Question 1

If a task is complex but still well learned,the mere presence of others typically serves to enhance performance.

Accepted Answer

This is known as social facilitation, where the presence of others can improve performance on well-learned tasks but hinder performance on novel or complex tasks.

Question 2

Results from the Irwin and Gross study examining the impact of two different video games on aggressive behaviour obtained all of the following results for boys who played the violent video games EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Results from the Irwin and Gross study...

Question 3

The central route to persuasion is likely to be most effective with people who have a high need for cognition.

Accepted Answer

The central route to persuasion relies on logical arguments and evidence to encourage behavior change. This method is more likely to be effective for people who have a high need for cognition, meaning they enjoy processing and analyzing information. Individuals with a low need for cognition may be more easily swayed by peripheral cues, such as attractiveness or likability of a communicator.

Question 4

Attitudes typically have a greater influence on behaviour when we are aware of them and when they are strongly held.

Accepted Answer

When we are consciously aware of our attitudes and they are strong, they tend to have a greater impact on our behavior. This is because our attitudes become more salient and accessible in our minds, making us more likely to act in a way that aligns with those attitudes. Conversely, if our attitudes are weak or unconscious, they may not have as much of an influence on our behavior.

Question 5

Having a victim who is located remotely (i.e. ,farther away)is one of the factors that decreases obedience.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Having a victim who is located remotely...

Question 6

Which of the following statements regarding the impact of media violence is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

The majority of research evidence favours the social learning view of aggression, which suggests that exposure to media violence can lead to an increase in aggressive behavior through the process of observational learning. The catharsis view, which suggests that watching or playing violent media can reduce aggression by providing a safe outlet for pent-up emotions, has been largely discredited by research.

Question 7

When consensus is high,and consistency and distinctiveness are low,people tend to make situational attributions.

Accepted Answer

When consensus is high, and consistency and distinctiveness are low, people tend to make dispositional attributions, not situational. This is because the behavior is seen as unique to the person rather than being influenced by the situation.

Question 8

Which of the following was mentioned as one of the ways that media violence can increase the likelihood of aggressive behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Viewers can learn new aggressive behaviours through modelling. Research has shown that exposure to media violence can lead individuals to imitate the aggressive behaviours they see on screen. This is particularly true for children, who may not have fully developed critical thinking skills to understand that the behaviours they see on screen are not appropriate in real-life situations.

Question 9

If Kelly takes the advice of another person because that person is perceived as having accurate knowledge,Kelly is being impacted by normative social influence.

Accepted Answer

Normative social influence refers to conforming to the expectations of others in order to be accepted or avoid social rejection, rather than because the other person has accurate knowledge or expertise. Conforming to someone because they are perceived as having accurate knowledge would be an example of informational social influence.

Question 10

Self-perception theory asserts that counterattitudinal behaviour often serves to change attitudes because of the uncomfortable state of emotional tension evoked by these behaviours.

Accepted Answer

Self-perception theory suggests that individuals infer their attitudes from their behavior when their attitudes are initially unclear, rather than experiencing emotional tension or discomfort (as suggested by cognitive dissonance theory).

Question 11

One of the following findings is FALSE regarding the response of White males presented with light-toned and dark-toned versions of Black faces and dark-toned and light-toned White faces.Their amygdala became:

Accepted Answer

The amygdala, a region of the brain associated with emotional responses, has been found to become more active in response to Black faces compared to White faces, regardless of the tone of the White faces. This suggests a specific response to racial features rather than skin tone alone.

Question 12

If an individual sees a member of an out-group as threatening,it is expected that the ________ will show more activation.

Accepted Answer

The amygdala is a region of the brain that plays a role in processing emotions, particularly fear and aggression. When an individual perceives a member of an out-group as threatening, it is likely to activate the amygdala, leading to a fear response.

Question 13

When a group of like-minded people gathers and discusses an issue,the group's opinion,attitude,or decision may become more extreme through the processes of normative social influence and informational social influence.

Accepted Answer

Normative social influence refers to the influence of societal norms and expectations on individual behavior, which can lead to conformity and a desire to fit in with the group. This can result in the group's opinion, attitude, or decision becoming more extreme. Informational social influence refers to the influence of others' opinions and knowledge on individual behavior, which can lead to a shift in beliefs and attitudes. This can also result in the group's opinion, attitude, or decision becoming more extreme as individuals adopt the opinions and knowledge of others.

Question 14

Social loafing occurs when people exert less individual effort when working on a group task than when working by themselves.

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is a well-documented phenomenon where people tend to exert less effort on a group task than they would on an individual task. This is because individuals feel less personal responsibility for the outcome of the group task and feel that their individual effort will not make a significant difference.

Question 15

Wood and colleagues found that minority influence is strongest when it remains independent of majority pressure.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Wood and colleagues found that minority influence...

Question 16

Cognitive dissonance theory best explains the relationship between attitudes and behaviour when counterattitudinal behaviours do not threaten one's self-worth or when the attitudes that are initially held are weak or unclear.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance theory is most relevant and powerful in explaining the relationship between attitudes and behavior when counterattitudinal behaviors do threaten one's self-worth or when the attitudes that are initially held are strong and clear, leading to a psychological discomfort that motivates individuals to change either their attitudes or behaviors to reduce dissonance.

Question 17

The fundamental attribution error occurs when people's incorrect attributions cause others to actually behave in ways that confirm these attributions.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics and ignore situational factors in judging others' behavior. It does not involve causing others to behave in ways that confirm these attributions.

Question 18

Which of the following statements regarding the results of the Irwin and Gross study examining the impact of video games on child aggression is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

The Irwin and Gross study found that children who played a violent video game displayed more aggression than those who played a nonviolent game, and this difference in aggression was not attributed to differences in excitement levels between the games.

Question 19

The primacy effect refers to people's tendency to attach more importance to the initial information that they learn about someone.

Accepted Answer

The definition given of the primacy effect is accurate, so the statement is true.

Question 20

The influence of the minority is more powerful if they maintain a highly consistent position over time.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that a consistent minority position tends to have a more powerful influence on the majority than an inconsistent or fluctuating position. This is because a consistent position signals a strong belief in the minority's perspective, which can challenge and shift the majority's views over time.

Quiz 13: Behaviour in a Social Context