Question 1

Studies have indicated that attitudes are good predictors of behaviours when people are aware of their attitudes and when the attitudes are _____________.

Accepted Answer

Strongly held attitudes are more likely to predict behavior because they are more ingrained and influential in guiding behavior. Positive or negative attitudes alone do not determine behavior, but the strength and awareness of the attitude play a role.

Question 2

Suppose you are told that a guest lecturer who will be coming to your class is rather aloof and cold.When the lecturer does come,you find that the lecturer behaves in a way that is consistent with the expectations you have been given.While it may be that the lecturer is in fact cold and aloof,which of the following additional conclusions is most likely?

Accepted Answer

The given scenario suggests the use of a cognitive framework or schema to interpret the behavior of the guest lecturer. The schema in this case could be related to the stereotype that aloof and cold people behave in a certain manner. Therefore, Option A, which suggests that the conclusion was facilitated by the activation of a specific schema, is the most likely answer. Option B, which refers to the fundamental attribution error, is not relevant to the given scenario. Option C, which suggests the self-serving bias, and Option D, which refers to stereotype threat, are also not applicable in this scenario.

Question 3

According to this theory,attitudes are relatively good predictors of future behaviour when people have positive attitudes towards their behaviours,when subjective norms support their attitudes,and when they believe that behaviours are under their personal control.This is the _______________.

Accepted Answer

The theory described in the question is the theory of planned behaviour, which suggests that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control all influence behaviour. Choice A (realistic conflict theory) is not related to attitudes or behaviour, choice B (self-perception theory) focuses on how behaviour influences attitudes rather than the reverse, and choice C (dissonance theory) is focused on how people cope with conflicting beliefs or actions.

Question 4

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

A schema is a cognitive framework that helps us organize and interpret information. A stereotype is a set of beliefs about a group of people that we apply to all individuals who belong to that group. Thus, a stereotype can be considered a specific type of schema – one that relates specifically to social groups.

Question 5

In a study conducted by Darley and Gross,participants watched a video of a nine-year-old girl,Hannah,answering questions and were then asked to judge her academic potential.Participants who were told she was ___________ rated her lower in ability.

Accepted Answer

The study found that when participants were told that Hannah was from a disadvantaged background, they rated her lower in academic potential.

Question 6

Elizabeth has every good intention of sticking to her New Year's diet resolution.However,Elizabeth does not believe that her weight is under her control,and she has a very negative attitude about eating less food every day.Which of the following statements best explains what will happen to Elizabeth?

Accepted Answer

Elizabeth's negative attitude towards eating less food will likely undermine her efforts to stick to her diet resolution, as her attitude is not supporting the desired behavior. This means that she may struggle to lose weight, despite her good intentions.

Question 7

Suppose that someone has just opened a new restaurant near your school and you have been convinced to walk around for three hours on a very hot day carrying a big,heavy sign advertising this restaurant.You would probably rate this activity as most enjoyable if someone paid you $1 to do it according to ______________.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that when there is a discrepancy between our beliefs and our actions, we will change one to match the other. In this case, being paid only $1 for a difficult task would lead to dissonance. To resolve this, one might convince themselves that the activity was enjoyable, aligning their beliefs with their actions to reduce the dissonance.

Question 8

Pat smokes cigarettes and strongly believes that doing so is bad for one's health.On a health questionnaire,Pat initially answered "No" to the question,"Do you engage in any health-harming behaviours?" Pat felt uncomfortable with that answer and changed it to "Yes." Of the alternatives below,Pat's answer-changing behaviour best reflects the notion of:

Accepted Answer

Pat's answer-changing behaviour reflects cognitive dissonance, which is the discomfort one feels when their beliefs or attitudes conflict with their behaviour. In this case, Pat's belief that smoking is harmful conflicted with their initial answer of "No" to engaging in any health-harming behaviours. Changing the answer to "Yes" reduces the cognitive dissonance.

Question 9

Malvine has always campaigned for clean air and water,often doorbelling for candidates running for political office on a clean environment platform.She is dismayed to learn that her favourite restaurant is polluting the fresh water stream that runs behind it but she continues to eat lunch there twice a week.She later cancels her membership in an environmental group,saying that the group is too radical.Which of the following psychological processes is evident here?

Accepted Answer

Malvine's actions and beliefs are inconsistent, creating cognitive dissonance. She believes in and advocates for a clean environment, but continues to support a restaurant that is polluting a nearby stream. To reduce the discomfort of this inconsistency, she cancels her membership in an environmental group that might challenge her actions, rationalizing that they are too radical.

Question 10

The study conducted by LaPiere in 1934 using a young Chinese couple as participants demonstrated that:

Accepted Answer

LaPiere's study is famous for showing that people's expressed attitudes (in this case, prejudiced attitudes towards Asians) did not predict their actual behavior towards a young Chinese couple. Despite widespread prejudicial attitudes, the couple was treated hospitably in most establishments they visited, indicating a significant discrepancy between attitudes and behaviors.

Question 11

According to Festinger,when two or more cognitions are inconsistent with or contradict one another,an uncomfortable state of tension called cognitive ______________ results.

Accepted Answer

Festinger proposed the idea of cognitive dissonance, which refers to the psychological discomfort that arises when two or more cognitions (e.g. beliefs, attitudes, behaviors) are inconsistent with each other. This discomfort motivates individuals to reduce the dissonance by changing one of the cognitions or finding a way to reconcile them.

Question 12

A new babysitter is warned by a child's parents that their son is very aggressive and loud.As a result of this initial expectation,the babysitter behaves in such a way that these very behaviours are evoked from the child,thus confirming what the sitter was initially told.This example best demonstrates the phenomenon called:

Accepted Answer

The scenario describes the self-fulfilling prophecy, where the initial belief or expectation of the babysitter about the child's behavior influenced the babysitter's behavior towards the child, ultimately leading to the child exhibiting those aggressive and loud behaviors, thereby fulfilling the initial expectation. The self-serving bias refers to taking credit for one's success and blaming external factors for one's failures. The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to overemphasize dispositional factors and underestimate situational factors when explaining someone else's behavior. Social loafing refers to the tendency to exert less effort when working in a group towards a common goal.

Question 13

When we are unaware of the role that our behaviour played in shaping another person's behaviour and we then interpret the other person's behaviour as evidence that our expectation of the other person was correct all along,a __________________ is said to have occurred.

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes a self-fulfilling prophecy, where our initial expectation or belief about another person leads us to behave in a way that influences their behavior to match our expectation, thereby fulfilling it. We then interpret this behavior as evidence that our expectation was correct all along, despite our behavior playing a role in shaping the situation.

Question 14

Under which of the following conditions do attitudes best predict behaviour?

Accepted Answer

General attitudes tend to predict general classes of behavior more consistently than specific attitudes predict specific behaviors. This is because general attitudes are more stable and strongly related to values and beliefs, which guide behavior across situations. Specific attitudes may be more affected by situational factors, making them less reliable predictors of behavior.

Question 15

When people's incorrect expectations are confirmed and they relate to other people in a way that brings about the very behaviours they expect,thereby confirming their original beliefs,then a _______________ has occurred.

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes a self-fulfilling prophecy, where someone's expectations about another person lead them to behave in a way that confirms those expectations, thus creating a feedback loop. This can be seen in situations such as a teacher expecting a student to do poorly, treating them differently as a result, and the student then actually doing poorly due to the differential treatment.

Question 16

Cognitive dissonance is more likely to occur when a person feels that her actions are coerced and when the counterattitudinal behaviour __________ her sense of self worth.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two or more beliefs that are inconsistent with each other, leading to discomfort or stress. In this scenario, the person is likely to feel a sense of dissonance if they are performing a behavior that goes against their beliefs, especially if they feel coerced to do so. If the behavior threatens their sense of self-worth, they may be even more likely to experience cognitive dissonance.

Question 17

The term,"self-fulfilling prophecy" specifically refers to instances in which:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The term,"self-fulfilling prophecy" specifically refers to instances...

Question 18

A positive or negative evaluative reaction towards a stimulus is a(n)_________.

Accepted Answer

Attitude refers to a person's positive or negative evaluation, belief, or feeling towards a stimulus such as an object, person, behavior, or idea. Social norm refers to a group's shared expectations or rules about how people should behave in a given situation. Social role refers to a set of expected behaviors, obligations, and privileges associated with a particular social position. Attribution refers to a process of explaining the causes of one's own or others' behavior or outcomes.

Question 19

for writing a counterattitudinal essay did not show similar shifts.This example best demonstrates the phenomenon called:

Accepted Answer

The example described in the question is related to cognitive dissonance, which is the psychological tension that arises from holding two conflicting beliefs or behaviors. In the experiment, participants experienced cognitive dissonance as they held the belief that the task was boring but still chose to write the essay. This led to a change in their attitudes towards the boring task, but not towards the essay writing task. Therefore, the best choice is D, cognitive dissonance.

Question 20

Researchers have determined that general attitudes do best when used to predict __________ behaviours.

Accepted Answer

General attitudes are more effective in predicting general behaviors rather than specific actions, extreme behaviors, or stereotypic behaviors. This is because general attitudes reflect an individual's overall disposition or tendency towards something, making them more aligned with broad patterns of behavior rather than specific instances.

Quiz 16: Psychological Disorders