Question 1

A primary focus of the field of "positive psychology" is the study of

Accepted Answer

Positive psychology focuses on the study of strengths and virtues, rather than just trying to fix weaknesses and problems. It seeks to promote well-being and happiness, and to improve the quality of life for individuals and society as a whole. Power and influence, certainty and overconfidence, and moods and physiological arousal are not the primary focuses of positive psychology.

Question 2

Some social psychologists, such as C.Daniel Batson (1991), believe that humans sometimes help for selfless reasons.According to Batson, when does this happen?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some social psychologists, such as C.Daniel Batson...

Question 3

How do evolutionary psychologists use the concepts of kin selection and the reciprocity norm to explain human prosocial behavior?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How do evolutionary psychologists use the concepts...

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a topic for positive psychology?

Accepted Answer

Positive psychology focuses on promoting well-being and positive experiences in individuals. Treatments for depression, on the other hand, are part of traditional psychology, which is focused on treating mental illness and dysfunction.

Question 5

Receiving help can lower a person's self-esteem when the

Accepted Answer

Receiving help can lower a person's self-esteem when the helper demonstrates superior skill or knowledge, which can make the recipient feel incompetent or inferior. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem, which can negatively impact their future behavior and attitudes towards seeking help.

Question 6

The overjustification effect suggests that providing _______ for volunteering or community service can lead to _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The overjustification effect suggests that providing _______...

Question 7

Researchers exposed some students to a lecture on bystander intervention research and other students to a lecture on an unrelated topic.Two weeks later

Accepted Answer

This choice suggests that education is beneficial in increasing helping behavior, as the students who were exposed to the lecture on bystander intervention were more likely to help. The fact that they still demonstrated this behavior two weeks later indicates that the effects of the lecture were long-lasting. The other answer choices are not supported by the information given in the scenario.

Question 8

The positive psychology movement is a reaction to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The positive psychology movement specifically aims to shift the focus of psychology away from pathology and mental illness and towards promoting well-being and positive experiences. This can be seen as a reaction to the traditional emphasis on weakness and disease in psychology.

Question 9

Based on information from your text about the rates of volunteerism, which of the following countries has the highest rate of volunteerism in its population (47 percent)?

Accepted Answer

The United States is known for having a high rate of volunteerism, with approximately 47 percent of its population engaging in volunteer activities.

Question 10

Greitemeyer and his colleagues have conducted a number of studies to examine the effects of video games on helping.They have some participants play a prosocial video game and others play a neutral video game.The dependent variable of this research is the

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable being measured in the study is the degree of helping behavior, specifically examining whether playing a prosocial video game increases helping behavior compared to playing a neutral video game. Therefore, the correct answer is A) degree of helping. B) type of video game is the independent variable, C) participants are a part of the study, but not the dependent variable, and D) temperature of the room is not relevant to the study's hypothesis.

Question 11

Briefly summarize the social exchange perspective of helping behavior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Briefly summarize the social exchange perspective of...

Question 12

To ensure that community service participation for a school or job does not undermine people's intrinsic motivation for helping, an administrator should do which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Ensuring that people feel that their help is voluntary helps maintain their intrinsic motivation and ensures that they feel that they have a choice in their participation, rather than feeling like it is a requirement. Options A, B, and D may be beneficial in different contexts, but C directly addresses the potential problem of undermining intrinsic motivation.

Question 13

Annie works with AIDS patients to get an idea of whether she wants to pursue social work as a career.Bert volunteers at a mental hospital to fulfill a class requirement.Stacey paints a mural for her old school because her sorority requires her to do a community service project.George helps the elderly prepare their income tax returns because his accounting firm will not give him a Christmas bonus if he does not volunteer.Who is most likely to engage in volunteer work again in the future?

Accepted Answer

Annie is the most likely to engage in volunteer work again in the future because she is doing it out of genuine interest and to explore a potential career field. Bert is only volunteering to fulfill a class requirement and may not have a personal interest in volunteering. Stacey is only doing the community service project because her sorority requires it, so she may not voluntarily choose to participate in the future. George is only volunteering to receive a Christmas bonus, which does not reflect a genuine interest in volunteering.

Question 14

When community service work is required by a school or business, there is the downside risk that people will infer that they are volunteering only because it is required and will be less likely to freely volunteer in the future.This risk is known as the

Accepted Answer

The overjustification effect is the phenomenon where providing extrinsic rewards for behavior that was previously intrinsically motivated can decrease the person's intrinsic motivation to engage in that behavior in the future. In this case, requiring community service work may make people feel like they are only volunteering because they have to, rather than because they truly want to help, leading to a decrease in their future likelihood to volunteer.

Question 15

On her first day of work in a new job, Amy would be most likely to feel resentful were a coworker to say to her,

Accepted Answer

Amy is on her first day of work, so being told she should already know something from training could make her feel like she's not meeting expectations or like her training was inadequate. The other options are all potentially helpful or complimentary, which would likely be more welcomed by Amy.

Question 16

In research presented in the text, participants were exposed to a lecture on social-psychological factors that inhibit helping.Later, these participants were put into a potential helping situation.The results suggest that

Accepted Answer

Participants who learned about the factors that inhibit helping were more likely to help because the awareness of these factors possibly made them more conscious of their actions and the impact of those inhibiting factors, leading to an increased likelihood of helping behavior.

Question 17

If you were an employer who wanted to increase volunteerism among your employees, what strategy would you employ in order to increase the chances that the employees would continue to volunteer in the future?

Accepted Answer

Encouraging volunteerism while preserving employees' free choice to volunteer or not is the best strategy for increasing the chances that employees would continue to volunteer in the future. By emphasizing the value of volunteerism and suggesting suitable opportunities, the employer can inspire employees to try it out without forcing them. If they enjoy the experience, they are more likely to continue volunteering. If volunteerism is forced, it may lead some employees to resent it and avoid volunteering in the future. Giving employees the option to choose an organization that is meaningful to them is also a good way to increase their interest and commitment to volunteering.

Question 18

At Cornell and Vassar, students intervened in emergencies.In both cases, they

Accepted Answer

The article mentions that students had learned about the barriers to helping in class, indicating that they had prior knowledge and education about how to intervene in emergencies. The article makes no mention of extrinsic motivation or regret, and it suggests that the students did take action to help, indicating that they were willing to help without needing someone else to start first.

Question 19

Greitemeyer and his colleagues have conducted a number of studies to examine the effects of video games on helping.They have some participants play a prosocial video game and others play a neutral video game.The independent variable of this research is the

Accepted Answer

The independent variable in this research is the type of video game, with one group playing a prosocial game and the other playing a neutral game. The degree of helping is the dependent variable that is being measured. The participants are necessary for the study but are not the independent variable. The temperature of the room where the game is played is not mentioned and is therefore not relevant to the study.

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of a topic related to positive psychology in the field of social psychology?

Accepted Answer

Prosocial behavior is an example of a topic related to positive psychology in the field of social psychology. Positive psychology aims to understand and promote well-being and positive emotions, such as empathy, compassion, and altruism. Prosocial behavior refers to actions intended to benefit others, which aligns with this focus on positive emotions and behaviors. Prejudice, aggression, and obedience to authority are all topics related to social psychology, but they may not necessarily align with the goals or principles of positive psychology.

Quiz 11: Prosocial Behavior: Why Do People Help