Question 1

Individuals who are normally law-abiding may vandalize and loot when they become part of a mob.This change in behavior is best understood in terms of

Accepted Answer

Deindividuation refers to the loss of self-awareness and personal responsibility that can occur when individuals are in a group. This can lead to changes in behavior, including increased aggression and a lack of concern for social norms such as laws against vandalism and looting.

Question 2

Job applicants are interviewed by either friendly or unfriendly employers who sit either very close to or at a normal distance from the applicants.Research suggests that applicants will like best the friendly employers who sit at a ________ distance and will like least the unfriendly employers who sit at a ________ distance.

Accepted Answer

Applicants are likely to feel more comfortable with friendly employers who respect personal space (sitting at a normal distance), and most uncomfortable with unfriendly employers who invade personal space (sitting very close).

Question 3

In which of the following groups is social loafing LEAST likely?

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is when individuals put in less effort when working in a group than when working alone because they believe their individual contribution will not be noticed. In this case, restaurant food servers are motivated to work hard because they directly benefit from their individual efforts in the form of tips.

Question 4

How does the presence of observers affect a person's performance?

Accepted Answer

The presence of observers tends to improve performance on tasks that are easy or well-learned by the individual, as the added pressure can increase focus and motivation. Conversely, for tasks that are difficult or not well-learned, the pressure from observers can increase anxiety and hinder performance. This phenomenon is explained by social facilitation theory.

Question 5

An unlikable person is likely to be perceived more ________ a group discussion of that person's qualities,and a likable person is likely to be perceived more ________ a group discussion of that person's qualities.

Accepted Answer

An unlikable person is likely to be perceived more negatively after a group discussion of that person's qualities because negative qualities tend to be highlighted and amplified in group discussions. On the other hand, a likable person is likely to be perceived more positively after a group discussion of that person's qualities because positive qualities tend to be highlighted and amplified in group discussions.

Question 6

In group situations,the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint that fosters arousal and anonymity is called

Accepted Answer

Deindividuation is the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations that fosters arousal and anonymity. This can lead individuals to act in ways that they may not normally behave, such as engaging in risky or impulsive behavior.

Question 7

At her health club,Bonnie,who is a skilled runner,runs much faster on the treadmill when other patrons are using nearby equipment.This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation refers to the tendency for people to perform better on simple or well-learned tasks when in the presence of others. Bonnie's ability to run faster on the treadmill when others are using nearby equipment is an example of social facilitation. This occurs because the presence of others can increase physiological arousal, which can enhance performance on simple or well-learned tasks. Since running on a treadmill is a well-learned task for Bonnie, she is likely experiencing the social facilitation effect when other patrons are using nearby equipment.

Question 8

If the political conservatism of female students who join sororities is greater than that of female students who do not,the gap in the political attitudes of the two groups will probably widen as they progress through college.This would be best explained in terms of

Accepted Answer

Group polarization occurs when group discussion leads to an enhancement of the group's prevailing tendencies; in this case, the political conservatism of female students in sororities. As they continue to interact only with those who share their beliefs, their attitudes become even more extreme. This explains the widening gap in political attitudes between sorority members and non-members over time.

Question 9

The tendency for people to exert less effort when they are pooling their efforts toward a common goal is known as

Accepted Answer

Social loafing refers to individuals putting in less effort when working in a group towards a common goal as compared to when working alone. This is because the responsibility is shared and individuals feel less accountable for the outcome of the group's performance.

Question 10

Circumstances that increase ________ are likely to reduce ________.

Accepted Answer

B) Increasing self-awareness tends to reduce deindividuation, which is a state where individuals in a group lose self-awareness and as a result, personal and social norms are diminished.

Question 11

Masked bandits might be more likely than unmasked bandits to physically injure their victims because of

Accepted Answer

Deindividuation occurs when people lose their sense of individual identity and become more likely to behave in ways that they normally wouldn't. Wearing a mask can lead to deindividuation since it allows the masked individual to feel anonymous and less accountable for their actions. This can increase the likelihood of them engaging in aggressive and harmful behavior towards their victims. Group polarization, groupthink, and social facilitation are not as applicable in this scenario.

Question 12

Group polarization refers to

Accepted Answer

Group polarization refers to the enhancement of a group's prevailing attitudes through group discussion, which leads individual group members to adopt more extreme versions of the group's original attitudes or judgments. It is not about the lack of critical thinking or exerting more effort in a group, and it does not necessarily involve a split within the group.

Question 13

Internet communication that enables like-minded health care advocates to share their ideas also serves to strengthen their prevailing health care attitudes.This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Group polarization is the tendency for a group's dominant attitudes to become stronger and more extreme after discussion or interaction within the group. Internet communication allows like-minded health care advocates to interact and discuss their ideas, which can strengthen their attitudes and beliefs about health care, resulting in group polarization.

Question 14

Class members are asked to work cooperatively in groups on major course papers.Every member of a group is to receive exactly the same grade based on the quality of the group's paper.This situation is most likely to lead to

Accepted Answer

This situation, where individual effort is not rewarded and the group as a whole is responsible for the outcome, creates a high potential for social loafing. Members may feel their contribution is not crucial to the success of the group and thus exert less effort, relying on others to make up for their lack of input.

Question 15

Social facilitation is most likely to occur in the performance of ________ tasks.

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation occurs when the presence of others enhances an individual's performance on a task. This effect is more likely to occur on simple or well-rehearsed tasks, as the presence of others increases arousal and alertness, which can improve performance. On more challenging or novel tasks, the presence of others may lead to social inhibition, where an individual's performance decreases due to anxiety or self-consciousness.

Question 16

On which of the following tasks would the presence of observers be LEAST likely to lead to better and faster performance?

Accepted Answer

The presence of observers is less likely to have an impact on a task that requires cognitive abilities such as solving a crossword puzzle. This is because the task relies on individual thinking and mental processes, and the presence of observers can lead to distraction and added pressure, negatively affecting performance.

Question 17

Blindfolded people were observed to clap louder when they thought they were clapping alone than when they thought they were clapping with others.This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as social loafing, which refers to the tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone. The blindfolding in this scenario made people feel anonymous, which increased the likelihood of social loafing.

Question 18

By providing prospective terrorists with electronic chat rooms for interfacing online with others who share their attitudes,the Internet most likely serves as a medium for

Accepted Answer

Group polarization is the tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of its members. In this case, the Internet provides a platform for terrorists to interact and reinforce each other's extreme attitudes, therefore leading to group polarization.

Question 19

Professors Maksoud,Struthers,and Vasic each tend to think that obtaining a university degree is easier today than it was when they were students.After discussing the matter over coffee,they are even more convinced that obtaining a degree is easier today.This episode provides an example of

Accepted Answer

Group polarization occurs when a group discussion leads to the adoption of more extreme positions by the members than they initially held. In this case, the professors' belief that obtaining a university degree is easier today became stronger after their discussion, illustrating group polarization.

Question 20

Which of the following is LEAST likely to create deindividuation?

Accepted Answer

Deindividuation is the loss of self-awareness and individual accountability that can occur in group settings. Option B - the heightening of self-awareness through taking a video of the event - would not lead to deindividuation. In fact, it would have the opposite effect of increasing self-awareness and accountability. The other options (A, C, and D) can all contribute to deindividuation.

Quiz 14: Social Psychology