Question 1

Mike was the witness to a car accident in which a driver in an SUV disregarded a yield sign and crashed into sports car. When questioned, the police officer says, "How fast was the driver of the SUV going when he ran that stop sign?" A week later, when asked to recall the accident again, Mike reports the driver of the SUV running a stop sign. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the misinformation effect, as the wording of the question by the police officer ("stop sign" vs "yield sign") may have influenced Mike's memory of the event when he later recalled it.

Question 2

Researchers had male students speak by telephone with women they thought were either attractive or unattractive. When the researchers later analyzed the women's comments, they found that the

Accepted Answer

The passage states that women thought to be attractive spoke more warmly than the other women. Option B, C, and D are contradicted by the given information.

Question 3

Which of the following statements regarding overconfidence is true?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that people tend to be more confident than they are correct, which can lead to overconfidence.

Question 4

Because you see Fred gardening, you decide that he loves working in the yard. You see Fred this way owing to

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the fundamental attribution error, as you are making an assumption about Fred's personality based on his behavior in a specific situation. You are attributing his love for working in the yard to his personality or disposition, rather than considering external factors that may be influencing his behavior.

Question 5

When our expectations lead us to act in ways that induce others to confirm those expectations, _____ is at work.

Accepted Answer

Behavioral confirmation occurs when our expectations about others lead us to act in ways that induce them to confirm those expectations. This can happen unconsciously or consciously, and it can have positive or negative effects on the relationships we have with others.

Question 6

You believe that although you studied for a test, you will do poorly on it. As a consequence of this belief, you get low grades. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is a classic example of a self-fulfilling prophecy, where a belief about oneself leads to actions that fulfill that belief. In this case, the belief that one will do poorly on a test causes anxiety and stress that can interfere with performance, leading to poor grades and confirming the initial belief.

Question 7

According to research done by Miller and his colleagues (1975), if you want young children to put trash in wastebaskets, you should repeatedly

Accepted Answer

Congratulating children for their behavior reinforces the behavior and increases the likelihood that they will repeat it in the future. Punishing them for not doing it may result in negative associations with the behavior, and simply telling them to be neat and tidy or that littering is bad may not provide a positive reinforcement for the desired behavior.

Question 8

In a study conducted by Ridge and Reber (2002), men had to interview women for a teaching assistant position. The men were told that job candidates were either attracted to them or not attracted. The findings revealed that the

Accepted Answer

The study found that when men believed the female applicants were attracted to them, the applicants exhibited more flirtatious behavior, likely due to the men's behavior influencing the interaction.

Question 9

Kelly just saw a news report about an airplane crash. She now believes that she is more likely to be in an airplane accident than an automobile accident. This is an example of the

Accepted Answer

Kelly's belief is influenced by the availability heuristic, which is the tendency to judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily it comes to mind. In this case, the vivid news report of the airplane crash makes Kelly think that airplane accidents are more common than they actually are, compared to automobile accidents.

Question 10

Richard Miller and colleagues (1975) investigated the reduction of littering in three classrooms. Which class still showed a reduction in littering two weeks after the study ended?

Accepted Answer

According to the study, the class that was repeatedly congratulated for being neat and tidy showed a reduction in littering two weeks after the study ended, indicating that positive reinforcement was effective in promoting behavior change. The other options either involved negative reinforcement (reprimands) or ignoring the behavior, which were not as effective.

Question 11

We are eager to verify our beliefs but less inclined to seek evidence that might disprove them. This phenomenon is called

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described in the statement is referred to as confirmation bias. It refers to the tendency to look for and favor information that confirms our existing beliefs, while ignoring or discounting evidence that contradicts them. This bias can lead to errors in judgment, as well as a lack of openness to new ideas and perspectives. The other options (false uniqueness effect, false consensus effect, and overconfidence bias) are related to cognitive biases but do not specifically refer to the tendency to seek out confirming evidence.

Question 12

After telling Steve that you believe Brenda is very gossipy, Steve labels you as a gossip. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous trait inference occurs when someone makes an immediate judgment about a person's character based on their actions or statements, as Steve did by labeling you a gossip after your comment about Brenda.

Question 13

Joanna went over to a friend's house and rented the horror movie "Saw II." At 2:00 a.m., she awoke to a scratching sound at her window. Instead of thinking the noise is the result of a tree branch, she believed it was a serial killer trying to break in. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of priming, as the experience of watching a horror movie has influenced Joanna's interpretation of the scratching sound at her window.

Question 14

Murray and his colleagues (2003) found that, among married couples, the self-fulfilling prophecy occurred when one person interpreted slight hurts as rejections. The person who felt rejected was then motivated to

Accepted Answer

Murray and his colleagues found that when one person interpreted slight hurts as rejections, the other person was devalued and the couple became distant from each other.

Question 15

Steve likes Samantha. He has asked her out every day for the last month and believes that she is flattered by his unwavering attention. Samantha has recently filed harassment charges with the police. This example shows possible problems with

Accepted Answer

This example shows possible problems with misattribution because Steve is incorrectly attributing Samantha's lack of interest to her being flattered by his attention, rather than recognizing that his behavior is unwelcome and potentially harassing.

Question 16

You attend a party where you do not know anyone but expect that people will be friendly. You meet people warmly and in a sociable manner. Your actions, in turn, lead to other people being friendly to you. This situation can best be described as

Accepted Answer

This situation best describes behavioral confirmation, where our behavior influences the expectations and behavior of others towards us. By being warm and sociable towards others, we are more likely to receive friendly behavior in return, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy of positive interactions. The other options do not accurately capture this dynamic.

Question 17

According to the study by Ridge and Reber (2002), if you are told that someone you have never met is attracted to you, you will likely

Accepted Answer

According to the study, when people are led to believe that someone they have never met is attracted to them, they tend to behave in a way that draws out the other person's flirtatious behavior. This is due to the reciprocation of attraction and the desire to be liked by others.

Question 18

Which statement is the clearest example of an attribution?

Accepted Answer

Option B clearly provides an attribution by stating that the rain caused the accident. The other options are either personal preferences or opinions and do not provide a clear attribution.

Question 19

When a teacher believes that a child's underachievement is due to lack of motivation and ability, it reflects

Accepted Answer

A dispositional attribution is when an individual's behavior is attributed to their personal characteristics or traits, such as lack of motivation and ability. In this case, the teacher is believing that the child's underachievement is due to their personal traits rather than external factors.

Question 20

The more we think on our theories and elaborate on how they might be true, the less open we are to outside information that challenges our beliefs. This statement is best explained by

Accepted Answer

Belief perseverance refers to the tendency to hold onto our beliefs even when presented with contradictory evidence. The more we think about and elaborate on our beliefs, the stronger they become and the less likely we are to change them when presented with new information that challenges our views.

Quiz 3: Consciousness and the Two-Track Mind