Question 1

Dr McIntyre's introductory psychology class just did poorly on their first test of the semester. Dr. McIntyre tells them that they need to study harder, and the students start complaining that the test was too hard. Dr. McIntyre is making an ________attribution for the failure, and her students are making an ________ attribution for the failure.

Accepted Answer

Dr. McIntyre's attribution is internal because she is suggesting that the students need to change their own behavior (study harder) in order to improve their performance. The students' attribution is external because they are pointing to factors beyond their control (the test being too hard) as the reason for their failure.

Question 2

Some social norms may not be openly stated, but we are aware of them.

Accepted Answer

There are many social norms that are implied or unspoken. We often learn these norms through observation and experience rather than explicit instruction. For example, it is generally considered impolite to interrupt someone while they are speaking, or to stand too close to someone in line. These norms are not usually written down or explicitly stated, but most people are aware of them and follow them instinctively.

Question 3

In an experiment by Jones and Harris, people were presented with either a pro-Castro speech or an anti-Castro speech. When people were told that the pro-Castro writer's position had been assigned, not chosen, people made

Accepted Answer

People made a dispositional attribution about the writer's beliefs, assuming that the writer's personal beliefs aligned with the pro-Castro position, despite being informed that the position was assigned. This demonstrates the fundamental attribution error, where people tend to overemphasize personal characteristics and ignore situational factors.

Question 4

An attribution is

Accepted Answer

An attribution involves trying to explain the reason behind people's actions.

Question 5

Describe an instance of the actor-observer effect.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe an instance of the actor-observer effect....

Question 6

Enrico is driving in the left lane and is frustrated because the driver in front of him will not move over and let him pass. Enrico decides that the driver is an idiot who is probably talking on a cell phone. Enrico is making

Accepted Answer

Enrico is attributing the driver's behavior to an internal cause (the driver being an "idiot") rather than considering external factors.

Question 7

Glenda scored very well on her first test. She told others that her success was due to her hard study efforts. When she failed the next test, she attributed it to the test being too difficult. What form of attribution bias does this described?

Accepted Answer

This describes the self-serving bias, where an individual attributes their success to internal factors such as their own abilities and effort, but their failures to external factors such as the situation or context.

Question 8

What type of agreed-on expectations provide information about what members of a group actually do?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What type of agreed-on expectations provide information...

Question 9

Agreed-on expectations about what members of a group are expected to do are known as __________ norms.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Agreed-on expectations about what members of a...

Question 10

Why do we judge many of our behaviors situationally?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why do we judge many of our...

Question 11

Individuals tend to make dispositional attributions when they assume the role of a(n) __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Individuals tend to make dispositional attributions when...

Question 12

The actor-observer effect states that

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer effect refers to the tendency for people to make different attributions about their own behavior versus the behavior of others. When people switch from being the actor to being the observer, or vice versa, they often switch their attributions as well. Therefore, option D is the correct answer. Options A, B, and C are not the best choices because they do not fully capture the nature of the actor-observer effect.

Question 13

Describe the concept of a social role.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the concept of a social role....

Question 14

Describe an example of the self-serving bias from your own experience.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe an example of the self-serving bias...

Question 15

According to the self-serving bias, we are likely to make _______ attributions for our own successes and _________attributions for our failures.

Accepted Answer

The self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute our successes to internal factors (like our own abilities or efforts) and our failures to external factors (like luck or other people's actions).

Question 16

When faced with the behavior of others, we see them as having rich, adaptive personalities.

Accepted Answer

We often attribute others' behaviors to their personalities, but we may not see them as rich or adaptive. Instead, we might oversimplify or stereotype their actions.

Question 17

If we are given detailed information about external pressures, we may attribute the behavior of others to __________ factors.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If we are given detailed information about...

Question 18

Which of the following is true about the attributions we make about other people's actions?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is true about...

Question 19

Which of the following is the best example of the fundamental attribution error?

Accepted Answer

Option B describes the fundamental attribution error as Jordan is attributing his roommate's failure on the psychology exam to his lack of intelligence rather than considering external factors that may have contributed to the poor performance. Option A is an example of self-serving bias, option C is an example of blaming external factors for one's own failures, and option D is an example of minimizing the effort of others by assuming that the exam was easy.

Question 20

What attitudinal change occurred in residents of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What attitudinal change occurred in residents of...

Quiz 14: Social Psychology