Question 1

According to social psychologists, each person's subjective awareness of, and ideas about, his or her own individual nature, characteristics, and very existence, is called

Accepted Answer

The term used to describe a person's awareness of their own individuality is "the self." This is a concept studied extensively in social psychology. The self can be broken down into various components such as self-esteem, self-concept, and self-awareness, but overall it refers to a person's subjective perception of themselves as a unique individual.

Question 2

The human tendency to make judgment errors that are in favour of your own self is called the

Accepted Answer

The self-serving bias is the tendency for individuals to attribute positive events to their own character or actions, but negative events to external factors. This bias allows people to maintain a positive self-image and avoid feelings of guilt or shame. Option A, the fundamental attribution error, is the tendency to overemphasize dispositional (internal) explanations for others' behavior, while underemphasizing situational (external) explanations. Option B, confidence bias, refers to an individual's overconfidence in their own abilities or judgments. Option D, social comparison error, is the tendency to evaluate oneself based on comparisons to others, which can lead to feelings of inferiority or superiority.

Question 3

All of the following are aspects of the self-serving bias, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The self-serving bias involves attributing one's success to internal factors, such as their skills or abilities, while attributing failures to external factors, such as bad luck or circumstance. Option C states that individuals attribute their failures to their own efforts, which is not a characteristic of the self-serving bias.

Question 4

These psychological defence mechanisms lead people to experience more positive moods and feelings of well-being, to persist in their efforts to a greater extent, and to effectively achieve goals.

Accepted Answer

Positive illusions are psychological defense mechanisms that lead people to see themselves and the world around them in a more positive light. Research has shown that having positive illusions can lead to greater happiness, increased motivation, and improved performance in achieving goals.

Question 5

All of the following are examples of positive illusions described by Taylor and Brown, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The other three options are all examples of positive illusions described by Taylor and Brown. Option A describes the positive illusion of self-enhancement, option B describes the positive illusion of control, and option C describes the positive illusion of unrealistic optimism. Option D, on the other hand, describes the negative illusion of blaming the victim, where people tend to view the failures of others as caused by internal forces rather than external circumstances.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a hypothesized motive for social comparison?

Accepted Answer

The three hypothesized motives for social comparison are self-evaluation, self-defence, and self-enhancement. Self-loathing is not a hypothesized motive for social comparison.

Question 7

The anxiety we perceive when we become aware of the conflict between our behaviour and our attitudes is called

Accepted Answer

Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort or anxiety we feel when we become aware of the conflict between our behaviour and our attitudes or beliefs. The other options - self-serving bias, attribution syndrome, and fundamental attribution anxiety - do not accurately describe this phenomenon.

Question 8

An evaluative response to some person, idea, object, or event, or a feeling about one of those things, is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

An evaluative response is a type of attitude towards a person, idea, object or event. It reflects how one feels towards something or someone. Behaviour refers to action, belief refers to a conviction or acceptance of something as true, and attribution refers to the explanation of the causes of events or behavior.

Question 9

This type of cognitive experience indicates what we think is true or untrue in the world.

Accepted Answer

Belief refers to the cognitive experience of what we perceive as true or untrue in the world. Attitude refers to our evaluation of objects or people, behavior refers to our actions, and attribution refers to the explanation we give for events or behavior.

Question 10

An attitude is more likely to predict your behaviour if

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that attitudes that emerge from personal experience are more likely to predict behavior. This is because personal experience shapes our attitudes in a more direct and impactful way compared to attitudes that are simply learned from others. Attitudes that are in contrast with your beliefs may also predict behavior, but this is not always the case as people often hold conflicting attitudes. Learning attitudes from parents or peers may also influence behavior, but this is not a reliable predictor in all cases.

Question 11

Laying aside a powerful, immediate desire, response, or goal in the service of more important, overriding long-term goals is called

Accepted Answer

Self-control refers to the ability to resist immediate temptations or desires in order to achieve long-term goals.

Question 12

The study of how individuals perceive, judge, and think about themselves and others is known as

Accepted Answer

Social cognition refers specifically to the cognitive processes involved in social interactions, including perception, judgment, and thinking. Social psychology is a broader field that encompasses the study of social phenomena more generally, while social comparison and social attribution are both specific topics within social psychology.

Question 13

The fact that people who exhibit self-control in one situation often exhibit self-control in other situation is evidence that self-control is

Accepted Answer

Self-control being consistently exhibited across different situations suggests it is a stable characteristic or trait inherent to individuals, rather than something learned or situational.

Question 14

All of the following are results from longitudinal studies of studies of self-control, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The other three choices are all results that have been found in longitudinal studies of self-control. However, low self-control children are not generally healthier and happier. In fact, low self-control is a risk factor for many negative outcomes, such as poor health, substance abuse, and criminal behavior.

Question 15

Baumeister and colleagues used this analogy to describe the ability for one to exert self-control

Accepted Answer

Baumeister and colleagues used the analogy of self-control as a muscle that can be strengthened with use, but also can become fatigued and depleted if overused. This suggests that self-control, like physical strength, is a limited resource that can be strengthened through exercise and practice.

Question 16

According to the strength model of self-control,

Accepted Answer

The strength model of self-control proposes that self-control is a limited resource that can be depleted with use, and that this limited resource differs among individuals. This means that individuals have varying levels of self-control capacity and can become depleted after exerting self-control over time.

Question 17

When researchers asked participants to refrain from eating sweet-smelling cookies presented to them in a room, the participants later exhibited

Accepted Answer

The act of resisting the cookies likely depleted the participants' self-control resources, leading to less effort and persistence in subsequent tasks, such as solving difficult puzzles.

Question 18

The process of explaining the cause of your own or another's behaviour is known as

Accepted Answer

Attribution is the process of explaining the cause of your own or another's behavior. Options C and D (dispositional and situational cause) are possible explanations within the attribution process. Option A (attitude formation) is not related to the explanation of behavior.

Question 19

The tendency to attribute other people's behaviour to dispositional factors while ignoring or underestimating the possibility situational factors is called

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency of attributing people's behavior to dispositional factors (i.e., their personal characteristics, values, or beliefs) while overlooking the impact of situational factors (i.e., the context, environment, or external circumstances that may influence behavior). This bias can lead to inaccurate judgments and negative stereotypes of others, as we may assume that their behavior reflects their character or intentions rather than the situation they are in. The self-serving bias, on the other hand, is the tendency to attribute our successes to dispositional factors and our failures to situational factors, in order to maintain a positive view of ourselves. The self-observer effect relates to differences in self-perception based on whether we are observing or experiencing the behavior, and the framing effect refers to how the presentation of information can influence our judgments and decisions.

Question 20

Members of this part of the world tend not to exhibit the fundamental attribution error when explaining the causes of others' behaviour

Accepted Answer

East Asian cultures tend to focus on situational factors rather than dispositional traits when explaining the behavior of others. This is in contrast to Western cultures, such as those in North America, which often commit the fundamental attribution error of overestimating the role of personality and underestimating situational factors in others' behavior.

Quiz 20: Social Cognition