Question 1

The idea of explaining social behavior in terms of genetic factors that evolved over time based on natural selection is the crux of the idea behind

Accepted Answer

The idea of explaining social behavior in terms of genetic factors that evolved over time based on natural selection is the fundamental concept of evolutionary psychology.

Question 2

Which statement below best captures the major ethical dilemma faced by experimental social psychologists?

Accepted Answer

Experimental social psychologists often encounter ethical dilemmas when conducting research that involves human participants. These dilemmas arise when the research procedures may cause harm or discomfort to participants, violate their privacy or confidentiality, or involve deception or manipulation. While the goal of experimental social psychology is to discover knowledge about human behavior and social phenomena, ethical considerations require that this knowledge be obtained in ways that respect and protect the rights and welfare of the participants. Thus, experimental social psychologists face the ethical dilemma of balancing the pursuit of scientific truth with the ethical imperative to do no harm to participants.

Question 3

External validity is enhanced when results generalize across different people.______ research is especially useful for this purpose.

Accepted Answer

Cross-cultural research involves comparing and contrasting different cultures, which helps to identify similarities and differences in behavior across people from different cultural backgrounds. This can help to enhance the external validity of research findings by demonstrating that the results are not limited to a specific cultural context. Social neuroscience, archival, and applied research may also have implications for external validity, but they are not as directly focused on issues of cultural diversity as cross-cultural research.

Question 4

"Evolutionary psychology is silly!" exclaims Julie."If we are so adapted to the environment, why haven't we evolved away from racism?" A reasonable response to this, based on the explanation of evolutionary psychology presented by the authors of your text, is that

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary changes occur over a long period of time and genetic adaptations have not had enough time to catch up to social changes such as the reduction in racism.

Question 5

When scientists study how social behavior is related to hormones, the immune system, and neurological processes, they are studying

Accepted Answer

Social neuroscience is the interdisciplinary field that examines the neural, hormonal, and physiological connections between social behavior and the brain/body. Therefore, when scientists study how social behavior is related to hormones, the immune system, and neurological processes, they are primarily studying social neuroscience.

Question 6

Testing hypotheses experimentally is most difficult for _______ because it is based on assumptions of the conditions that existed thousands of years ago.

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary psychology is the study of the evolution of behavior and cognition. Testing hypotheses experimentally in this field is difficult because it is based on assumptions of the conditions that existed thousands of years ago, which cannot be directly observed or manipulated in experiments.

Question 7

Dr.Hyder hypothesizes that aggression in humans has a basis in our genetic adaptations in our distant past.Dr.Hyder's theory is most in line with ___________.

Accepted Answer

Dr. Hyder's hypothesis suggests that aggression is a result of genetic adaptations from our past, which aligns with the principles of evolutionary psychology that explore how natural selection and adaptation have shaped human behavior.

Question 8

Certain birds with the ability to thrive in a variety of climates become more likely to survive and reproduce than those who have a limited tolerance for heat or cold.This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of natural selection, where organisms that are better adapted to their environment have a higher chance of survival and passing on their genes to the next generation. The birds with the ability to tolerate a variety of climates are better suited to survive and reproduce, leading to an increase in their population over time. Mate selection and sexual selection are more specific forms of natural selection, while evolutionary psychology deals with how human behavior has been shaped by evolution.

Question 9

According to the authors of your text, one of the major problems with relying solely on evolutionary theory as the only explanation for social behavior is that

Accepted Answer

The authors argue that psychologists are making assumptions about ancient conditions that produced reproductive advantages for certain genes, and that these assumptions may not be accurate or complete. Therefore, relying solely on evolutionary theory as an explanation for social behavior may be problematic.

Question 10

Social neuroscience is the marriage between which fields?

Accepted Answer

Social neuroscience combines the fields of social psychology, which focuses on interpersonal behavior and social cognition, with neuropsychology, which studies the biological basis of behavior and cognition.

Question 11

One evolutionary psychologist hypothesizes that humans were savage in their distant past, while another hypothesizes that they were very cooperative.Based on information from the authors of your text, which hypothesis is correct?

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary psychology cannot definitively determine whether humans were more savage or cooperative in the past, as both traits could have been advantageous in different contexts.

Question 12

Dr.Linh uses an electroencephalograph (EEG) to detect patterns of brain activity as her participants argue with their romantic partners.Dr.Linh can best be described as a(n)

Accepted Answer

Dr. Linh is using an EEG to observe patterns in brain activity while participants argue with their romantic partners, which falls within the realm of social neuroscience. Neurologists, on the other hand, study diseases and disorders of the nervous system, while evolutionary psychologists explore how human behavior and traits have evolved over time. Psychiatrists diagnose and treat mental health disorders.

Question 13

Which of the following techniques is most likely to be used by social neuroscientists?

Accepted Answer

Social neuroscientists often use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of social behavior and cognition. This technique allows them to measure brain activity in response to various social stimuli and tasks.

Question 14

Which of the following would be most likely to share a research lab and equipment with the biology department or medical school?

Accepted Answer

Social neuroscientists have a research focus on the biological and neural underpinnings of social behavior and cognition. Therefore, they would likely share lab facilities and equipment with the biology department or medical school. Ethnographers, personality psychologists, and archival researchers are more likely to conduct research in their respective fields using methods and equipment that are different from those used by biologists or medical researchers.

Question 15

Researchers conduct an experiment in which participants watch either a violent film or a nonviolent film.After watching the film, the researchers take saliva samples from participants to test for levels of a hormone called testosterone.According to the authors of your text, what technique are these researchers using?

Accepted Answer

The researchers are using social neuroscience, which is the study of the relationship between the brain and social behavior. Specifically, they are measuring physiological responses (testosterone levels) to different stimuli (violent vs nonviolent films) in order to understand how the brain and body respond to social cues.

Question 16

One reason why it is important to examine cultural influences on social psychological processes is that

Accepted Answer

Examining cultural influences on social psychological processes helps us understand whether certain psychological processes are universal or whether they vary across different cultures. This is important for expanding our knowledge of human behavior beyond a Western-centric perspective and increasing the external validity of research. Establishing cultural differences also helps to inform interventions and treatments that may be more effective for specific cultural groups. Replicating results across cultures is important for assessing the generalizability of findings but is not the main reason why examining cultural influences is important. Looking at the documents of a culture may provide some insight, but it is not a comprehensive approach to understanding cultural influences on social psychological processes.

Question 17

The idea that certain traits that promote survival are passed to future generations because the organisms that possess those traits are more likely to successfully reproduce is the definition of

Accepted Answer

Natural selection is the process where beneficial heritable traits become more common in a population over time because individuals with those traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. Evolution is the result of natural selection over many generations. Mate selection and sexual selection refer specifically to the mating choices made by individuals within a population.

Question 18

Because evolutionary psychology is based on assumptions of conditions thousands of years ago that led to the reproductive success of some more so than others, it makes evolutionary hypotheses

Accepted Answer

Because it is impossible to go back in time to directly observe the conditions of our ancestors and their behaviors that may have led to reproductive success, it can be difficult to create controlled, experimental settings to test evolutionary hypotheses. This is a limitation of the field.

Question 19

According to the authors of your text, when Darwin developed evolutionary theory, it was aimed at explaining how

Accepted Answer

Darwin's theory of evolution is concerned with how animals, including humans, adapt to their environments through natural selection. It is not specifically about how humans adapt to their social environment, select mates, or how genes mutate in harsh environments.

Question 20

When researchers examine a social psychological phenomenon using cross-cultural research, they are enhancing

Accepted Answer

Cross-cultural research enhances external validity because it allows researchers to test the generalizability of their findings across different cultures and contexts. This increases the chances that the findings can be applied to real-world situations beyond the specific research context.

Quiz 2: Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research