Question 1

Understanding people's attitudes is valuable to psychologists because they

Accepted Answer

Attitudes are considered valuable to psychologists because they can help predict how a person might behave in the future or how they might respond to various situations. This predictive ability is crucial for understanding human behavior in a wide range of contexts.

Question 2

Until your recent hospitalization, you thought that the insurance provided by your company was a good plan. However, after numerous phone calls to your company representative and to the insurance company, your attitude toward a national health care plan has changed. This attitude shift is due to

Accepted Answer

The attitude shift was due to direct contact with the insurance company and their representative during the hospitalization, which exposed flaws in the company's insurance plan. This suggests that the individual may now see the benefits of a national health care plan.

Question 3

Which of the following is a FALSE statement regarding the students from conservative homes who attended liberal Bennington College and exhibited a significant shift toward more liberal attitudes?

Accepted Answer

A reference group is a group of people to whom an individual looks to for guidance in their behavior, values, and attitudes. In this case, the conservative students from homes attended a liberal college, which would make Bennington College their reference group as they were exposed to new and different ideas. Their family and hometown friends, who are from a similar background, would be considered their membership group, but not their reference group as they did not influence the shift in attitudes. Therefore, statement D is false.

Question 4

Which of the following consists of getting a person committed to fulfilling a request and then making the terms of the request less desirable?

Accepted Answer

The lowball technique involves getting commitment from a person and then changing the terms of the request to make it less desirable, often resulting in the person still agreeing to the request.

Question 5

The core of groupthink involves

Accepted Answer

Groupthink occurs when members of a group prioritize conformity and maintain unanimity instead of critically evaluating and challenging ideas. This results in a misguided loyalty where individuals avoid questioning the group's beliefs, which can lead to suboptimal decision-making.

Question 6

All of the following are strategies to prevent groupthink EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Keeping the group small can actually increase the likelihood of groupthink, as there are fewer individuals to challenge the dominant group perspective. The other three options (stating the problem factually, holding members accountable, and encouraging second-chance meetings) are all effective strategies for preventing groupthink.

Question 7

In Milgram's studies, which of the following circumstances listed resulted in the SMALLEST percentage of subjects obeying the orders of the authority?

Accepted Answer

When the teacher received orders by phone, the physical and psychological distance from the authority figure increased, leading to the smallest percentage of subjects obeying the orders. This condition made it easier for participants to resist authority compared to other scenarios.

Question 8

In Nazi Germany, obedient soldiers, who had once been average citizens helped slaughter more than six million people in concentration camps. When confronted with this atrocious act, many of the soldiers rationalized that they were just following orders, that is they

Accepted Answer

The soldiers demonstrated excessive obedience to an authority, following orders without using their own ethical or moral judgment. This type of obedience is known as blind obedience or the Milgram effect, named after psychologist Stanley Milgram's famous obedience study. These soldiers did not question the morality of their actions and instead complied without question due to their deep-seated obedience to the Nazi regime.

Question 9

Psychologist Robert Cialdini coined a term to describe the tendency for a person who has refused a major request to later be more likely to comply with a minor request. The term for this compliance approach is called the

Accepted Answer

The door-in-the-face effect refers to the tendency for a person who has refused a major request to later be more likely to comply with a minor request. This is because after refusing the major request, the person may feel guilty and be more willing to comply with a smaller request as a way to alleviate that guilt. The foot-in-the-door effect refers to the tendency for a person who has complied with a small request to be more likely to comply with a larger request later on. The lowball technique is a persuasion tactic that involves making an attractive initial offer but then changing the terms of the deal after the person has committed to it. The highball technique is not a recognized term in the social psychology literature.

Question 10

One of the risks taken by parents who allow their children to watch television unsupervised is that they will begin to view the world as a dangerous and threatening place. This is an example of the role of which of the following in attitude formation?

Accepted Answer

The mass media, such as television, plays a significant role in shaping attitudes and beliefs, particularly in children who are watching unsupervised. The portrayal of violence and danger on television can lead children to view the world as a threatening place.

Question 11

Your phone rings, and a voice on the line asks if you will answer a short survey about your Internet service. When you agree and spend the next ten minutes answering questions regarding your Internet service, you have just exhibited

Accepted Answer

Compliance refers to agreeing to the request or demand of someone else, even if you do not necessarily agree with it. In this scenario, the individual agreed to participate in the survey, even if it was not necessarily a personal preference or desire.

Question 12

You have agreed to buy a new car for an attractive low price, then the dealer mentions some extras that you must have and the various city and state taxes that must be added. The price is now becoming much less attractive. This illustrates the

Accepted Answer

The scenario described is an example of the lowball technique. The dealer initially offers a low price to attract the buyer, but then adds on additional costs and fees that increase the overall price. This can make the original offer less attractive and may pressure the buyer into accepting the higher price.

Question 13

Lorraine knows that automobiles add to air pollution, and she hates the smog. However, she enjoys the convenience of driving alone to work rather than carpooling or taking the bus. Her attitude did not lead to action most likely because of

Accepted Answer

Lorraine's attitude towards driving alone to work is in conflict with her concern for air pollution, but she is still not motivated to take action because she is likely focused on the immediate benefits of convenience and comfort. The negative consequences of air pollution are not immediately visible or felt by her, which makes it easier for her to justify her behavior. Thus, the immediate consequences are the main reason for her inaction.

Question 14

Perry believes that Georgia lost her job because she was incompetent when, in reality, the company was just downsizing. Perry has committed

Accepted Answer

Perry has made an error in attributing Georgia's job loss to her personal characteristics rather than considering external factors such as company downsizing. This is known as the fundamental attribution error.

Question 15

You and your friend have a fight and say very hurtful things to each other. In judging your own behavior, you say to yourself, "I was justified in saying those things to her because she betrayed me." In judging how your friend acted during the fight, you say, "She had no right to say those things to me. She is a liar and an ungrateful person." In your interpretation of your friend's behavior, you are assigning her a(n) ______ cause.

Accepted Answer

You are attributing your friend's behavior to her character or personality, which is an internal cause, rather than to situational factors.

Question 16

We are more likely to comply with a request if

Accepted Answer

All of these factors - familiarity, consistency, and the principle of reciprocity - have been identified as having significant influence on our likelihood to comply with a request.

Question 17

Jake finds guns attractive and desirable, while Arthur feels that guns are threatening and destructive. Their differing feelings toward guns represent which component of their attitudes regarding guns and gun control?

Accepted Answer

The emotional component of an attitude reflects how an individual feels about an object or idea. In this scenario, Jake finds guns attractive and desirable while Arthur feels that guns are threatening and destructive. These are both emotional responses to guns and gun control.

Question 18

Whether attitudes have real influences on behavior often depends on

Accepted Answer

The conviction or strength with which attitudes are held is a key factor in determining whether they will translate into behavior. Attitudes that are deeply held and strongly felt are more likely to influence behavior than attitudes that are weak or ambivalent. A person with strong anti-smoking attitudes, for example, is more likely to abstain from smoking than someone with weaker attitudes towards smoking.

Question 19

Several of your classmates are volunteering at a nursing home for extra credit, and they tell you how much fun they are having helping with the "parties" and the weekly activities for the residents. Although you had planned to do the article assignment for extra credit, you change your mind and decide to volunteer at the nursing home. Your new attitude was formed because of

Accepted Answer

Your new attitude towards volunteering at the nursing home was formed through an interaction with others, specifically your classmates who shared their positive experiences. This influenced you to change your mind and decide to volunteer as well.

Question 20

Before the Milgram experiment was conducted, a group of psychiatrists predicted that

Accepted Answer

Before the Milgram experiment, psychiatrists predicted that less than one percent of participants would obey the authority figure to the extent of administering the highest shock level, but in reality, about 65 percent of participants obeyed completely.

Quiz 15: Social Psychology