Question 1

Think back to the example in the textbook, when Kim says that Art 391 is boring. Under which of the following conditions are we most likely to make a personal attribution that Kim is being overly critical?

Accepted Answer

We are most likely to make a personal attribution about Kim being overly critical when consistency is high (Kim always says Art 391 is boring), and both distinctiveness (Kim does not say other art classes are boring) and consensus (not many other people think Art 391 is boring) are low. This pattern suggests that the attribution of the behavior (finding Art 391 boring) is specific to Kim rather than the situation, leading us to conclude that the criticism is a personal trait of Kim's.

Question 2

Social identity theory asserts that prejudice arises in large part from people's need to enhance their self-esteem.

Accepted Answer

Social identity theory suggests that individuals derive part of their self-esteem from their group memberships, and this can lead to prejudice as people may denigrate out-groups to enhance their in-group's status and thus their own self-esteem.

Question 3

Social comparison and diffusion of responsibility were mentioned as two of the possible ways that the bystander effect inhibits people from helping others in an emergency.

Accepted Answer

Social comparison, where individuals look to others to determine how to act, and diffusion of responsibility, where individuals feel less personal responsibility to act because others are present, are both psychological processes that contribute to the bystander effect, making people less likely to help in an emergency.

Question 4

All of the following were mentioned by Kelley as factors that determine the attributions we make EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Kelley's attribution theory focuses on how people interpret events and how this relates to their thinking and behavior. Kelley identified three main factors that influence attributions: consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus. Context is not one of the factors Kelley specifically mentioned in his theory.

Question 5

A person is more likely to retaliate and act aggressively if she perceives another person's negative behaviour as being intended and controllable.

Accepted Answer

When a person perceives another's negative behavior as intentional and within their control, it often leads to feelings of anger or betrayal, which can increase the likelihood of retaliatory aggression.

Question 6

When referring to judgments people make about the causes of their own and other people's behaviours, psychologists use the term

Accepted Answer

Attributions refer to the process by which individuals explain the causes of behavior and events. Psychologists study attributions to understand how people make sense of their own actions and the actions of others, distinguishing between internal (personal) and external (situational) causes.

Question 7

The tendency to prefer people in a group to which we already belong and to attribute more positive qualities to these individuals is called in-group favouritism.

Accepted Answer

In-group favoritism is the psychological phenomenon where people tend to give preferential treatment and attribute more positive qualities to members of their own group over those of out-groups.

Question 8

Nora was driving the store clerk crazy! She was trying to find a swimsuit to take on vacation with her next week and not one suit she tried on flattered her figure at all. Nora, attributing the problem to the fact that manufacturers are not making swimsuits in flattering styles anymore, may be exhibiting

Accepted Answer

Nora is exhibiting the fundamental attribution error by blaming the unflattering swimsuits on the manufacturers' designs rather than considering personal factors, such as her own body shape or preferences. This error involves attributing her difficulty in finding a flattering swimsuit to external causes rather than potential internal or situational factors.

Question 9

Charlene is often late for work in the morning. The primary reason for her tardy behaviour is that she has to rely on a nanny to arrive on time to care for her three children before she can leave her house. In Charlene's case, her late behaviour can best be explained by

Accepted Answer

Charlene's tardiness is attributed to external circumstances, specifically the reliance on a nanny's punctuality, which is a situational attribution. This contrasts with personal attributions, which would focus on Charlene's own traits or actions. Social loafing and cognitive dissonance do not directly relate to the explanation of her behavior in this context.

Question 10

An elderly woman accosts Susan, a news anchorwoman, on the street one day. It seems the older woman watched the television news last night during which Susan reported on a newly developed method of birth control. The woman is opposed to all methods of birth control for religious reasons and she assumed that Susan personally believes in birth control. The woman is committing the __________________.

Accepted Answer

The woman is committing the fundamental attribution error by assuming Susan's personal beliefs align with the content she reports on, without considering situational factors (e.g., Susan's professional role as a news anchor requiring her to report on various topics).

Question 11

Research indicates that in an emergency, a female bystander is more likely to help a man than a woman.

Accepted Answer

Research generally shows that people are more likely to help others of the same gender, and there is no consistent evidence to suggest that female bystanders are more likely to help men over women in emergencies. Factors such as perceived vulnerability, empathy, and social norms about helping behavior can influence who gets helped, rather than the gender of the bystander and victim alone.

Question 12

Think back to the example in the textbook, when Kim says that Art 391 is boring. Under which of the following conditions are we most likely to make a situational attribution that Art 391 is indeed boring?

Accepted Answer

When consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus are all high, it suggests that Kim always finds Art 391 boring (high consistency), does not find other courses boring (high distinctiveness), and that others also find Art 391 boring (high consensus), leading us to attribute the boredom to the situation (the course itself) rather than to Kim.

Question 13

When explaining our own behaviour, when we make more personal attributions for successes and more situational attributions for failures, then ____________ has occurred.

Accepted Answer

The self-serving bias is a common tendency for individuals to attribute their successes to personal factors (like their skills or effort) and their failures to external factors (such as luck or the difficulty of the task). This helps maintain self-esteem.

Question 14

Cross-cultural studies examining the consistency of the fundamental attribution error and the self-serving bias have shown that

Accepted Answer

Cross-cultural studies have shown that both the fundamental attribution error and the self-serving bias are susceptible to cultural influences, indicating that these cognitive biases can vary in their expression and prevalence across different cultures.

Question 15

Jared is very upset at the low score he received at his piano competition. Jared typically receives low scores but this time he thought he would do better. He begins to believe that the three judges were all against him from the start. In this case, Jared would be attributing his low score to the

Accepted Answer

Jared attributes his low score to external factors (the judges being against him) rather than his own ability or effort, which is an example of situational attribution.

Question 16

At times, people tend to underestimate the impact of situational factors and overestimate the impact of personal factors when explaining other people's behaviours. This is termed a ___________.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error describes the tendency for people to overemphasize personality-based explanations for behaviors observed in others while underemphasizing the role and power of situational influences.

Question 17

Tamara is careless at the office one day and accidentally prescribes the wrong medicine for a twelve year-old patient. When her new associate catches the mistake, he assumes she does not know the difference in medications and that she must not be practicing very good medicine, and that she may not be very bright. This tendency to underestimate the role of situational factors when explaining Tamara's behaviour is the

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is a concept in social psychology where people tend to underestimate situational factors and overestimate dispositional (or personality) factors when explaining others' behaviors. In this scenario, the associate is attributing Tamara's mistake to her personal qualities (e.g., lack of knowledge, incompetence) rather than considering situational factors (e.g., being careless one day).

Question 18

The fundamental attribution error refers to how people tend to overestimate the importance of personal factors and _______________ the importance of situational factors, when explaining other people's behaviours.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error involves overestimating the role of personal characteristics and underestimating the influence of situational factors in explaining others' behaviors.

Question 19

The study of impulsive murders discussed in the text found that these individuals had lower levels of activity in their frontal lobes than comparison groups did.

Accepted Answer

The study of impulsive murders found that these individuals often have lower levels of activity in their frontal lobes, which are responsible for impulse control and decision making, compared to non-impulsive individuals.

Question 20

Making relatively more personal attributions for success and relatively more situational attributions for failure is known as the

Accepted Answer

The self-serving bias is a common cognitive bias that leads individuals to attribute their successes to internal or personal factors while attributing failures to external or situational factors. This helps maintain self-esteem and a positive self-image.

Quiz 13: Behaviour in a Social Context