Question 1

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 2

Think back to the example in the textbook,when Kim says that Art 391 is boring.Under which of the following conditions are we most likely to make a situational attribution that Art 391 is indeed boring?

Accepted Answer

When consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus are all high, it suggests that the situation (Art 391) is indeed boring, as many people agree (high consensus), Kim consistently finds it boring (high consistency), and Kim does not find other classes boring (high distinctiveness).

Question 3

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

Charlene's tardiness is caused by a situation beyond her control, namely the reliability of her nanny to arrive on time, which is a situational attribution. It is not due to a personal characteristic or attribute of Charlene herself.

Question 4

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, which is the tendency to attribute a person's behavior to internal characteristics (Susan's personal beliefs) rather than considering external factors (her job as a news anchorwoman and reporting on a topic that is relevant and newsworthy).

Question 5

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 tendency to underestimate situational factors and overestimate personal traits when explaining a person's behavior is known as the fundamental attribution error. In this scenario, the new associate assumes Tamara must not be practicing good medicine and may not be very bright based solely on her mistake, without considering any external factors that may have contributed to her error.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

A stereotype is a generalized belief about a group or a category of people. Social norms refer to expected behavior in a given social situation. Mental set refers to a tendency to approach situations in a particular way. A schema is a cognitive structure that organizes knowledge about a concept or category.

Question 7

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 8

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 belief about the little girl based on a stereotype. He believed that she was not very bright and therefore did not pay attention to her questions, which is an example of stereotyping. This attitude can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the little girl's performance may have been affected by Dr. Smith's expectations of her. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Dr. Smith had a recency belief or a behavioural perspective in this scenario.

Question 9

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 fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to attribute someone's behavior to their personal characteristics rather than the situation they are in. It is a common cognitive bias that affects how people interpret the behaviors of others.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described in the question is known as the self-serving bias. This bias refers to the tendency of individuals to attribute their successes to personal factors (such as their own abilities or efforts) and their failures to external factors (such as bad luck or situational constraints). This bias serves to protect an individual's self-esteem and maintain a positive self-image. The other options listed (fundamental attribution error, self-justification effect, and primacy effect) do not accurately describe this phenomenon.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to overestimate personal factors and underestimate situational factors when explaining other people's behaviors. Therefore, the best choice is B, which is "underestimate."

Question 12

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 refers to the tendency to remember the first information presented about a person or topic. However, Juan is being advised to carefully consider evidence before forming opinions, which would likely decrease the influence of the primacy effect.

Question 13

When referring to judgments 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 judgments people make about the causes of their own and other people's behaviors is attributions. Attitudes refer to a person's evaluations or feelings towards an object or situation. Stereotypes are beliefs about the characteristics of members of certain groups. Social norms are the shared expectations and rules that guide behavior in a particular culture or group.

Question 14

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 refers to the phenomenon in which people are more likely to remember and be influenced by information that is presented first. This is likely due to the initial information receiving more attention and shaping subsequent perceptions.

Question 15

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 16

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 17

Think back to the example in the textbook,when Kim says that Art 391 is boring.Under which of the following conditions are we most likely to make a personal attribution that Kim is being overly critical?

Accepted Answer

When consistency is high and distinctiveness and consensus are both low, it is more likely that Kim's negative evaluation of Art 391 is due to a personal attribution, such as being overly critical, rather than the situation or other external factors. This is because consistency suggests that Kim consistently displays this negative attitude towards the course, while low distinctiveness and consensus suggest that others do not share Kim's negative evaluation and that the situation (i.e. the course) is not inherently boring.

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

Cross-cultural studies have found that both the fundamental attribution error and the self-serving bias are susceptible to cultural influences. This suggests that these cognitive biases are not entirely universal and may be shaped by cultural factors.

Question 19

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 given scenario describes the self-serving bias, which is the tendency for individuals to attribute their successes to their own personal traits and abilities, while attributing their failures to external factors such as situational circumstances or other people's actions. This bias serves to protect one's self-esteem and maintain a positive self-image.

Question 20

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 place more importance on the initial information they learn about someone. This can shape subsequent impressions and perceptions of the individual.

Quiz 13: Behaviour in a Social Context