Question 1

In a classic study with trained therapists, all the therapists were shown the same video of a man being interviewed. However, half the therapists were told that the man was a mental patient, while half were told he was a job applicant. What were the findings of the study?

Accepted Answer

The study found that those therapists who were told the man was a mental patient saw more signs of mental illness in him. This suggests that even trained therapists can be influenced by information provided to them about a person's background, and that this can affect their perceptions and judgments of that person.

Question 2

Hildegarde is about to meet a man named Frank for a blind date. She has been told by the friend who set up the date that Frank is an introvert. Based on research on the role of schemas in information gathering, which question is Hildegarde MOST likely to ask Frank during the date?

Accepted Answer

Hildegarde is likely to ask a question that relates to Frank's introverted personality in order to confirm her schema about him. Option A directly addresses Frank's introversion and is therefore the most likely choice. Option B asks about meeting new people, which could be more relevant for someone who is extroverted. Option C is too direct and may make Frank uncomfortable on a first date, and option D is too general and may not provide as much information about Frank's personality.

Question 3

Janet loves children's movies about princesses. One day, she watches a children's movie about a princess, and shortly afterwards she is introduced to a friend of a friend, a woman named Tamara who is rich. What does research on priming suggest will occur?

Accepted Answer

Research on priming suggests that exposure to a concept or idea (in this case, princesses) can lead to a related concept being more accessible in memory and influencing subsequent judgments (in this case, wealth and status). As such, Janet is likely to have a positive impression of Tamara due to her association with the princess movie (which likely has positive themes and values).

Question 4

Which of the following conditions is NOT likely to produce a contrast effect?

Accepted Answer

A subtle and subliminal prime is less likely to produce a contrast effect because it may not be consciously perceived, thus not influencing the judgment in a way that creates a contrast with the prime.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a reason why schemas often lead us to reach biased decisions?

Accepted Answer

Schemas are related to our memories of events and are mental frameworks based on our past experiences and knowledge. Therefore, A is the correct answer as it is the opposite of the nature of schemas. B, C, and D are all valid reasons why schemas can lead to biased decisions.

Question 6

Whenever Teuku hears the word coffee, he also thinks of the word tea. Because Teuku often uses coffee to stay up all night studying, he also thinks about feeling stressed when he hears the word coffee. In this example, the connection between coffee and tea is BEST described as a _____.

Accepted Answer

The connection between coffee and tea is best described as a semantic association because both are beverages and are often thought of together due to their similar contexts and uses.

Question 7

Faisal has been reading a newspaper article in which the words "polite," "courteous", and "manners" appear. He then, for the first time, meets the brother of his current relationship partner. Faisal's impression of the brother is that he is very well-behaved. This is an example of a(n):

Accepted Answer

The assimilation effect occurs when exposure to certain stimuli influences a person's perception in a way that aligns with the initial stimuli. In this case, reading about politeness and manners influenced Faisal's impression of the brother as well-behaved.

Question 8

In a classic study by Higgins and colleagues (1977), participants were first asked to complete a task which primed them with different kinds of words, then they evaluated a person whom they had never met before who tends to engage in risky behavior. What were the findings?

Accepted Answer

Participants primed with "reckless" had a negative impression, while those primed with "adventurous" had a positive impression, demonstrating the influence of priming on perception.

Question 9

What is a general summary of the information that has been found in studies on the role of self-fulfilling prophecies in classrooms?

Accepted Answer

Studies have found that self-fulfilling prophecies in classrooms can have an impact on performance, but it is not always a substantial impact. The main reason for this impact is because teachers behave differently toward students whom they expect to do well. This can include giving more attention, providing more opportunities, and offering more positive feedback. Therefore, choice C is the best answer. Choice A and B are not accurate since the impact of self-fulfilling prophecies varies and can be both positive or negative. Choice D may be a factor in performance, but it is not the main reason for the influence of self-fulfilling prophecies in classrooms.

Question 10

In a classic study by Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968), teachers were told that a randomly selected group of children in their classes were "late bloomers" on the verge of an "intellectual growth spurt." What were the findings of the study when the abilities of all the children in these classes were evaluated two years later?

Accepted Answer

The study found that the students who had been randomly labelled "late bloomers" actually performed better two years later, suggesting that the teachers' expectations had influenced their performance. This phenomenon is known as the "Pygmalion effect" or "self-fulfilling prophecy."

Question 11

Which of the following statements BEST summarizes the research on subliminal priming?

Accepted Answer

Research on subliminal priming suggests that subliminal primes can increase the accessibility of a schema (a cognitive framework or mental structure) outside of conscious awareness, meaning that the prime can activate a certain concept or idea in a person's mind without them being consciously aware of it. However, subliminal priming does not necessarily cause people to automatically perform certain behaviors, reverse long-standing dispositional attitudes, or have no effect at all (as stated in option D).

Question 12

In one study on assimilation and contrast effects, some students were primed with an image of Albert Einstein prior to taking a test. What were the results of this study?

Accepted Answer

The study found that students primed with an image of Albert Einstein performed worse due to the contrast effect, where they compared themselves to the high standard set by Einstein and felt less competent.

Question 13

A(n) _____ occurs when a primed schema changes a person's thinking in the direction of that schema, whereas a(n) _____ occurs when a primed schema changes a person's thinking in the opposite direction of that schema.

Accepted Answer

The terms "assimilation effect" and "contrast effect" refer specifically to the direction in which a primed schema influences a person's thinking. Assimilation occurs when the primed schema leads a person to think in the same direction as the schema, while contrast occurs when the primed schema leads a person to think in the opposite direction of the schema. Meanwhile, "subliminal prime" and "supraliminal prime" refer to the level of conscious awareness a person has of the priming information. While these concepts are related, they are not interchangeable with assimilation and contrast effects.

Question 14

What happens when a self-fulfilling prophecy comes to pass?

Accepted Answer

A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when initially false expectations lead to the fulfilment of those expectations. This can happen when people act in ways that support their beliefs, causing the beliefs to become reality. For example, if a teacher expects her students to do poorly on a test, she may unknowingly treat them differently or give them different educational opportunities, leading to poorer outcomes for those students.

Question 15

How is subliminal priming accomplished in most studies?

Accepted Answer

Subliminal priming is accomplished by presenting information to participants for a very brief duration, typically between 10-100 milliseconds, so that it is below the level of conscious awareness. This is done in order to prime or influence the participant's subsequent behavior or response to a stimulus.

Question 16

A researcher is trying to see if priming people with the idea of attractiveness can elicit a contrast effect. In order to test this idea, how might they best operationalize attractiveness?

Accepted Answer

Priming with an image of a specific attractive person is a direct and clear way to operationalize attractiveness, making it easier to measure any contrast effect.

Question 17

In a classic study by Darley and Gross (1983), participants were shown a video of a fourth-grade girl and asked to evaluate her math ability. Before the video they were told that the girl was from either an upper-class or lower-class background. They were also either shown a video of the girl playing on the playground, or performing somewhat well on an oral test. What was the main finding of the study?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a classic study by Darley and...

Question 18

In one study on the effects of priming, participants all completed a sentence unscrambling task, but half the participants saw words in their sentences related to rudeness, while the other half saw words related to politeness. What was the observed effect of this priming in a subsequent situation?

Accepted Answer

The observed effect of priming with rudeness was that about two-thirds of the participants interrupted the experimenter in less than 10 minutes. This suggests that the priming had an effect on their behavior, making them more likely to exhibit rude behavior in the subsequent situation. The other options are not supported by the information given in the question.

Question 19

In which of the following situations is a person most likely to revise a preexisting schema?

Accepted Answer

When a person perceives information that radically disconfirms their prior expectations, they are more likely to revise their preexisting schema as a way to make sense of the new information. This is because the new information challenges their existing beliefs and requires them to modify their schema to accommodate it. In contrast, when information is ambiguous, the person may simply interpret it in a way that fits with their existing schema. Similarly, if a person enters a situation already primed to think about it in a certain way, they may not revise their schema if the new information is inconsistent with their prior beliefs. Finally, if a situation is similar to ones the person has experienced before, they may rely on their existing schema without feeling the need to revise it.

Question 20

In priming, a contrast effect occurs when:

Accepted Answer

In priming, a contrast effect occurs when bringing a schema to mind causes people's thinking and judgment to change in the opposite direction of that schema. For example, if someone is primed with the concept of "old age," they may judge something as younger than they would have without the priming if it is presented immediately after the priming stimulus. This is because the schema of "old age" creates a contrast effect, making the person's judgment shift in the opposite direction to what they were primed with.

Quiz 3: The Core Elements of Social Cognition