Question 1

The optimism-pessimism self-assessment inventory in Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")did NOT allow a respondent to receive a score on his or her anticipated ______.

Accepted Answer

The optimism-pessimism self-assessment inventory did not allow a respondent to receive a score on his or her anticipated academic performance, as it focused on areas such as romantic relationships, medical health, and job prospects.

Question 2

"I received a good mark because I got lucky on this one exam" is NOT an example of a(n)______ attribution.

Accepted Answer

Attributing success to luck is an example of an external attribution, where the cause of an event is attributed to factors outside the individual. Internal attribution would involve attributing success to one's own abilities or efforts, which is not the case in the given statement.

Question 3

Which of the following is not true of Lomas's (2015)work on well-being and interventions in the social environment?

Accepted Answer

Lomas's work on well-being and interventions in the social environment includes the microsystem level, exosystems level, and macrosystem level. However, the statement about the exosystems level focusing on the interaction of microsystems is not accurate. The exosystems level refers to external settings in which individuals do not directly participate, but that still have an impact on their well-being, such as public policies or cultural values.

Question 4

In the field of positive psychology,self-help techniques that are aimed at helping people to upgrade their well-being are referred to as ______.

Accepted Answer

Self-help techniques that are aimed at improving well-being are closely related to the principles of positive psychology. Positive psychology coaching is a specific approach that emphasizes personal growth, fulfillment, and satisfaction through the cultivation of positive emotions, positive relationships, and meaningful engagement. This approach is grounded in research on well-being, resilience, and subjective well-being, and typically involves helping individuals to identify their strengths and values, set goals, and take action towards a better life. Therefore, option (A) is the best choice. The other options are either too broad or too specific, and do not capture the full scope and essence of positive psychology coaching.

Question 5

According to Seligman's theory,attributions about the causes of events are categorized in terms of three dimensions.Which is NOT one of the dimensions?

Accepted Answer

The three dimensions of Seligman's theory are stable/unstable, global/specific, and internal/external. Flexible/rigid is not one of the dimensions.

Question 6

Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")reviews the benefits of optimistic thinking in several areas of life.Benefits were NOT considered with respect to

Accepted Answer

The chapter did not discuss the relationship between optimistic thinking and rates of divorce in middle-age couples.

Question 7

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")use the term ______ to pertain to the study of the relevance of social psychology to understanding positive well-being.

Accepted Answer

The term "positive social psychology" is used to refer to the aspect of social psychology that focuses on understanding positive well-being, aligning with the broader field of positive psychology which emphasizes strengths, virtues, and factors that contribute to a fulfilling life.

Question 8

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")emphasize two theories regarding the processes underlying optimism and pessimism.Which is one of the theories?

Accepted Answer

One of the theories emphasized in the chapter regarding the processes underlying optimism and pessimism is Carver and Scheier's (2009) expectancy theory. This theory proposes that people's expectations of positive or negative outcomes in a given situation influence their emotions, behaviors, and beliefs, which ultimately affects their overall optimism or pessimism.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a level at which an intervention was addressed in Lomas's (2015)work?

Accepted Answer

Lomas's work addresses interventions at the microsystem, mesosystem, and macrosystem levels, but does not mention the "metrosystem" level.

Question 10

Which set of attributions best characterizes the car driver optimist who has just gotten into an accident with his car sliding into a ditch?

Accepted Answer

An optimist is more likely to attribute the accident to factors that are external (not their fault), unstable (not likely to happen again), and specific (limited to this situation), which aligns with choice C.

Question 11

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")emphasize which two concepts,in particular,as central to understanding the roles of optimism and pessimism in people's lives?

Accepted Answer

The authors of Chapter 17 emphasize "outcome expectancies" and "self-fulfilling prophecy" as central concepts for understanding the roles of optimism and pessimism in people's lives. Outcome expectancies relate to what people believe will happen in the future, which can be influenced by their optimistic or pessimistic tendencies. Self-fulfilling prophecy refers to the phenomenon where believing something can make it more likely to happen, which ties into how optimism or pessimism can shape one's experiences and outcomes.

Question 12

Aspinwall and Taylor's (1992)research with university students provided evidence that optimism leads students to engage in effective coping strategies that,in turn,contribute to

Accepted Answer

Aspinwall and Taylor's (1992) research found that optimism leads to effective coping strategies, which in turn lead to better school performance and better psychological adjustment. Therefore, choice C is the best answer. Choice A is incorrect because it only mentions better school performance and higher career aspirations, leaving out psychological adjustment. Choice B is incorrect because it only mentions lower dropout rates and higher career aspirations, leaving out psychological adjustment. Choice D is incorrect because it only mentions lower dropout rates and better psychological adjustment, leaving out school performance.

Question 13

Which set of attributions best characterizes the car driver pessimist who has just gotten into an accident with his car sliding into a ditch?

Accepted Answer

A pessimist who attributes the accident to internal (believing it's their own fault), stable (believing such events will always happen to them), and global (believing this event reflects their life in general) factors best fits the description.

Question 14

Barry becomes very upset when the high school nurse informs him that his body mass index shows that he borders on being obese.Barry explains to the nurse that the reason for being overweight is that he has grown up in a home in which meals routinely consist of very large portions of high calorie foods.Barry's explanation entails which set of attributions?

Accepted Answer

Barry attributes his weight to external factors (his home environment), stable factors (consistent eating habits), and specific factors (large portions of high-calorie foods).

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT true about what Krueger and Funder (2004)noted about social psychology research?

Accepted Answer

Krueger and Funder (2004) noted that many seminal studies in social psychology actually focus on negative phenomena, not positive phenomena. This includes studies on conformity, obedience, aggression, and prejudice, among others.

Question 16

Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

The ecosystem level pertains to the entire planet and initiatives that sustain it would promote this level.

Option B is incorrect because the microsystem pertains to immediate surroundings and relationships, and not large institutional patterns like economics and politics.

Option C is also incorrect because the exosystem pertains to indirect social structures like the workplace, and not community or mass media.

Option D is incorrect as it refers to the mesosystem, the level that focuses on the interaction between an individual's immediate environments such as home and school.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT true of positive psychology?

Accepted Answer

Positive psychology does not typically focus on testing in the built environment, but rather on how interventions and social phenomena can promote well-being.

Question 18

Which is true with regard to the optimism-pessimism self-assessment inventory in Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life")?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which is true with regard to the...

Question 19

Which set of attributions best characterizes the optimist who has just been awarded her company's organizational citizenship award?

Accepted Answer

An optimist who has just been awarded her company's organizational citizenship award is likely to attribute the success to her internal qualities (such as her hard work and dedication), consider these qualities as stable over time, and perceive that they have an impact in various domains of her life (global). Therefore, the set of attributions that best characterizes this individual is internal, stable, and global (choice C). The other answer choices are less fitting because they either emphasize external factors (A and D) or suggest that the optimist's qualities are unstable (A and B) or specific to the current situation (D), none of which aligns with the optimistic and self-enhancing mindset of someone who receives a positive recognition.

Question 20

In his learned optimism theory,Seligman (2011)emphasizes which factor in explaining whether or not a person becomes an optimist?

Accepted Answer

Seligman's theory of learned optimism focuses on the individual's habitual ways of explaining events in their life, known as their explanatory style. This includes the three dimensions of permanence, pervasiveness, and personalization. The belief that negative events are permanent, pervasive, and personal leads to a pessimistic explanatory style, while the belief that negative events are temporary, specific, and external leads to an optimistic explanatory style. Therefore, Seligman emphasizes the role of explanatory style in determining whether or not a person becomes an optimist.

Quiz 17: Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life: Balancing Optimism and Pessimism

The optimism-pessimism self-assessment inventory in Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") did NOT allow a respondent to receive a score on his or her anticipated ______.

"I received a good mark because I got lucky on this one exam" is NOT an example of a(n) ______ attribution.

Which of the following is not true of Lomas's (2015) work on well-being and interventions in the social environment?

In the field of positive psychology,self-help techniques that are aimed at helping people to upgrade their well-being are referred to as ______.

According to Seligman's theory,attributions about the causes of events are categorized in terms of three dimensions.Which is NOT one of the dimensions?

Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") reviews the benefits of optimistic thinking in several areas of life.Benefits were NOT considered with respect to

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") use the term ______ to pertain to the study of the relevance of social psychology to understanding positive well-being.

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") emphasize two theories regarding the processes underlying optimism and pessimism.Which is one of the theories?

Which of the following is NOT a level at which an intervention was addressed in Lomas's (2015) work?

Which set of attributions best characterizes the car driver optimist who has just gotten into an accident with his car sliding into a ditch?

The authors of Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") emphasize which two concepts,in particular,as central to understanding the roles of optimism and pessimism in people's lives?

Aspinwall and Taylor's (1992) research with university students provided evidence that optimism leads students to engage in effective coping strategies that,in turn,contribute to

Which set of attributions best characterizes the car driver pessimist who has just gotten into an accident with his car sliding into a ditch?

Which of the following is NOT true about what Krueger and Funder (2004) noted about social psychology research?

Which of the following is true?

Which of the following is NOT true of positive psychology?

Which is true with regard to the optimism-pessimism self-assessment inventory in Chapter 17 ("Applying Social Psychology to the Good Life") ?

Which set of attributions best characterizes the optimist who has just been awarded her company's organizational citizenship award?

In his learned optimism theory,Seligman (2011) emphasizes which factor in explaining whether or not a person becomes an optimist?