Question 1

Dr.Hirt investigates the mental processes we use to make sense of our social environment and form judgments about the behavior of others.Dr.Hirt is most likely a ________ psychologist.

Accepted Answer

Dr. Hirt's focus on understanding social behavior and the mental processes used in social situations suggest that he is a social psychologist.

Question 2

The fundamental attribution error refers to our tendency to underestimate the impact of ________ and to overestimate the impact of ________ in explaining the behavior of others.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to underestimate situational influences and overestimate personality traits when explaining others' behavior.

Question 3

Malik is not upset that his girlfriend forgot his birthday because he believes that she forgot because she was worried about her upcoming finals and her father's health.Malik's explanation for his girlfriend's forgetfulness is an example of

Accepted Answer

Malik's explanation for his girlfriend's forgetfulness is an example of an attribution, specifically an external attribution, where he attributes her forgetfulness to external factors such as her upcoming finals and her father's health.

Question 4

Students in Professor Chu's psychology class scored much lower than normal on their latest exam,which was just before spring break.Professor Chu believes that students were preoccupied with the upcoming break and did not prepare well for the exam.Professor Chu's explanation for his students' exam performance is an example of

Accepted Answer

Professor Chu is making an attribution by explaining his students' poor performance on the exam as a result of their lack of preparation due to preoccupation with the upcoming break. He is attributing a cause to their behavior.

Question 5

Ksana insists that her boyfriend's car accident resulted from his carelessness.Her explanation for the accident provides an example of

Accepted Answer

Ksana attributes the accident to her boyfriend's personality trait of carelessness, which is a personality attribution.

Question 6

The mental process people use to explain their behavior and the behavior of others is called

Accepted Answer

Attribution is the process of assigning causes to behavior, either one's own behavior or others' behavior. It involves interpreting available information and making judgments about why the behavior has occurred.

Question 7

Amir believes that his brother's grades are higher than his grades because his brother's classes are significantly less difficult.Amir's belief about his brother's grades is an example of

Accepted Answer

Amir is attributing his brother's success to the situation (i.e. his classes being less difficult) rather than his brother's personal characteristics, making this an example of situational attribution.

Question 8

According to social psychologists,when we try to attribute the causes of another's actions,our search for answers often leaves us with two choices.These choices are

Accepted Answer

According to social psychologists, when trying to attribute the causes of another's actions, we often have to make a choice between attributing their behavior to their personality (internal factor) or the situation they are in (external factor). This is known as the fundamental attribution error.

Question 9

Shawna,who notices that her sister volunteers in many charitable organizations,believes that her sister is a very caring,giving person.Shawna's explanation of her sister's behavior is an example of

Accepted Answer

Shawna's explanation of her sister's behavior as being due to her caring, giving nature indicates that she is making a personality attribution, assuming that her sister's behavior is a reflection of her underlying traits and values.

Question 10

While eating at a restaurant,you see a waiter's serving tray accidentally tilt and an avalanche of food and beverages splatter on four people."How careless," you mumble to yourself as you resume eating.You have just committed

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to overemphasize dispositional (internal) explanations for others' behavior while underemphasizing situational (external) factors. In this case, by assuming the waiter was careless, the person is making an internal attribution without considering the possibility that the tray may have been faulty or that the restaurant may have been too crowded.

Question 11

We have a tendency to explain the behavior of strangers we have observed in only one type of situation in terms of ________ and to explain our own behavior in terms of ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of We have a tendency to explain the...

Question 12

Attributing the cause of behavior is

Accepted Answer

Attributing the cause of behavior is the process of how people explain others' behavior.

Question 13

Freire did very poorly on his last arithmetic test.The tendency to make the fundamental attribution error might lead his sixth-grade teacher to conclude that Freire did poorly because

Accepted Answer

The answer of Freire did very poorly on his last...

Question 14

Compared with people from East Asian cultures,those from individualist Western countries are more likely to

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that people from individualist Western cultures are more prone to making the fundamental attribution error, which is the tendency to overemphasize dispositional (internal) explanations for someone's behavior and underemphasize situational (external) factors. This is in contrast to people from East Asian cultures, who are more likely to make situational attributions.

Question 15

Monica sees Laurena,who is normally shy,give a speech in class with confidence.Monica therefore attributes Laurena's behavior to the course requirement.Monica's explanation for Laurena's behavior is an example of

Accepted Answer

Monica is attributing Laurena's behavior (giving a speech with confidence) to the situational factor of a course requirement rather than her personality, which is indicative of a situational attribution.

Question 16

Antonio,who averages 28 points a game for his basketball team,scored only 8 points in tonight's game.The other players believe that he was "slacking off," but in reality he was playing despite an injury.Antonio's teammates have committed

Accepted Answer

The teammates are making the fundamental attribution error by assuming that Antonio's low score is due to his lack of effort instead of considering his injury as a contributing factor. This error involves overemphasizing dispositional factors (such as personality or effort) and underemphasizing situational factors (like injury) when trying to explain someone's behavior.

Question 17

Professor Szumski conducts research designed to identify persuasion strategies that promote lasting changes in attitudes.Professor Szumski is most likely a ________ psychologist.

Accepted Answer

Professor Szumski's research focuses on identifying persuasion strategies, which suggests an interest in social psychology, specifically attitudes and persuasion. Personality psychology focuses on individual differences, clinical psychology focuses on diagnosing and treating mental illness, and biological psychology focuses on the biological bases of behavior.

Question 18

A child hits one of his older siblings,who is constantly teasing him.People from East Asian cultures would be more likely than people from individualist Western cultures to explain the younger child's behavior in terms of

Accepted Answer

People from East Asian cultures tend to explain behavior in terms of situational factors, such as the stressful situation of being constantly teased by an older sibling. They are less likely to attribute behavior to internal, enduring personality traits or individual motivations like lack of self-control.

Question 19

Which branch of psychology is most directly concerned with the study of how people think about,influence,and relate to one another?

Accepted Answer

Social psychology is the branch of psychology that is most directly concerned with the study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another. It focuses on topics such as attitudes, social influence, group dynamics, prejudice, and interpersonal relationships.

Question 20

The tendency in individualist cultures to attribute the behavior of others to internal,personality characteristics while ignoring or underestimating the effects of external,situational factors is called

Accepted Answer

The tendency in individualist cultures to attribute the behavior of others to internal, personality characteristics while ignoring or underestimating the effects of external, situational factors is called the fundamental attribution error.

Quiz 11: Social Psychology