Question 1

University students who receive unusually high scores on their first biology test can reasonably expect to receive ____________ scores on their second biology test.

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon of regression toward the mean suggests that if a student scores exceptionally high on their first test, their second test score is likely to be lower, though still above average. This is because the first score may be partly due to variables that don't consistently recur, such as luck or a particularly strong grasp of the topics on the first test.

Question 2

Joseph Forgas, a psychologist at the University of New South Wales, believes that moody people's "feelings seem to _________".

Accepted Answer

The answer of Joseph Forgas, a psychologist at the University...

Question 3

Jim believes he can actually guess correctly the outcome of heads or tails of 10 consecutive fair coin trials. His belief can perhaps best be explained in terms of

Accepted Answer

Jim's belief that he can influence the outcome of a coin flip through his guessing is an example of the illusion of control. Even though the coin flips are random and Jim's guesses have no actual effect on the outcome, he still feels confident in his ability to predict the results.

Question 4

Research indicates that compared to unhappy people, happy people

Accepted Answer

Research has found that happy individuals exhibit all of these characteristics compared to their unhappy counterparts. They tend to be more trusting and loving, prioritize long-term rewards over immediate gratification, and tolerate frustration better.

Question 5

Dottie has the illusory belief that there is a correlation between washing her car and the occurrence of rain in her area. According to research, Dottie is now much more likely to notice when

Accepted Answer

Dottie has the belief that washing her car causes rain, so she will be more likely to notice when it rains after she has washed her car. This fits with option B, where it rains and she has just washed her car. Option A doesn't fit because it doesn't confirm her belief, and option C doesn't fit because it doesn't involve rain at all. Option D includes all possible options, but only option B directly relates to her belief.

Question 6

Our tendency of perceiving relationships/connections when none whatsoever exist is called

Accepted Answer

Illusory correlation, also known as a false association, occurs when people perceive a relationship between two variables that does not actually exist. For example, if someone believes that they tend to have bad luck whenever they wear a certain color shirt, they may perceive a connection between the two even though no real connection exists.

Question 7

Dice players who throw softly to get low numbers and harder to get high numbers are demonstrating

Accepted Answer

The players who throw softly to get low numbers and harder to get high numbers are demonstrating the illusion of control, which is the belief that one can control or influence uncontrollable events.

Question 8

Moods can affect our thinking by

Accepted Answer

Moods can activate specific memories associated with those moods. For example, feeling sad may trigger memories of past experiences that were also sad, further affecting our thinking patterns.

Question 9

Joseph Forgas and his colleagues found that participants' judgments of their own videotaped behaviours were more positive if, while they watched the videotape, they were

Accepted Answer

The study suggests that being in a good mood can lead to more positive self-judgments, as participants who watched their own videotaped behaviours in a positive mood judged themselves more positively.

Question 10

Gus is in a terrific mood on the day goes to look for a new car. He instantly decides to buy the second car he test-drives. If Gus had been in a bad mood, what type of decision might he have made about a car purchase?

Accepted Answer

When in a bad mood, people tend to be more cautious and take longer to make decisions. Therefore, if Gus had been in a bad mood, he may have taken more time to make a decision about a car purchase.

Question 11

When peoples' memories and judgments change with their moods it is referred to as

Accepted Answer

Mood infusion refers to the phenomenon where someone's mood can influence their judgments and memories. This can result in biased, distorted, or inaccurate thinking. The other options, illusory thinking, counterfactual thinking, and heuristics, do not specifically refer to the influence of mood on thinking.

Question 12

According to the text, "mood infusion" refers to how

Accepted Answer

The text defines "mood infusion" as the phenomenon where people's mood affects their memories and judgments. Therefore, option A is the correct choice. Options B, C, and D do not accurately reflect the meaning of "mood infusion" as defined in the text.

Question 13

Among the explanations below, which one can best explain our illusion of control over certain outcomes?

Accepted Answer

The illusion of control can occur when we attribute positive outcomes to our own actions or abilities, even when they were due to chance or other external factors. This can happen because we fail to recognize statistical phenomena such as regression toward the average, which means that extreme scores are likely to be followed by less extreme scores, regardless of our control over the situation.

Question 14

Which of the following is the most likely attribution to be made by someone in an unhappy marriage?

Accepted Answer

In an unhappy marriage, someone may tend to make internal attributions (attributions based on personal characteristics) rather than external attributions (attributions based on situational factors) when their partner does something negative or upsetting. In this case, the attribution "She was late because she doesn't care about me" is an internal attribution that implies a personal flaw or character flaw on the part of the spouse, rather than an external factor like heavy traffic or a long checkout line.

Question 15

We are especially likely to analyze and discuss why things happen when the event in question is

Accepted Answer

When negative or unexpected events occur, it is natural for people to try to understand why they happened in order to prevent them from happening again in the future or to mitigate their effects. This type of analysis and discussion helps individuals make sense of the situation and potentially identify ways to improve or prevent similar events. On the other hand, positive or altruistic events may be more straightforward and less in need of analysis or discussion. Normal or public events may not have as much urgency or significance, and infrequent or private events may not be widely known or discussed.

Question 16

After two years of intense publications (four per year), Ela's research productivity drops to one published paper per year. What term best explains Ela's fewer publications after two years of intense productivity?

Accepted Answer

Regression toward the average suggests that after a period of unusually high productivity, Ela's publications are likely to return to her long-term average of one paper per year.

Question 17

The prolonged debates that surround social issues, such as whether a homeless person is lacking initiative or has been victimized by job and social assistance cutbacks, illustrate how people attempt to

Accepted Answer

The prolonged debates surrounding social issues often involve people making judgments about responsibility, attributing behaviors to others, and explaining why people act the way they do. Therefore, all of the given choices are correct.

Question 18

Although Jason once scored a 270 in bowling, he has subsequently been unable to beat that record no matter how much he practices. His experience may be partially understood in terms of

Accepted Answer

This scenario can be explained through regression toward the average, meaning that extreme or uncommon events (such as Jason's score of 270) will often be followed by more typical or average results. No matter how much Jason practices, it is unlikely that he will consistently achieve such a high score again, as it was likely an outlier in his performance history.

Question 19

Even when people are shown nothing but a random mix of results, they still like to believe one outcome is more likely than the other. This is tendency illustrates a concept known as

Accepted Answer

The answer of Even when people are shown nothing but...

Question 20

When baseball's rookie-of-the-year has a more ordinary second year, we shouldn't be surprised. This fact is easily explained by

Accepted Answer

Regression toward the average. This phenomenon refers to the statistical tendency for extreme scores or performance to return to the average over time. In the case of a rookie-of-the-year who has a more ordinary second year, it is likely that their exceptional performance in their first year was due at least in part to luck or other temporary factors, and their second year performance reflects their true level of ability.

Quiz 3: Social Beliefs and Judgments