Question 1

A researcher is an attributional theorist. In his research, he is likely to investigate

Accepted Answer

Attributional theorists focus on how people interpret and understand the causes behind events and behaviors, specifically how they attribute causes to these events and behaviors.  Attribution theory is an approach that describes the ways people perceive information in social situations and use this information to make causal explanations for what they perceive.

Question 2

A panhandler approaches you and your friend for some money. When your friend gives him a dollar, you attribute your friend's behavior to her inherently generous spirit. Fritz Heider would say that you made a(n) ________ attribution.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a dispositional attribution, where you attribute your friend's behavior to her personal characteristics or disposition (in this case, her generosity), rather than to external or situational factors.  A dispositional or internal attribution occurs when you think that the generous action of your friend was caused by her internal characteristics, that is, the kind of person that she is.

Question 3

In attribution theory, an important contribution by Harold Kelley was his observation that the causal attributions people make are

Accepted Answer

Kelley proposed that people make causal attributions by using three dimensions of information: consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus. This approach helps individuals to infer whether a particular behavior should be attributed to the characteristics of the person (internal attribution) or the situation (external attribution).

Question 4

According to the covariation model, people attribute a behavior to a causal factor if that factor was ________ whenever the behavior occurred and ________ whenever it did not occur.

Accepted Answer

The covariation model suggests that people attribute behavior to a causal factor if that factor was present whenever the behavior occurred and absent whenever it did not occur, indicating a consistent correlation between the factor and the behavior.  Harold Kelley originated the covariation model, which specifies the variables that people use to make their attributions. If you were walking down the street and saw a friend pointing at a horse and screaming, you would gather evidence to decide whether there is danger or your friend is crazy. You would make this judgment on the basis of three dimensions of distinctiveness, consistency, and consensus.

Question 5

In the context of Harold Kelley's views on attributions, all of the following concepts belong together EXCEPT for which one?

Accepted Answer

Kelley's attribution theory focuses on how people make causal explanations. It includes distinctiveness, consistency, and consensus as key factors in attributing behavior to either personal or situational causes. Validity is not part of Kelley's key concepts in attribution theory.  Distinctiveness, consistency, and consensus are the three dimensions along which people judge information when they are making attributions. As they do this, they are judging the covariation of each of the variables (how much does each one vary or stay the same from situation to situation?).

Question 6

Imagine that you have gotten back your test on attribution theory and have received an "A" grade. In applying the covariation principle to understand what caused your excellent grade, the "consensus" dimension refers to whether

Accepted Answer

The "consensus" dimension in attribution theory refers to whether other people in the same situation (e.g., taking the same test) have similar outcomes (e.g., also receiving "A's"). This helps determine if the cause of an event is due to external factors common to everyone involved.  Consensus refers to whether other people typically produce the same behavior in the same situation.

Question 7

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency of people to overestimate ________ factors and to underestimate ________ factors.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to overestimate the influence of dispositional (or personal) factors and to underestimate the influence of situational factors when evaluating someone else's behavior.  When searching for causes of behaviors or outcomes, people from Western cultures tend to blame the internal characteristics of people more readily than they blame the external situations.

Question 8

The author suggests that, to minimize the effect of the fundamental attribution error, we should

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error involves overestimating the influence of personality and underestimating the influence of situations when explaining others' behaviors. To minimize this error, identifying situational forces that may have caused a behavior (choice B) is recommended, as it shifts focus from dispositional to situational explanations.

Question 9

When a student does well on a test, she immediately takes the credit, saying that she did well because she studied hard or because she is a "brain." When she does poorly, however, she blames the teacher for making up an "impossible" test or her roommates for interrupting her study. This student is demonstrating

Accepted Answer

The student is demonstrating the self-serving bias, which is the tendency to attribute positive outcomes to internal factors (like one's own ability or effort) and negative outcomes to external factors (like other people's actions or situational factors).  A self-serving bias leads people to take credit for their successes (by making internal or dispositional attributions) but to deny or explain away responsibility for their failures (by making external or situational attributions).

Question 10

Research has shown that in educational environments,

Accepted Answer

We need to expend extra effort to avoid this bias, just as we need to do so to avoid making the fundamental attribution error. By accepting the bias that failures are not attributable to us, we can miss important information about individuals and the situations that might change the conclusions we draw about them.

Question 11

Predictions made about some future behavior or event that modify behavioral interactions so as to produce what is expected are called

Accepted Answer

Self-fulfilling prophecies are predictions that directly or indirectly cause themselves to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior.

Question 12

Social psychologists distinguish between the patterns of behavior that are expected of a person in a given setting, known as ________, and the explicit and implicit guidelines for behavior in specific settings, known as ________.

Accepted Answer

Social roles refer to the patterns of behavior that are expected of a person when they are in a given social position or setting, while rules are the explicit and implicit guidelines that dictate how a person should behave in specific contexts.

Question 13

To be part of the "in crowd," you learn that you should get a certain type of tattoo, dress in the right clothes, agree with the group's attitudes and opinions, and be able to use and understand the "language" of the group. These are examples of what social psychologists call

Accepted Answer

These are examples of social norms, which are the expected standards of conduct within a group that influence behavior.  Social norms can be broad guidelines or specific standards of conduct. They are the expectations for socially appropriate attitudes and behaviors that are embodied in the explicit or implicit standards of a group.

Question 14

When a boy goes on a campus tour with his older brother, he notices that all of the students seem to be dressed alike. If he asks his brother why they all wear the same styles, his brother should say that this is an example of

Accepted Answer

Conformity refers to the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms or politics. In the context of students dressing alike, it indicates that individuals are conforming to the implicit or explicit standards of their peer group.  Conformity is the tendency for people to adopt the behaviors and opinions of other group members.

Question 15

When a majority is influenced by a minority, the influence is usually

Accepted Answer

Informational influence occurs when a minority influences the majority by providing new information or arguments, leading the majority to reconsider their views.

Question 16

Based on the research of Irving Janis, if you want to prevent groupthink from occurring in groups in which you are working, you should

Accepted Answer

Irving Janis's research on groupthink suggests that one of the ways to prevent it is by encouraging dissent within the group. This allows for a diversity of opinions and reduces the pressure on members to conform, thereby reducing the likelihood of groupthink.

Question 17

Imagine that you are a participant in Stanley Milgram's experiment on obedience to authority. As the experiment progresses, you hesitate and protest that you do not want to continue with the experiment. The experimenter will

Accepted Answer

In Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments, when participants hesitated or wanted to stop, the experimenter would verbally encourage or order them to continue, using a series of prods to ensure the continuation of the experiment.  Even when participants were extremely distressed, they were ordered to continue administering shocks.

Question 18

Psychologists identify three types of information that give rise to attitudes. All of the following are suggested as a type of such information EXCEPT for which one?

Accepted Answer

Vicarious information is not typically classified as a type of information that gives rise to attitudes. Instead, attitudes are commonly understood to be formed from cognitive (beliefs and thoughts about the subject), affective (emotions or feelings towards the subject), and behavioral (actions or observable behavior towards the subject) information.

Question 19

When a sports fan is asked about his attitudes toward sports, he says that he loves sports because he feels an emotional surge when watching them. This fan's attitude is heavily dependent on the ________ component of attitudes.

Accepted Answer

The affective component of attitudes refers to the emotional reactions or feelings an individual has towards an object, person, or event. In this case, the sports fan's love for sports due to the emotional surge experienced while watching them directly relates to the affective component.  The affective component addresses the feelings we have that influence the development of our attitudes about someone or something.

Question 20

When asked to rate the job that a senator has done, a politician responds, "I think the senator has introduced several important pieces of legislation." In the context of attitudes, this statement best reflects

Accepted Answer

The statement reflects cognitive information because it is based on the politician's knowledge and beliefs about the senator's actions (introducing legislation), rather than emotions (affective) or behaviors (behavioral). Informational influence involves conforming based on the information or evidence presented by others, which is not directly relevant to this scenario.  The politician's evaluation of the senator, that is, his attitude toward the senator, is in part developed from thoughts the politician has when the senator in mentioned.

Quiz 16: Social Psychology