Thus, Tia was able to resolve her _____ regarding Miguel's "cheapness" and "stubbornness" by changing Miguel's faults into virtues.

A)cognitive dissonance
B)fundamental attribution error
C)tendency for groupthink
D)self-handicapping attitude

Question 11

After Mrs.Keech's doomsday predictions failed, her followers suddenly became interested in convincing others they were right.This strong need to maintain consistency in one's belief by attracting additional followers is predicted by the _____ theory.

A)social exchange
B)attribution
C)cognitive dissonance
D)compliance

Question 12

When there is a clash between your behavior and your attitude, the resulting discomfort can be reduced by all of the following EXCEPT

A)making your attitude match the behavior.
B)making your behavior match the attitude.
C)increasing the amount of perceived choice.
D)changing the importance of the dissonant thoughts.

Question 13

Celeste worked and voted for a candidate that she later discovered was dishonest and immoral.These facts made Celeste very uncomfortable because these were attributes that she does not admire.Celeste's feelings can best be explained by the

A)frustration-aggression hypothesis.
B)fundamental attribution theory.
C)theory of groupthink.
D)cognitive dissonance theory.

Question 14

According to your text, all of the following are strategies that reduce cognitive dissonance EXCEPT

A)changing the importance of dissonant thoughts.
B)adding consonant thoughts.
C)changing your behavior.
D)changing your value system.

Question 15

The amount of cognitive dissonance experienced is related to

A)the amount of justification for acting contrary to one's belief.
B)the length of time that the role-playing was carried out.
C)the presence or absence of scientific information.
D)all of these.

Question 16

Cognitive dissonance is usually strongest when the reward or justification is

A)significantly delayed.
B)ambiguous.
C)large and very significant.
D)small or non-existent.

Question 17

In Festinger's classic experiment, the college students who experienced NO cognitive dissonance and who did not change their attitude about the experiment and still thought "it was boring" were the students who

A)had scored high in ethnocentrism.
B)had succumbed to groupthink.
C)were paid $20.
D)were paid $1.

Question 18

_____ underlies attempts to convince ourselves that we have done the right thing, such as creating stories that change one's spouses's faults into virtues.

A)Cognitive dissonance
B)Overgeneralization
C)Dialectical thinking
D)Ethnocentrism

Question 19

If you do something contrary to your beliefs or attitudes, you will experience the MOST cognitive dissonance when the amount of reward or justification for your actions is

A)high.
B)low.
C)delayed.
D)explained.

Question 20

To minimize _____, we tend to emphasize positive aspects of what we choose, while downgrading other alternatives.

A)our cognitive dissonance
B)the fundamental attribution error
C)our tendency for groupthink
D)our self-handicapping attitude

Question 21

Conformity, obedience, and compliance are all examples of

A)social influence.
B)social learning.
C)the fundamental attributional error.
D)coercion.

Question 22

Social influence ranges in intensity from the gentlest form _____, which involves changing one's behavior just because other people are nearby, to the strongest form _____, which involves changing one's behavior because you are forced to.

A)mere presence; compliance
B)mere presence; coercion
C)compliance; obedience
D)conformity; compliance

Question 23

Celia, who is a college student, has always thought of herself as an environmental activist.Recently, she "inherited" a gas-guzzling car from her parents, which she has been driving around campus.To reduce the cognitive dissonance that she feels from these clashing images of herself, the environmental activist and the gas-guzzling car owner, she might _____ by saying that her schedule has become too hectic to spend time biking or riding the bus and besides it has become too expensive to ride the bus.

A)change her attitude
B)change the importance of the dissonant thoughts
C)add consonant thoughts
D)reduce the amount of her perceived choice

Question 24

The strongest of the five forms of social influence is

A)conformity.
B)compliance.
C)obedience
D)coercion.

Question 25

Changes in a person's behavior induced by the presence or actions of others is known as

A)social influence.
B)the actor-observer bias.
C)ethnocentrism.
D)social exchange.

Question 26

In the sidewalk experiment, various numbers of people stood on a busy New York City street and, on cue, began looking at a sixth-floor window across the street.Soon many of the people walking on the street stopped and looked up at the window.The _____ the influencing group, the _____ people were swayed to join in staring at the window.

A)larger; more
B)better dressed; more
C)better dressed; less
D)older; more

Question 27

Celia, who is a college student, has always thought of herself as an environmental activist.Recently, she "inherited" a gas-guzzling car from her parents, which she has been driving around campus.To reduce the cognitive dissonance that she feels from these clashing images of herself, the environmental activist and the gas-guzzling car owner, she might _____ by saying that it is more important to support the environmental movement politically than it is to worry about how a person gets to work or school.

A)change her attitude
B)change the importance of the dissonant thoughts
C)change her behavior
D)reduce the amount of her perceived choice

Question 28

Karen smokes two packs of cigarettes a day.However, she is aware that smoking is harmful to her health; therefore, she holds two conflicting or dissonant thoughts.If Karen were to reduce her cognitive dissonance by CHANGING HER ATTITUDE, she might say to herself,

A)"Smoking really is not that dangerous."
B)"Smoking is a habit that I have little control over."
C)"I think that I'll try to give smoking up."
D)"I'll only smoke when I feel stressed out."

Question 29

Regarding social influence,

A)the larger the influencing group, the more people are swayed to join in
B)it can range from the mere presence of people being nearby to intensive indoctrination.
C)compliance involves changing one's behavior in response to another person who has little or no social power or authority.
D)all of these statements are true.

Question 30

The gentlest of the five forms of social influence is

A)conformity.
B)compliance.
C)obedience
D)mere presence.

Question 31

Regarding the intensity of the forms of social influence, which of the following would be the strongest of the four listed?

A)conformity
B)compliance
C)obedience
D)mere presence

Question 32

Celia, who is a college student, has always thought of herself as an environmental activist.Recently, she "inherited" a gas-guzzling car from her parents, which she has been driving around campus.To reduce the cognitive dissonance that she feels from these clashing images of herself, the environmental activist and the gas-guzzling car owner, she might _____ by deciding that she will only use the car when it is impossible to bike or take the bus.

A)change her attitude
B)change her behavior
C)add consonant thoughts
D)reduce the amount of her perceived choice

Question 33

Celia, who is a college student, has always thought of herself as an environmental activist.Recently, she "inherited" a gas-guzzling car from her parents, which she has been driving around campus.To reduce the cognitive dissonance that she feels from these clashing images of herself, the environmental activist and the gas-guzzling car owner, she might _____ by saying that it is an old car and keeping it on the road makes good use of the resources consumed when it was manufactured.

A)change her attitude
B)change her behavior
C)add consonant thoughts
D)reduce the amount of her perceived choice

Question 34

The five major forms of social influence listed in order of intensity are

A)social learning, attribution, persuasion, conformity, and indoctrination.
B)mere presence, conformity, social learning, persuasion, and obedience.
C)mere presence, conformity, compliance, obedience, and coercion.
D)observational learning, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and indoctrination.

Question 35

When people interact, they almost always affect each other's behavior.This refers to social

A)influence.
B)diffusion.
C)reciprocity.
D)exchange.

Question 36

The process of changing your behavior in direct response to the demands of an authority is known as

A)norming.
B)compliance.
C)conformity.
D)obedience.

Question 37

Karen smokes two packs of cigarettes a day.However, she is aware that smoking is harmful to her health; therefore, she holds two conflicting or dissonant thoughts.If Karen were to reduce her cognitive dissonance by CHANGING HER BEHAVIOR, she might

A)say to herself, "Smoking really is not that dangerous."
B)seek examples of heavy smokers who have lived long lives.
C)emphasize the addictive nature of nicotine.
D)decide to smoke only when she feels stressed out.

Question 38

Karen smokes two packs of cigarettes a day.However, she is aware that smoking is harmful to her health; therefore, she holds two conflicting or dissonant thoughts.If Karen were to reduce her cognitive dissonance by REDUCING the amount of her perceived choice, she might say to herself,

A)"Smoking really is not that dangerous."
B)"Smoking is a habit that I have little control over."
C)"I think that I'll try to give smoking up."
D)"I'll only smoke when I feel stressed out."

Question 39

In the sidewalk experiment, various numbers of people stood on a busy New York City street and, on cue, began looking at a sixth-floor window across the street.Soon many of the people walking on the street stopped and looked up at the window.This experiment illustrates

A)groupthink.
B)social influence.
C)the fundamental attribution error.
D)cognitive dissonance.

Question 40

The process of changing your behavior to match that of others in a group is

A)norming.
B)compliance.
C)conformity.
D)obedience.

Question 41

Although Jena usually does not like to "dress up" and wear high heels, her group of friends have decided to "dress up" during homecoming week at school.So, Jena's decision to "dress up" is based on the _____ power of her friends.

A)coercive
B)legitimate
C)reward
D)referent

Question 42

_____ power is based upon the recognition that another person has the knowledge necessary for achieving a goal.

A)Coercive
B)Expert
C)Referent
D)Legitimate

Question 43

You are sick, and you go to your family physician to be diagnosed and given medicine to get well.Thus, your family physician is considered to have _____ power.

A)legitimate
B)expert
C)referent
D)professional

Question 44

The process of changing your behavior in response to another person who has little or no social power or authority is known as _____, while changing your behavior in direct response to the demands of an authority is known as _____.

A)conformity; compliance
B)compliance; conformity
C)compliance; obedience
D)conformity; obedience

Question 45

The capacity to control, alter, or influence the behavior of another person is referred to as

A)social power.
B)social exchange.
C)active compliance.
D)referent persuasion.

Question 46

Much of the conformity observed in groups is the result of _____ power.

A)disclosure
B)attribution
C)external
D)referent

Question 47

Reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert are types of

A)social power.
B)social exchange.
C)compliance.
D)persuasion.

Question 48

Which form of social power comes from acceptance of a person as an agent of an established social order?

A)coercive
B)electoral
C)legitimate
D)referent

Question 49

Private Keshun has a great deal of respect for his sergeant, whom he hopes to be like someday.In this example, the sergeant has _____ power with Private Keshun.

A)coercive
B)attribution
C)sublimated
D)referent

Question 50

Daily behavior is probably most influenced by group pressures for

A)conformity.
B)compliance.
C)obedience.
D)coercion.

Question 51

The ability to provide incentives for a person to comply with desired behavior is known as

A)reward power.
B)social exchange.
C)compliance.
D)referent power.

Question 52

The use of grades in the classroom or wages and bonuses on the job are applications of _____ power.

A)coercive
B)reward
C)referent
D)expert

Question 53

Our elected leaders as well as the teacher in your classroom have _____ power, since it is based on the person's position as an agent of that particular social order.

A)coercive
B)electoral
C)legitimate
D)referent

Question 54

The process of changing your behavior in response to another person who has little or no social power or authority is known as

A)norming.
B)compliance.
C)conformity.
D)obedience.

Question 55

_____ is a quality possessed by individuals, while _____ is always social and arises when people come together and disappears when they disperse.

A)Conformity; compliance
B)Strength; power
C)Self-assertion; aggression
D)Compliance; persuasion

Question 56

Much of our behavior is regulated by statutory law and the fines and imprisonment it provides for wrong-doing.Thus, much of our behavior is controlled by _____ power.

A)coercive
B)referent
C)expert
D)reward

Question 57

As a basis for social power, the ability to punish a person for failure to comply is called _____ power.

A)authority
B)referent
C)expert
D)coercive

Question 58

Which of the following is NOT one of the types of social power?

A)expert
B)referent
C)legitimate
D)persuasive

Question 59

A very knowledgeable teacher has been assigned to teach your class by the administrators of the college.Not only will she impart her knowledge of psychology to you, but she also has the right to assign you grades based on your ability to apply the knowledge she has taught.Thus, your teacher has which type(s) of power?

A)legitimate
B)expert
C)reward
D)all of these

Question 60

When a psychologist delivers testimony in a court case, he or she is using _____ power.

A)legitimate
B)expert
C)referent
D)professional

Question 61

The teacher decides to let your class get in groups of four to complete the homework.Your effort on this group task will be _____ the effort you would have expended if the task had been completed as an individual homework.

A)greater than
B)less than
C)the same as
D)erratic and more unpredictable than

Question 62

In situations where a person has power, he or she is described as a(n)

A)expert.
B)authority.
C)referent.
D)facilitator.

Question 63

The tendency for people to change their behavior just because of the presence of other people is known as

A)compliance.
B)conformity.
C)mere presence.
D)indirect obedience.

Question 64

In a classic study on social facilitation that focused on college students shooting pool at a student union.Good players who were confident in their pool playing _____ when being watched by others.

A)became very self-conscious and their pool-playing suffered significantly
B)improved their accuracy
C)showed no change in their pool shooting ability
D)became extreme showman and took risky shots, many of which did not pay off

Question 65

In a classic study on social facilitation that focused on college students shooting pool at a student union.Less confident, average pool players _____ when being watched by others.

A)decreased their accuracy
B)improved their accuracy
C)showed no change in their pool shooting ability
D)became extreme showman and took risky shots, many of which did not pay off

Question 66

In a study on _____, people playing tug-of-war while blindfolded pulled harder if they thought they were competing alone and pulled less hard when they thought others were on their team.

A)groupthink
B)passive compliance
C)social loafing
D)mere presence

Question 67

In a study on social loafing, people playing tug-of-war while blindfolded _____ if they thought they were competing alone than when they thought others were on their team.

A)pulled harder
B)made less of an effort
C)did not vary the amount of their effort
D)gave "up" totally

Question 68

The tendency to perform better when in the presence of others is known as

A)social compliance.
B)social facilitation.
C)indirect obedience.
D)conformity.

Question 69

The teacher decides to let your class get in groups of four to complete the homework.Your effort on this group task will be less than the effort you would have expended if the task had been completed as individual homework.This illustrates the principle of

A)mere presence.
B)group conformity.
C)social loafing.
D)social facilitation.

Question 70

According to Norman Triplett's experiment on social facilitation, if you are riding a bicycle and another rider pulls up beside you, you will be more likely to

A)speed up.
B)slow down.
C)ignore the other rider.
D)speak and try to maintain his or her pace.

Question 71

In a study on social loafing, people playing tug-of-war while blindfolded _____ if they thought they were part of a team than if they were competing alone.

A)pulled harder
B)made less of an effort
C)did not vary the amount of their effort
D)were erratic in the amount of effort expended

Question 72

According to Norman Triplett's experiment on _____, if you are riding a bicycle and another rider pulls up beside you, you will be more likely to speed up.

A)social compliance
B)social facilitation
C)indirect obedience
D)conformity

Question 73

You are practicing your speech alone in your door room when your roommate and another student from down the hall walk in and motion for you to keep going.According to the theory of _____, you are more likely to perform better, particularly if you are confident in your speech making ability.

A)social facilitation
B)social compliance
C)indirect obedience
D)conforming performance

Question 74

In 1898, psychologist _____ conducted the first published social psychology experiment.

A)Stanley Milgram
B)Solomon Asch
C)Philip Zimbardo
D)Norman Triplett

Question 75

You are a good school teacher and are instructing your class when you spy the principal standing outside the door watching you.According to social facilitation theory, you are likely to

A)improve your teaching performance.
B)decrease in your teaching performance.
C)not change your teaching performance.
D)become indigent that the principal would just stand silently outside the door rather than coming in to the classroom and making his or her presence known.

Question 76

You are talking with an acquaintance, and you move in closer.Most people will show signs of discomfort.They will either step back, turn to the side, look away, or position an arm in front of themselves because you have

A)ignored their status.
B)violated their personal space.
C)violated group structure.
D)created a role conflict.

Question 77

Regarding social power, which of the following statements is/are TRUE?

A)A person who has power in one situation may have very little in another.
B)In those situations where a person has power, he or she is described as an authority.
C)Regardless of whether or not the people around you are authorities, friends, or strangers, their mere presence is likely to influence your behavior.
D)All of these statements are true.

Question 78

In a classic study on _____ that focused on college students shooting pool at a student union.Good players who were confident in their pool playing improved their accuracy when being watched by others, while the less confident players decreased their accuracy when being watched by others.

A)social facilitation
B)social compliance
C)indirect obedience
D)conforming performance

Question 79

If you were sitting alone in your dorm room, picking your nose, and a stranger entered the room, you would probably stop picking your nose because of _____ of the stranger.

A)compliance
B)conformity
C)mere presence
D)indirect obedience

Question 80

The tendency of people to work less hard when part of a group than when they are solely responsible for their work is known as

A)groupthink.
B)passive compliance.
C)social loafing.
D)mere presence.