Question 1

Imagine you're a property manager and you'd like to get your tenants to cut down on the amount of trash they generate. Based on research by Graham, Koo, and Wilson, what would be the best way to accomplish this?

Accepted Answer

According to the research by Graham, Koo, and Wilson, using both environmental and financial incentives is the most effective way to encourage people to reduce waste. Option C includes both environmental and financial incentives, which is likely to be the most persuasive for tenants to cut down on the amount of trash they generate. The other options only provide one of these incentives and may not be as effective. Option D, using a punishment for not reducing waste, may also be effective in the short term, but in the long term, it may not be sustainable and could create a negative relationship between the property manager and the tenants.

Question 2

Professor Martinez always throws paper and soft drink cans into the garbage. Based on research related to water conservation , how might he be encouraged to recycle?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that making individuals aware of their own behavior, especially when they are in a position of influence, can lead to behavior change. By having Professor Martinez lecture about recycling, he may become more conscious of his actions and be encouraged to align his behavior with what he teaches.

Question 3

Mr. Bernes owns several factories and is concerned with his employees wasting energy. Based on evidence presented in your text about competition and energy consumption, what should Mr. Bernes do?

Accepted Answer

Providing comparative feedback about energy usage from several plants would encourage competition between the plants to use less energy, ultimately leading to decreased energy consumption. This approach has been shown to be effective in reducing energy usage in several studies. Providing feedback to employees about their individual factory's energy consumption may not be as effective as they may not feel as motivated to reduce energy usage if they do not see a direct impact. Training workers on conserving energy may be helpful, but providing comparative feedback would be more impactful. Making energy conservation mandatory may not be the best approach as it could lead to resentment from employees and may not result in sustainable behavior change.

Question 4

Based on what the text reports, one way to reduce drivers' use of gasoline by monitoring may be to

Accepted Answer

The text suggests that displaying the current gas mileage on the car's dashboard can encourage drivers to be more mindful of their fuel consumption and adjust their driving habits accordingly. Option B is also mentioned as a possibility, but A is a more specific and direct method. Option C is not mentioned as a potential solution, and option D is too invasive and may not be well-received by drivers.

Question 5

Recall that when researchers provided workers in a unit of a Dutch factory with feedback on energy consumption in other units, energy-saving behaviors drastically increased. These results point to ________ as a useful process in encouraging energy-saving behaviors.

Accepted Answer

The results suggest that social comparison, where individuals compare their behavior to that of others, can be a useful process in encouraging energy-saving behaviors.

Question 6

The authors of your text report that when researchers provided workers in a unit of a Dutch factory with feedback on energy consumption. The results of the study were that workers who received weekly feedback on their own unit ________ reduced the energy they used, and workers who received comparative feedback on energy usage ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The authors of your text report that...

Question 7

Research found that competition between groups increased energy-saving behavior. However, research by Sherif and his colleagues (1961) at the boys' summer camp might caution against overdoing the competition because what could happen?

Accepted Answer

Sherif's experiment found that competition between groups can create hostility and prejudice towards the opposing group, which could ultimately undermine the energy-saving behavior that was intended to be promoted. Therefore, caution should be taken to prevent the formation of strongly negative intergroup attitudes.

Question 8

Gonzales, Aronson, and Costanzo (1988) trained home energy auditors to describe uninsulated attics as "naked," and to point out that small cracks lose as much heat as a hole the size of a football in the living room wall. Compared to homeowners exposed to the typical appeal, those exposed to the new appeals were more likely to follow the auditors' recommendations. Why? The new appeals

Accepted Answer

The new appeals made the problem of energy loss more vivid and noticeable to homeowners, which increased their likelihood to follow the auditors' recommendations.

Question 9

Recall that researchers conducted a field experiment in Fairfax County, Virginia, where recycling efforts were instituted. These researchers found that positive attitudes best predicted recycling when residents

Accepted Answer

The answer of Recall that researchers conducted a field experiment...

Question 10

A group of five students are sharing a house. Each student likes to take long, hot showers in the morning, but when they do, there is not enough hot water for their housemates. Which of the following will be least successful in getting the students to take shorter showers?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A group of five students are sharing...

Question 11

Research (Van Vugt & Samuelson, 1999) in which water meters were installed in houses in one community, suggests that when people can monitor their own use of a scarce common resource, they may use less of that resource because

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research (Van Vugt & Samuelson, 1999) in...

Question 12

Recycling, although good for all of us, can be an inconvenient and effortful activity for individuals. In this sense, recycling represents a kind of

Accepted Answer

Recycling is a social dilemma where individuals must balance the benefits of recycling (i.e. environmental preservation) with the effort and inconvenience of the behavior. It is a collective action problem where the benefits of recycling are spread out among the community, while the costs are borne by the individual.

Question 13

Research by Van Vugt and Samuelson (1999), in which water meters were installed in houses in one community, suggests that one way to resolve social dilemmas is to

Accepted Answer

The research suggests that making it easier for people to monitor their own resource use, such as through water meters, can help resolve social dilemmas. This increased awareness and accountability can lead to more responsible resource use and cooperation among community members.

Question 14

Aronson and his students used ________ to convince university students to turn off water while soaping up in a shower room.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Aronson and his students used ________ to...

Question 15

In an effort to encourage students to reduce the amount of water being used at the university gym, administrators put up a sign asking students to take shorter showers. However, water consumption did not decrease sufficiently, and some students even retaliated by taking long showers. Why did the sign fail to reduce water usage?

Accepted Answer

The sign simply stated a request for students to take shorter showers, but did not utilize any psychological processes to actually motivate and change their behavior. Without addressing the underlying reasons why students take long showers, the sign was unlikely to be effective in reducing water usage.

Question 16

Graham, Koo, and Wilson asked students to track the number of miles they avoided driving on a Web site. Those who were keeping track drove less

Accepted Answer

The question indicates that those who were given feedback about financial savings and reduction in air pollution drove less. Therefore, the best choice is D.

Question 17

One way to encourage more people to recycle would be to institute curbside recycling. This includes providing free containers for sorting glass, paper, and aluminum, and increasing the number of recycling bins throughout a community. These strategies are likely to work, given Kurt Lewin's early assertion that

Accepted Answer

Kurt Lewin's early assertion was that big social changes can occur with the removal of small barriers. By instituting curbside recycling and providing free containers and increasing the number of recycling bins, it removes the small barrier of inconvenience and encourages people to recycle more. Therefore, this strategy is likely to work.

Question 18

Researchers introduced an intervention to reduce energy consumption in different units of Dutch factories. Which of the following aspects of their intervention had the greatest (positive) impact on energy use?

Accepted Answer

Providing comparative feedback on other units' consumption had the greatest impact as it created a sense of competition among different units and motivated them to reduce their energy consumption. This approach was found to be more effective than providing weekly feedback, offering cash incentives, or placing announcements in company magazines.

Question 19

Recall that researchers asked some students on the way to a field house shower to sign a petition advocating water conservation, others to report on their water use, and others to do both. Those who both reported their water use and signed the petition took shorter showers than those students in the other two conditions because

Accepted Answer

The answer of Recall that researchers asked some students on...

Question 20

Beth is the new director of the Municipal Water Conservation Board. Because the board has not been very successful in its appeals to encourage residents to stop wasting water, Beth has decided to change how their message is presented. She's decided to change the public service ads sponsored by the Municipal Water Conservation Board. Which of the following television appeals would be most likely to encourage the public to use less water?

Accepted Answer

This commercial presents a specific, tangible example of how even a small behavior change can make a significant impact on water usage. This may be more effective in motivating people to make changes than the more negative and threatening appeals in the other options.

Quiz 14: Social Psychology in Action 1: Making a Difference With Social Psychology: Attaining a Sustainable Future