Question 1

Juan is in the process of forming an opinion about someone when a friend who is taking a psychology class tells him to avoid making snap judgements and to carefully consider the evidence.The net result of this advice is that Juan feels more accountable for his opinions.The advice of Juan's friend should most likely decrease:

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect is the tendency for the first information received about someone to influence our impressions of them more than later information. Juan's friend advising him to carefully consider evidence before forming an opinion should reduce the impact of the primacy effect. The other options (recency effect, fundamental attribution error, and self-serving bias) are not directly related to Juan's friend's advice.

Question 2

Tamara is careless at the office one day and accidentally prescribes the wrong medicine for a twelve year-old patient.When her new associate catches the mistake,he assumes she does not know the difference in medications and that she must not be practicing very good medicine and that she may not be very bright.This tendency to underestimate the role of situational factors when explaining Tamara's behaviour is the:

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to underestimate the role of situational factors and overestimate the role of dispositional factors (such as personality traits) when explaining someone's behaviour. In this case, the new associate assumes Tamara's mistake is due to her lack of knowledge or capability, rather than considering the possibility that it was just a one-off mistake due to carelessness or distraction.

Question 3

An elderly woman accosts Susan,a news anchorwoman,on the street one day.It seems the older woman watched the television news last night during which Susan reported on a newly developed method of birth control.The woman is opposed to all methods of birth control for religious reasons and she assumed that Susan personally believes in birth control.The woman is committing the ___________________.

Accepted Answer

The woman is committing the fundamental attribution error by assuming that Susan's reporting on birth control means that she personally believes in it, without considering alternative explanations such as journalistic objectivity.

Question 4

Under which of the following conditions are we most likely to make a personal attribution?

Accepted Answer

Personal attribution is most likely when consistency is high and distinctiveness and consensus are both low. This is because high consistency suggests that a person's behavior is a pattern and therefore reflects their personality or traits. However, low distinctiveness and consensus suggest that the behavior is not unique to the situation or context and that others would likely behave in the same way, further supporting a personal attribution.

Question 5

Nora was driving the store clerk crazy! She was trying to find a swimsuit to take on vacation with her next week and not one suit she tried on flattered her figure at all.Nora,attributing the problem to the fact that manufacturers are not making swimsuits in flattering styles anymore,may be exhibiting:

Accepted Answer

Nora is exhibiting the fundamental attribution error by blaming the unflattering swimsuits on the manufacturers' designs rather than considering personal factors, such as her own body shape or preferences. This error involves attributing her difficulty in finding a flattering swimsuit to external causes rather than potential internal or situational factors.

Question 6

The tendency to be more alert to information that is received first and the tendency for initial information to shape how subsequent information is perceived may both help to explain:

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect is the phenomenon where people are more likely to remember information that is presented first. This is because initial information can have a stronger impact on memory and perception than later information. The tendency to be more alert to initial information and for it to shape subsequent perceptions may contribute to the primacy effect.

Question 7

The fundamental attribution error refers to how people tend to overestimate the importance of personal factors and then the importance of situational factors when explaining other people's behaviours is ________________.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error refers to people's tendency to underestimate the importance of situational factors when explaining other people's behaviors and overestimate the importance of personal factors.

Question 8

Charlene is often late for work in the morning.The primary reason for her tardy behaviour is that she has to rely on a nanny to arrive on time to care for her three children before she can leave her house.In Charlene's case,her late behaviour can best be explained by:

Accepted Answer

Situational attributions are explanations of behavior that emphasize the influence of external circumstances such as the situation or environment. In this case, Charlene's tardiness is due to her reliance on the nanny to arrive on time, which is an external circumstance beyond her control. This suggests that situational factors are influencing her behavior.

Question 9

When explaining our own behaviour,when we make more personal attributions for successes and more situational attributions for failures,then ____________ has occurred.

Accepted Answer

The behavior of making personal attributions for successes and situational attributions for failures is a classic example of the self-serving bias, which is the tendency to take credit for success but blame external factors for failures. This bias helps people maintain a positive self-image and protect their self-esteem.

Question 10

All of the following were mentioned by Kelley as factors that determine the attributions we make EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Kelley's attribution theory focuses on how people interpret events and how this relates to their thinking and behavior. Kelley identified three main factors that influence attributions: consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus. Context is not one of the factors Kelley specifically mentioned in his theory.

Question 11

Under which of the following conditions are we most likely to make a situational attribution?

Accepted Answer

Situational attributions are more likely when consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus are all high, indicating that the behavior is due to external factors.

Question 12

Before Dr.Smith's receptionist led a new patient into his dental office she told him that the little girl was not very bright.Armed with this information,Dr.Smith did not pay much attention when the little girl asked him questions about the examination after he had finished.He didn't really believe she would understand his explanations.Dr.Smith had ________________ of less intelligent people.

Accepted Answer

Dr. Smith had a preconceived notion or stereotype about the little girl’s intelligence, which influenced how he interacted with her and his expectations of her ability to understand his explanations.

Question 13

When Sarah takes her new boyfriend home to meet her parents she is very nervous.Trying to explain that he is anxious about the meeting,she introduces Brendon,telling her parents that he is anxious,nervous,and very quiet.Later on,after having calmed down considerably,when her brother comes home she introduces Brendon as quiet because of his nervousness and anxiety about meeting her family.Based on the primacy effect,which of the following will be true about Brendon's impression on Sarah's parents and her brother?

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect suggests that information presented first is usually remembered better or has more influence on perception than information that comes later. In this scenario, Sarah's parents were introduced to Brendon with three descriptors: anxious, nervous, and very quiet, which might create a more negative impression. Her brother, however, only heard Brendon described as "quiet" due to his nervousness and anxiety, which could be perceived more neutrally or even positively compared to the more negative descriptors of "anxious" and "nervous." Therefore, her brother might have a more favorable impression because the introduction focused on a less negative trait.

Question 14

Jared is very upset at the low score he received at his piano competition.Jared typically receives low scores but this time he thought he would do better.He begins to believe that the three judges were all against him from the start.In this case,Jared would be attributing his low score to the:

Accepted Answer

Jared attributes his low score to external factors (the judges being against him) rather than his own ability or effort, which is an example of situational attribution.

Question 15

When forming impressions of people,when people tend to attach more importance to initial information that is learned about a person,this is termed the _____________.

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect refers to the tendency for people to remember and attach greater importance to the first information that they learn about a person. This can influence the formation of impressions and judgments about that person. The recency effect, on the other hand, refers to the tendency to remember and place greater importance on the most recent information that was learned, and the stereotype effect refers to the tendency to make assumptions or judgments about a person based on preconceived stereotypes or beliefs. The source effect refers to the influence that the source of information can have on how people perceive or react to that information.

Question 16

Cross-cultural studies examining the consistency of the fundamental attribution error and the self-serving bias have shown that:

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that both the fundamental attribution error and the self-serving bias can vary across cultures, suggesting that cultural influences play a role in these tendencies. Therefore, option B is the best answer. Options A, C, and D are incorrect as they suggest consistency in one or both of these biases across cultures, which is not supported by research.

Question 17

Making relatively more personal attributions for success and relatively more situational attributions for failure is known as the:

Accepted Answer

The self-serving bias involves making personal attributions for success (i.e., attributing success to internal factors such as ability) and situational attributions for failure (i.e., attributing failure to external circumstances).

Question 18

When referring to judgements people make about the causes of their own and other people's behaviours,psychologists use the term:

Accepted Answer

The term used to refer to the judgments people make about the causes of their own and others' behaviors is attributions. Attitudes refer to evaluative judgments or feelings about an object or situation. Stereotypes refer to beliefs or expectations about members of a particular group. Social norms refer to the unwritten rules of behavior that are considered acceptable in a particular social group or culture.

Question 19

A generalized belief about a group or a category of people is defined as a ____________ .

Accepted Answer

A generalized belief about a group or a category of people is defined as a stereotype. Social norms are unwritten rules about how to behave in society, mental sets are the tendency to approach a problem in a particular way based on past experiences, and a schema is a cognitive framework that helps organize and interpret information.

Question 20

At times,people tend to underestimate the impact of situational factors and overestimate the impact of personal factors when explaining other people's behaviours.This is termed a ____________.

Accepted Answer

The description given matches the definition of fundamental attribution error, which refers to the tendency to attribute a person's behavior to their character or personality, rather than situational factors.

Quiz 16: Psychological Disorders