Question 1

Social psychologists use the term ____ to refer to concern about how others are evaluating your performance.

Accepted Answer

Evaluation apprehension refers to the fear of being evaluated by others. Self-monitoring is a related concept that refers to an individual's tendency to regulate their behavior based on the demand of the social situation. Social evaluation refers to the overall process of evaluating oneself in relation to others, while self-referencing refers to the tendency to relate new information to oneself. Of these options, only evaluation apprehension best captures the concept of concern about how others are evaluating your performance.

Question 2

Many modern offices have open, public shared spaces (rather than cubicles or offices). This office style works best if the employees are working on ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Many modern offices have open, public shared...

Question 3

In the language of social facilitation theory, the so-called dominant response is ____.

Accepted Answer

The dominant response refers to the behavior that is most likely to be performed in a given situation and is frequently observed in a particular individual. It is not necessarily the most common response across all people or situations, nor is it always socially valued or aggressive.

Question 4

After decades of research on the effect that others have on task performance, social psychologists have concluded that the presence of others ____.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that the presence of others can have mixed effects on task performance. This is because the presence of others elicits a person's dominant response, which is the most likely outcome given a person's level of skill and experience with a task. For simple or well-learned tasks, the presence of others can improve performance because it reinforces the dominant response. However, for complex or novel tasks, the presence of others can hinder performance because it elicits evaluation apprehension and leads to the arousal and distraction of alternative responses. Therefore, the answer is D, as it accurately reflects the mixed effects of the presence of others on task performance.

Question 5

Similarity is important to membership in a human cultural group because it ____.

Accepted Answer

Similarity among group members helps to reinforce their sense of belonging and identification with the group, thereby cementing their allegiance to the group. This is important for maintaining unity and cooperation within the group.

Question 6

Based on research on social facilitation, we should expect that-all else being equal-children who work on a set of easy puzzles alone will ____ than children who work on the same puzzles side by side in a big group of other children.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Based on research on social facilitation, we...

Question 7

In one of the earliest social psychological experiments to be conducted, Norman Triplett examined the records of teams of cyclists. He found that cyclists who raced against each other ____ than those who raced alone (against the clock).

Accepted Answer

Triplett found that cyclists who raced against each other cycled more quickly than those who raced alone against the clock. This is known as the social facilitation effect, where the presence of others can enhance performance on simple or well-learned tasks.

Question 8

Suppose that Office Building X makes use of an open floor plan with many shared spaces (rather than cubicles or offices). This kind of floor plan is likely to increase productivity among some employees but decrease productivity among others. Of the people below, who is likely to suffer most?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose that Office Building X makes use...

Question 9

Belonging to a human cultural group has two competing demands. They are ____.

Accepted Answer

Belonging to a human cultural group requires a balance between feeling similar and connected to others in the group while also feeling unique and individualistic. Too much emphasis on similarity can lead to conformity and loss of personal identity, while too much emphasis on uniqueness can lead to isolation from the group.

Question 10

Rohit is a very good golfer when he is alone, and an excellent golfer when he is with others. In the language of social facilitation theory, playing golf well appears to be a(n) ____ for Rohit.

Accepted Answer

According to social facilitation theory, the dominant response is the behavior most likely to occur in a given situation. In this case, Rohit's dominant response is playing golf well when he is with others, suggesting that the presence of others enhances his performance.

Question 11

Humans need to find uniqueness within the context of their group memberships. What structural elements of groups help humans do this?

Accepted Answer

Roles provide individuals with specific expectations and responsibilities within the group, and can help individuals feel unique and valued for their contributions. Norms provide guidelines for behavior and performance within the group, and can help individuals differentiate themselves based on their adherence or deviation from those norms. Communication patterns and membership applications may also play a role in the formation and maintenance of group identity, but they are not as directly related to individual uniqueness within the group.

Question 12

Social facilitation theory suggests that tasks like walking, brushing one's teeth, or counting will be ____ by the presence of others. It also suggests that tasks like solving a difficult math problem or crossword puzzle will be ____ by the presence of others.

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation theory suggests that simple, well-learned tasks are enhanced by the presence of others, while more complex or novel tasks are hindered. Walking, brushing one's teeth, and counting are all tasks that are relatively simple and well-learned, and therefore would be enhanced by the presence of others. Solving a difficult math problem or crossword puzzle, on the other hand, is a more complex task and would be hindered by the presence of others. Therefore, choice D, enhanced for simple tasks and hindered for complex tasks, is the best answer.

Question 13

Based on early research by Norman Triplett with racing cyclists, we should expect that people who exercise for half an hour on rowing machines at a gym, among other people, would be more likely to ____ than people who exercise for half an hour on a rowing machine in the privacy of their home.

Accepted Answer

Norman Triplett's early research on social facilitation found that the presence of others can enhance performance on simple or well-learned tasks, such as cycling faster when racing against others. This principle suggests that exercising in the presence of others, as in a gym, might lead to increased effort and potentially burning more calories.

Question 14

Research on social facilitation would suggest that, in general, runners would ____ when running alongside others as opposed to running alone.

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation research suggests that people tend to perform better when in the presence of others. As such, runners would likely run faster when running alongside others as compared to running alone.

Question 15

While many modern offices make use of open shared spaces (rather than cubicles or offices), this office style can hinder productivity. Indeed, this office style is likely to be particularly detrimental for employees who work on ____.

Accepted Answer

Open shared spaces can be distracting and noisy, making it difficult for employees to focus on complex, novel tasks that require deep concentration and creative thinking. Simple tasks that have been performed many times may not require as much focus or creativity, so they may not be as negatively affected by the open office style. However, simple but novel tasks (such as learning a new software program) may still require a significant amount of cognitive effort and could also be hindered by the distractions of an open office.

Question 16

Cockroaches completed simple mazes more quickly when they ran in the presence of other cockroaches (as opposed to alone), and completed complex mazes more quickly when they ran alone (as opposed to in a group). This finding illustrates that, even among cockroaches, ____.

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation occurs when the presence of others enhances performance on easy or well-learned tasks (dominant responses) but can impair performance on difficult tasks. The cockroaches' faster completion of simple mazes in groups and slower completion of complex mazes in groups illustrates this phenomenon.

Question 17

In his early social psychological research regarding bicyclists and racing performance, Norman Triplett's initial interpretation of his finding was that the presence of others stimulated a ____.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A, as Triplett concluded that the presence of others stimulated a competitive instinct in the cyclists, which led to faster performance.

Question 18

Which of the following is the most accurate summary of social facilitation theory?

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation theory proposes that the presence of others can enhance or impair task performance depending on the complexity of the task and the individual's level of expertise. Specifically, it suggests that the presence of others increases arousal and the dominant response tendency, which can lead to improved performance on easy or well-learned tasks (i.e., the dominant response), but impaired performance on difficult or novel tasks (i.e., interference from conflicting responses).

Question 19

According to social facilitation theory, for most people, task performance for tasks such as ____ should be enhanced by the presence of others, while task performance for tasks such as ____ should be hindered by the presence of others.

Accepted Answer

According to social facilitation theory, the presence of others enhances performance on simple or well-rehearsed tasks (such as washing dishes), but hinders performance on complex or novel tasks (such as solving a difficult math problem). Therefore, option D is correct, as washing dishes is a simple and well-rehearsed task, while solving a difficult math problem is a complex and novel task. The other options do not follow this pattern.

Question 20

According to social facilitation theory, task performance is sometimes enhanced by the presence of others and sometimes hurt by the presence of others. Generally speaking, this depends upon ____.

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation theory suggests that the presence of others can either enhance or impair task performance, depending on the nature of the task. Specifically, simple or well-learned tasks are typically performed better in the presence of others, while complex or new tasks are often hindered by the presence of others. This is because the presence of others causes arousal, which can either facilitate or interfere with performance depending on the task difficulty. Therefore, the correct choice is A - whether the task at hand is easy or hard.

Quiz 14: Groups

Social psychologists use the term ____ to refer to concern about how others are evaluating your performance.

Many modern offices have open, public shared spaces (rather than cubicles or offices) . This office style works best if the employees are working on ____.

In the language of social facilitation theory, the so-called dominant response is ____.

After decades of research on the effect that others have on task performance, social psychologists have concluded that the presence of others ____.

Similarity is important to membership in a human cultural group because it ____.

Based on research on social facilitation, we should expect that-all else being equal-children who work on a set of easy puzzles alone will ____ than children who work on the same puzzles side by side in a big group of other children.

In one of the earliest social psychological experiments to be conducted, Norman Triplett examined the records of teams of cyclists. He found that cyclists who raced against each other ____ than those who raced alone (against the clock) .

Suppose that Office Building X makes use of an open floor plan with many shared spaces (rather than cubicles or offices) . This kind of floor plan is likely to increase productivity among some employees but decrease productivity among others. Of the people below, who is likely to suffer most?

Belonging to a human cultural group has two competing demands. They are ____.

Rohit is a very good golfer when he is alone, and an excellent golfer when he is with others. In the language of social facilitation theory, playing golf well appears to be a(n) ____ for Rohit.

Humans need to find uniqueness within the context of their group memberships. What structural elements of groups help humans do this?

Social facilitation theory suggests that tasks like walking, brushing one's teeth, or counting will be by the presence of others. It also suggests that tasks like solving a difficult math problem or crossword puzzle will be by the presence of others.

Based on early research by Norman Triplett with racing cyclists, we should expect that people who exercise for half an hour on rowing machines at a gym, among other people, would be more likely to ____ than people who exercise for half an hour on a rowing machine in the privacy of their home.

Research on social facilitation would suggest that, in general, runners would ____ when running alongside others as opposed to running alone.

While many modern offices make use of open shared spaces (rather than cubicles or offices) , this office style can hinder productivity. Indeed, this office style is likely to be particularly detrimental for employees who work on ____.

Cockroaches completed simple mazes more quickly when they ran in the presence of other cockroaches (as opposed to alone) , and completed complex mazes more quickly when they ran alone (as opposed to in a group) . This finding illustrates that, even among cockroaches, ____.

In his early social psychological research regarding bicyclists and racing performance, Norman Triplett's initial interpretation of his finding was that the presence of others stimulated a ____.

Which of the following is the most accurate summary of social facilitation theory?

According to social facilitation theory, for most people, task performance for tasks such as should be enhanced by the presence of others, while task performance for tasks such as should be hindered by the presence of others.

According to social facilitation theory, task performance is sometimes enhanced by the presence of others and sometimes hurt by the presence of others. Generally speaking, this depends upon ____.