Question 1

Pierre encounters his physics professor working on her laptop computer in a coffee shop.The professor has a stack of physics journals,along with a music CD of a group that Pierre doesn't recognize on the table.Pierre is most likely to

Accepted Answer

B is correct because people often use schemas, which are mental structures that organize our knowledge about the social world, to make assumptions about others. In this case, Pierre might use his schema for a physics professor, which could include stereotypes about them being more inclined towards classical music, to assume the CD is of that genre.

Question 2

New professors often have to concentrate very hard to give a lecture,and monitor themselves carefully to make sure they're not talking too fast and that they are using appropriate and clear examples.More seasoned professors don't have to concentrate as much,and can talk clearly and engagingly,reorder the overheads,and keep an eye on students all at the same time.This example represents the transition from _______ processing to _______ processing as professors gain experience.

Accepted Answer

The example describes how new professors have to engage in controlled processing, whereby they have to consciously pay attention to their speech, pace, and examples. However, as professors gain experience, they are able to shift to automatic processing, whereby they no longer have to consciously monitor their speech and can attend to other aspects of the lecture, such as engaging with students and organizing the overheads. Therefore, the transition from controlled processing to automatic processing is represented by the example, making option A the correct answer.

Question 3

What is a major advantage of processing information automatically?

Accepted Answer

When we process information automatically, we do not need to use conscious effort or cognitive resources. This allows us to focus on other tasks or to use our cognitive resources for more important matters.

Question 4

________ are the cognitive structures we use to organize our knowledge of the social world.

Accepted Answer

Schemas are the cognitive structures used to organize our knowledge of the social world. Social roles are a part of these schemas, but not the overarching term. Heuristics refer to mental shortcuts, social cognitions are more broad and refer to all mental processes involved in social interactions, and internal attributions refer to explanations for behavior.

Question 5

At an outdoor concert,Julian automatically applies his "pot-smoker" schema when he sees a young man with long hair,sandals,and a Grateful Dead T-shirt.He offers the man a joint,and is arrested by an undercover narcotics officer.From a social-psychological perspective,what is the moral to this story?

Accepted Answer

Efficient information processing often relies on schemas, but this can come at a cost in accuracy. In this case, Julian applied his "pot-smoker" schema to the young man he saw at the concert, which led him to offer the man a joint without considering that he might be an undercover narcotics officer. This illustrates how relying solely on schemas can lead to errors in judgment and behavior.

Question 6

Which of the following statements about schemas is true?

Accepted Answer

Schemas affect the information we notice, think about, and remember. Research has shown that schemas can influence perception, attention, and memory. They can also affect our judgments and interpretations of events. Thus, it is safe to say that schemas have a broad impact on our cognitive processes.

Question 7

Korsakov's syndrome is a neurological disorder that makes sufferers unable to form new memories.The world is disorienting and incoherent to patients with this disorder,so they often confabulate or invent fictions to

Accepted Answer

Patients with Korsakov's syndrome often confabulate to reduce the ambiguity and feel less unsettled and fearful about the world.

Question 8

Psychologists distinguish between two types of cognitive processing._______ processing is nonconscious and unintentional,whereas _______ processing is conscious and intentional.

Accepted Answer

Automatic processing is nonconscious and unintentional, while controlled processing is conscious and intentional.

Question 9

Mental structures that organize information in our social world are called

Accepted Answer

Mental structures that organize information in our social world are called schemas. Schemas are cognitive frameworks that help us process and interpret information about the world around us. They help us categorize people and objects, predict behavior, and make decisions.

Question 10

A major problem with schemas is that

Accepted Answer

One major problem with schemas is that they operate automatically, making it difficult for us to know when we're using them. This can lead to errors in thinking and interpreting information, as we may rely too heavily on our schemas and not consider alternative interpretations.

Question 11

_______ processing is nonconscious,effortless,and unintentional,whereas _______ processing is conscious,effortful,and intentional.

Accepted Answer

Option B accurately describes the difference between automatic and controlled processing. Automatic processing occurs without conscious awareness, requires little effort, and is unintentional. Controlled processing, on the other hand, is deliberate and effortful, and requires conscious intention. Option A is incorrect because both biased and accurate processing can be either automatic or controlled. Options C and D are incorrect because logical and illogical processing are not necessarily related to conscious awareness or effort. Option E is incorrect because it mistakenly describes controlled processing as automatic.

Question 12

When most people think of the character Captain Kirk from the original Star Trek series,they think of the line,"Beam me up,Scotty!" But that line of dialogue never appeared on the show.This example illustrates that memory is often

Accepted Answer

Our schemas, or pre-existing beliefs and expectations, can influence how we remember and interpret information. In this case, the popular cultural belief or schema about Captain Kirk saying "Beam me up, Scotty!" may have led people to think that he actually said it, even though he did not say it in the show.

Question 13

In Chapter 3,the lesson to be learned from accident victim Kevin Chappell's story is that we can automatically categorize objects and faces

Accepted Answer

Kevin Chappell's story illustrates the importance of our ability to automatically categorize objects and faces, freeing up cognitive resources for other tasks. This automatic processing is crucial for efficient interaction with our environment, allowing us to focus our attention and processing capacity on novel or important tasks while still recognizing familiar objects and faces effortlessly.

Question 14

________ refer(s)to the way people select,interpret,remember,and use social information to make judgments and decisions about themselves and others.

Accepted Answer

Social cognition refers to the cognitive processes involved in the perception, interpretation, and use of social information. It involves selecting, interpreting, remembering, and using social information to make judgments and decisions about oneself and others. The other options (counterfactual thinking, automatic thinking, schemas, and decision rules) may be related to social cognition but do not encompass all the processes involved.

Question 15

According to the authors,why do people often put their thinking on "automatic pilot"?

Accepted Answer

People often put their thinking on "automatic pilot" because they are confronted with an overwhelming amount of social information, making it difficult to process everything consciously.

Question 16

In the study by Kunda,Sinclair,and Griffin (1997),participants were told that a person was either a salesperson or an actor and very extroverted.Participants generated descriptions of the person that

Accepted Answer

Participants generated descriptions of the person that varied according to the occupation of the person, indicating that occupation does have an effect on the way people perceive and describe others.

Question 17

Why do we use schemas?

Accepted Answer

Schemas enable us to interpret the world accurately and without them, the world would seem inexplicable and confusing.

Question 18

Which of the following can be considered good examples of schemas?

Accepted Answer

Schemas are cognitive structures that help us organize and interpret information. Stereotypes are a type of schema as they are generalized beliefs about a group of people.

Question 19

Chapter 3 began with a description of accident victim Kevin Chappell who suffered brain damage that left him with a severe visual disability.His disability is such that

Accepted Answer

The answer of Chapter 3 began with a description of...

Question 20

When thinking about the film Casablanca,many people erroneously remember the Humphrey Bogart line,"Play it again,Sam." In reality,Bogart never said that line.This example illustrates that memory is

Accepted Answer

This example illustrates that memory is affected by our schemas, or pre-existing mental frameworks that shape our interpretation of new information. The misremembering of the "Play it again, Sam" line is likely due to the fact that the similar-sounding phrase "Play it once, Sam" is said in the film and has been culturally referenced and parodied as "Play it again, Sam." Our schemas can influence what we remember and how we recall it.

Quiz 3: Social Cognition